Working From Home - Impacts of Coronavirus

[nctnico]

Care to explain those numbers? The problem I see with the statistics surrounding the Coronavirus is that it is only based on known / tested cases. However there is no data at all about how many people get infected but aren't registered as being infected.

When Italy had 2000 known infected, it had tested 20000 people.

But only people who got in contact with those 2000 known cases got tested. And likely a large number of people got left out of those test pools because they are unknown. Think about travelling by public transport; can they really trace everyone? All in all you still know nothing about the actual number of people infected. You have to keep in mind that everyone has contact with many people all around the world https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_degrees_of_separation .

[Mr. Scram]

I wonder what people will use to cook that kind of food in case of real trouble. By the time things get so bad you need the food then the gas, water & electricity will be shutdown too.

We're talking about a slightly more contagious flu here, not some Hollywood grade doomsday virus. Let's remind ourselves many people don't even know they're infected or have mild symptoms when they're sick. Even in the case of some extreme pathogen governments know utilities are vital from both a practical point of view and that of morale. They'll do anything and everything to keep those going which I suspect includes morally dubious or outright illegal options if needs must. But again, it's a flu. People need to take this seriously to limit spread but also calm the fuck down. The behavioral spectrum seems fairly binary with reckless disregard and utter panic at both ends and very little in between. Neither is of any use to us and rather counter productive.

[james_s]

But again, it's a flu. People need to take this seriously to limit spread but also calm the fuck down. The behavioral spectrum seems fairly binary with reckless disregard and utter panic at both ends and very little in between. Neither is of any use to us and rather counter productive.

This is almost exactly what I keep telling people. I think it's a positive feedback loop, the people who are freaking out cause other people to be annoyed and shift toward reckless disregard, which makes people who are nervous freak out and panic and so on.

Thankfully I do think there are a lot of people out there being sensible but you don't hear much from them. The noisy minority on both fringes of the spectrum are the most visible.

[Nusa]

Being isolated at home is OK. It gives me more time to learn electronics - my embedded systems professor is constantly in contact with me in finishing my function generator project. IDK even how to express how I feel these days as a triple citizen who landed in the 'states. If somebody offered me a job in AUS or EU I'd be on a plane tomorrow. I went to the local grocer today and not only are the shelves stripped of TP but also canned foods like beans and pasta.

I wonder what people will use to cook that kind of food in case of real trouble. By the time things get so bad you need the food then the gas, water & electricity will be shutdown too.

Check the labels, of course, but the bulk of canned foods are safe to eat without cooking. They were precooked as part of the canning process. They may not meet your expectations without warming, but that's acceptable when the alternative is not eating.

But if you do want cooking and neglected to buy a camp stove and fuel, read up on solar ovens...they aren't hard to make in a pinch. Main requirement is a safe location with good sunlight.

[Mr. Scram]

I wonder what people will use to cook that kind of food in case of real trouble. By the time things get so bad
But if you do want cooking and neglected to buy a camp stove and fuel, read up on solar ovens...they aren't hard to make in a pinch. Main requirement is a safe location with good sunlight.

Not an option for UK residents then. 

[james_s]

Around here there's no shortage of trees, so in a pinch I can always get wood to build a fire for cooking. Of course I have lots of more convenient options, and lots of food does not really need to be cooked.

[edavid]

The problem I see with the statistics surrounding the Coronavirus is that it is only based on known / tested cases. However there is no data at all about how many people get infected but aren't registered as being infected.

Of course there is data (from China, South Korea, and Italy), and it indicates that there is no iceberg in those places.

OTOH a major part of a real solution to prevent a future outbreak is to allow the majority of the people to get infected in a controlled manner and vaccinate the weakest (the latter like it is done with the 'ordinary' flu). That way the virus won't spread as much as it does now because most people have built up resistance.

There is definitely no data on how long survivors will have immunity.

[nctnico]

The problem I see with the statistics surrounding the Coronavirus is that it is only based on known / tested cases. However there is no data at all about how many people get infected but aren't registered as being infected.

Of course there is data (from China, South Korea, and Italy), and it indicates that there is no iceberg in those places.

The experts may not agree with you on that:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/07/world/asia/china-coronavirus-cost.html

Medical experts say that there have been few signs that the government has aggressively tested for the coronavirus outside of medical facilities in Hubei. Until they broaden the scope of testing, experts say, it will be impossible to determine the true extent of the epidemic because those who have mild infections might not see a doctor.

“At the moment we are focused on the tip of the iceberg,” said David Hui, the director of the Stanley Ho Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Some experts are increasingly wondering if China’s lockdown will become pointless the more widespread the virus becomes. Given the global spread of the virus and the difficulty of spotting mild cases, they say, it is unlikely that it will ever be completely eliminated — even in China.

[Mr. Scram]

That'd be good news as the virus would be vastly less dangerous than currently thought or reported as the death to infection ratio is much more favourable than the numbers reflect.

[digsys]

I had a close call with that Corona virus thing that's been going around, today !! Went to my local shops and damn nearly ran into it !! Lucky I bought all those toilet paper rolls .. Ima need them now !! Be careful out there !!

[Nusa]

I've got a case of the Coors virus in the fridge, but I'm not going to spread it around.

[NiHaoMike]

We're talking about a slightly more contagious flu here, not some Hollywood grade doomsday virus. Let's remind ourselves many people don't even know they're infected or have mild symptoms when they're sick. Even in the case of some extreme pathogen governments know utilities are vital from both a practical point of view and that of morale.

More to the point, they're turning utilities on in areas where they have been shut off for lack of payment, because they know sanitation is important to keep things under control.
https://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/2020/03/west-michigan-community-to-end-water-shutoffs-amid-coronavirus-fears.html
You can also see that many areas are doing that - they really want everyone to stay inside.
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=coronavirus+water+shutoff+end&t=ffab&ia=news&iar=news

[Electro Detective]

I had a close call with that Corona virus thing that's been going around, today !! Went to my local shops and damn nearly ran into it !!
Lucky I bought all those toilet paper rolls .. Ima need them now !!

Be careful out there !!

Thanks mate, will do   

You got lucky, had it been in the horizontal position and stepped on, youdav rolled back and copped a hospital bed and or automated wheelchair   

or if you kicked it and some spilled on your foot you may have become a walking infection breeder,
although if a lemon slice was in there to sanitize the contents, maybe not. 

You did do the 'right thing' and report it's whereabouts to the authorities anonymously right ? 

I hear there's slabs of the stuff kicking around, that can do over entire suburbs
..hiding in utes and dark dingy mancaves 

[digsys]

...  I hear there's slabs of the stuff kicking around, that can do over entire suburbs ..hiding in utes and dark dingy mancaves 

What horrified me was - there was a store right in front selling 100s of that Corona virus thing, and people were buying it ... and SELF-INJECTING it down their throats !!! DELIBERATELY !! That virus is faster acting than the authorities have led us to believe, as I could see it affecting these a$$wipes very quickly .. some even unable to walk straight !

[Mr. Scram]

I've got a case of the Coors virus in the fridge, but I'm not going to spread it around.

Please don't!

[Zucca]

But again, it's a flu.

That's why it spread so fast in Italy. We were thinking it is just a flu.
Comparing corona with a flu is like comparing a firecracker with a hand grenade.

If you stay home and follow the rules there is no reason to panic.
Calm down and stay home. You will be safe.

[tszaboo]

I've got a case of the Coors virus in the fridge, but I'm not going to spread it around.

Please don't!

Yeah, it is bad. I wouldn't call it a beer.

[Brumby]

SWMBO went to Woolworths today and came across a pallet of the home brand toilet paper.  There was a security guard keeping watch and 2 big, burly staff members who were offering 1 pack to passing customers, without them even asking.  That's something I've never heard of before.

She accepted the offer.

[bd139]

Toilet paper is back here at least in Waitrose under security guard. Managed to bag myself 9 rolls of glory today.



No pasta, no chopped tomatoes, no oils, not canned fish though.

[coppice]

SWMBO went to Woolworths today and came across a pallet of the home brand toilet paper.  There was a security guard keeping watch and 2 big, burly staff members who were offering 1 pack to passing customers, without them even asking.  That's something I've never heard of before.

She accepted the offer.

In times like this its pretty common for supermarkets in many countries to enforce a one per customer or two per customer rule for key products. They are going to sell all the stuff at full price whatever they do, but allowing a few people to grab everything creates long term resentment that can hurt their business.

[nctnico]

No pasta, no chopped tomatoes, no oils, not canned fish though.

And the worst thing is: all that food likely goes past the due date without getting eaten (and thrown away). How much spaghetti do you want to eat?

[bd139]

So true. Mine ALL gets eaten apart from the odd potato that escaped in the back of the cupboard. Doesn't take a lot of planning but most people are barely capable of that anyway.

[coppice]

No pasta, no chopped tomatoes, no oils, not canned fish though.

And the worst thing is: all that food likely goes past the due date without getting eaten (and thrown away). How much spaghetti do you want to eat?

The shelf life of pasta is really long. Unless someone stocks up with an insane amount, they should get through it by the expiry date (unless they are behaving crazy, and buying stuff they never eat anyway). People stocking up with veggie will probably waste a lot of it.

We are down to our last 50 kilos of rice. We buy 10 kilo bags, and use several types of rice, so 50 kilos is a normal stock level for us. None of it ever reaches its expiry date. Dry foods are wonderful things for bulk buyers.

[bd139]

Similar. Got a 10kg bag from the local Indian supermarket in Jan. that’ll last most of the year out!

[AndyC_772]

And the worst thing is: all that food likely goes past the due date without getting eaten (and thrown away). How much spaghetti do you want to eat?

The bag of pasta in my cupboard right now has a date of Sept 2021, and I doubt very much that eating expired spaghetti would kill you.