COVID-19 Pandemic

[tchaiku]

China's numbers might be false but I really hope not.
If they don't recover from the virus for such a long time I don't really know what to say for likes of Italy, US and Spain.

[Carlin]

Italy's death toll from the coronavirus surged to more than 9,000 Friday as the country reported another 919 fatalities in one day: record number so far.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/thehill.com/policy/international/europe/489893-italy-tops-9000-coronavirus-deaths-after-reporting-919-fatalities%3famp

I just read that U.S. already has 100,000+ cases.

[tchaiku]

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

US is exploding, 101k+ cases.

[Carlin]

Ecuador will build a mass grave for coronavirus victims

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-03-27-20-intl-hnk/index.html

Ecuador's western city of Guayaquil, one of the hardest hit by novel coronavirus, is planning to build a mass grave as the government predicts an increase of deaths due to the virus.

Guayaquil's cleaning director Gustavo Zuñiga said the city "will implement an agreement to be able to build the corresponding site," during an interview with CNN's affiliate Ecuavisa on Friday.

The mass grave will have a capacity to hold about 300 bodies, according to Ecuavisa. A mausoleum will be built after it is closed, Zuñiga added.

There are at least 1,627 cases of coronavirus and 41 deaths in Ecuador, according to health authorities.

[Carlin]

CORONAVIRUS - “Do we have a deal, Pedro?”: an inside look at the clash at EU coronavirus summit

Spain, Italy and France have been pushing for a new “Marshall Plan” that would involve extensive public investment in the continent. But this plan, originally proposed by Sánchez, is strongly opposed by Germany and the Netherlands, as well as Austria and Finland.

In the end, Sánchez and Conte refused to support the joint declaration, and their pressure forced the EU to agree to come up with a plan to address the crisis within 15 days.

A reconstruction of events by EL PAÍS based on testimony from several delegations shows the intensity of the clash.

URL:

https://english.elpais.com/economy_and_business/2020-03-28/do-we-have-a-deal-pedro-an-inside-look-at-the-clash-between-eu-leaders-at-coronavirus-summit.html

[Carlin]

Trump says a short term quarantine on New York and surrounding areas may be enacted

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/28/politics/trump-new-york-new-jersey-quarantine-coronavirus/index.html

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-03-28-20-intl-hnk/h_d85ce5e94b2f5f66efd51806a77d1aa2

President Trump said he is thinking about a possible “short term, two week” quarantine for "New York, probably New Jersey and certain parts of Connecticut."

Speaking at the White House, Trump said "we might not have to do it, but there’s a possibility sometime today" he will enact a quarantine.

[Gocka]

Trump says a short term quarantine on New York and surrounding areas may be enacted

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/28/politics/trump-new-york-new-jersey-quarantine-coronavirus/index.html

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-03-28-20-intl-hnk/h_d85ce5e94b2f5f66efd51806a77d1aa2

President Trump said he is thinking about a possible “short term, two week” quarantine for "New York, probably New Jersey and certain parts of Connecticut."

Speaking at the White House, Trump said "we might not have to do it, but there’s a possibility sometime today" he will enact a quarantine.

Highly debatable if he even has the authority to do this and furthermore how it would be enforced anyway.

[Carlin]

CNN - As the number of people infected with the novel coronavirus rises above 50,000 in New York, more than 4,300 uniformed employees of the New York Police Department (NYPD) called in sick on Saturday.

According to a daily coronavirus report from the NYPD, that's 12% of the uniformed workforce.

So far, 696 members of the NYPD have tested positive for the coronavirus, including 608 uniformed members and 88 civilian members.

[tchaiku]

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/germany/

Germany -
From 6824 new cases and 82 new deaths to 552 new cases and 22 new deaths.
Edit: It's updated +2,586, but still a lot less.

[Amphipolis]

It seems the district of Kastoria has the highest percentage of cases in Greece (about 0,54 per thousand people). Elis and Athens come next with about half the number.

Mind you, Greece already has an official problem, we don't have enough test kits, so we don't even bother to check the number of cases. This is a problem in general. You shouldn't compare countries based on the number of reported cases. We should just focus on the number of deaths.

[tchaiku]

''Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President James Bullard predicted the U.S. unemployment rate may hit 30% in the second quarter because of shutdowns to combat the coronavirus, with an unprecedented 50% drop in gross domestic product.''

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-22/fed-s-bullard-says-u-s-jobless-rate-may-soar-to-30-in-2q

[Gocka]

'Virus-fighting' scientist gets magnets stuck in nose

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc...ralia-52094804

Great effort my aussie friends. Leave the heavy lifting to us.

[Phoenix]

Great effort my aussie friends. Leave the heavy lifting to us.

Did he mention the penis shaped magnet stuck in his arse...?

Gocka..I tend to agree with you, the Americans seem to come to the party a little late in most cases but...

The Soviets were the first to put a man into space but the Americans put a man on the moon and ended the space race before the moon-dust had settled around Armstrong's boots...

The Yanks entered WWII after dragging their arse around for a while only to end it by vaporising Japs by the tens of thousands ...

When shit needs to be done, nobody can throw the kitchen sink at the problem like the US can...when I hear people (mostly women) trying to tear down the Donald and gloat about how the US (under his leadership) will face an existential (corona virus) crisis...I just remind them of the US's unique ability to get shit done when the proverbial hits the fan...

[Risto the Great]

Great effort my aussie friends. Leave the heavy lifting to us.

Plot twist, the magnets destroyed the virus.
Man retires with billions from new patent royalties.

[Gocka]

Did he mention the penis shaped magnet stuck in his arse...?

Gocka..I tend to agree with you, the Americans seem to come to the party a little late in most cases but...

The Soviets were the first to put a man into space but the Americans put a man on the moon and ended the space race before the moon-dust had settled around Armstrong's boots...

The Yanks entered WWII after dragging their arse around for a while only to end it by vaporising Japs by the tens of thousands ...

When shit needs to be done, nobody can throw the kitchen sink at the problem like the US can...when I hear people (mostly women) trying to tear down the Donald and gloat about how the US (under his leadership) will face an existential (corona virus) crisis...I just remind them of the US's unique ability to get shit done when the proverbial hits the fan...

One of my favorite historical quotes is from Churchill regarding the USA, “Americans can always be trusted to do the right thing, once all other possibilities have been exhausted.”

Always late, kicking and screaming the whole way, but they do have a special way of pulling together minds and resources to make things happen when they choose to. They have already come up with a 5 minute covid-19 test. Johnson and Johnson is doing human testing on a vaccine in September. A few companies are working on therapeutics in the mean time.

The USA is like a wild beast that is difficult to tame (democracy), it is their source of strength and also its weakness. Had they put everything into defeating the virus 2 months ago, the whole world would probably have been spared. But all the voices and interests make sure that everything stays log-jammed until it gets to a critical point. Then the beast gets unleashed and things actually happen very quickly and efficiently.

Its quite frustrating actually to witness and be a part of. Sometimes you wish you could just slam the fist down and rule by decree, it has its uses in these kind of moments. In the long run you realize if you want democracy in good times, then you need to tolerate its inefficiency in times of crisis.