COVID-19/Coronavirus Information and Support Thread (see OP for useful links)

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Danoff
Because of coronavirus?
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Probably a bit of hyperbole, I am guessing he means Xi's political career. Though, I am not sure how easy of a time the Chinese will have ousting their supreme leader.
 
What is wrong with Xi Jingping that you guys seem to think of him as of some kind of pharaon (president-for-life)? His current time in power (since March 2013) is twice shorter than that of such free world leader as Angela Merkel. He hasn't beat Barrack Obama's time of presidency yet, too. On a cite note, Xi isn't a president (there's no president in PRC), he's the general secretary (like the Soviet leaders before Gorbachov. We have the gensec term as the shorter name for that).

And where is his fault in the coronavirus situation? The Chinese government is doing its best to handle it, the number of successfully healed patients (897 as of today's morning) is already almost twice higher than the death toll (492). I don't see a reason to believe the internet freaks spreading conspiracy crap like "there are millions of dead already, they're hiding it from us!!!", as well as a reason for China to hide anything regarding the epidemics.

Meanwhile, Russia closes the land border with China, limits the flights to and from PRC and sends military transport planes to evacute the Russian citizens from there. Two cases of coronavirus infection were detected, both were Chinese nationals stopped on the border. Mikhail Mishustin, the prime minister of RF, said that foreign citizens with coronavirus detected will be deported from the country.
 
Rage Racer
What is wrong with Xi Jingping that you guys seem to think of him as of some kind of pharaon (president-for-life)? His current time in power (since March 2013) is twice shorter than that of such free world leader as Angela Merkel. He hasn't beat Barrack Obama's time of presidency yet, too.
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What a bizarre take.



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Rumors rife as China's Xi disappears from public view amid virus outbreak
https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3870739
 
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Rage Racer
On a cite note, Xi isn't a president (there's no president in PRC), he's the general secretary (like the Soviet leaders before Gorbachov. We have the gensec term as the shorter name for that).
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He's president of the country of China (The PRC) and the general secretary of the ruling party of China (CPC).
 
Also Angela Merkel has been democratically elected each time without declaring herself Lebenskanzlerin (or God forbid Fuehrerin)
 
Imagine thinking buffalo horn will help cure Corona Virus: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/05/world/asia/coronavirus-traditional-chinese-medicine.html

Or better yet, buffalo horn mixed with pearls, gallstones, and jasmine to help cure the virus. I can't even fathom the thought process one needs to go through to think your virus is "hot" and needs a solid dose of cow parts and some pearls to "cool it".

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Rage Racer
And where is his fault in the coronavirus situation? The Chinese government is doing its best to handle it, the number of successfully healed patients (897 as of today's morning) is already almost twice higher than the death toll (492). I don't see a reason to believe the internet freaks spreading conspiracy crap like "there are millions of dead already, they're hiding it from us!!!", as well as a reason for China to hide anything regarding the epidemics.
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The Chinese government tried to cover up the virus outbreak at first and even punished the doctor who discovered it. Winnie the Pooh Xi is definitely pulling the strings on that one. I don't think millions are already dead, but China is really untrustworthy when it comes to just about everything. I'm guessing the number of infected is far higher than they are claiming and I suspect many other countries know this which is why they are evacuating their citizens.
 
Joey D
Imagine thinking buffalo horn will help cure Corona Virus: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/05/world/asia/coronavirus-traditional-chinese-medicine.html

Or better yet, buffalo horn mixed with pearls, gallstones, and jasmine to help cure the virus. I can't even fathom the thought process one needs to go through to think your virus is "hot" and needs a solid dose of cow parts and some pearls to "cool it".

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The Chinese government tried to cover up the virus outbreak at first and even punished the doctor who discovered it. Winnie the Pooh Xi is definitely pulling the strings on that one. I don't think millions are already dead, but China is really untrustworthy when it comes to just about everything. I'm guessing the number of infected is far higher than they are claiming and I suspect many other countries know this which is why they are evacuating their citizens.
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Not to mention the rumors and videos like this one (warning, this probably contains gov sanctioned kidnapping) of the Chinese gov silencing and arresting anyone who talks about the virus, and forcibly taking citizens for, well, idk, maybe quarantine, or maybe they said the wrong thing on Webo (whatever their FB clone is)or maybe just because. It's also being reported all over the place (just take a look at some of Dontini's posts) that China's citizens are losing a lot of trust in the gov.
 
Rallywagon
...China's citizens are losing a lot of trust in the gov.
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Historians and China experts please correct me, but I think one of the most important concepts in Chinese government is that of social stability.
When social stability breaks down, what to do? Replace the people, or replace the government?
 
Tencent may have accidentally leaked real data on Wuhan virus deaths
Tencent briefly lists 154,023 infections and 24,589 deaths from Wuhan coronavirus
https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3871594

On late Saturday evening (Feb. 1), Tencent, on its webpage titled "Epidemic Situation Tracker", showed confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (2019nCoV) in China as standing at 154,023, 10 times the official figure at the time. It listed the number of suspected cases as 79,808, four times the official figure.

The number of cured cases was only 269, well below the official number that day of 300. Most ominously, the death toll listed was 24,589, vastly higher than the 300 officially listed that day.

Moments later, Tencent updated the numbers to reflect the government's "official" numbers that day. Netizens noticed that Tencent has on at least three occasions posted extremely high numbers, only to quickly lower them to government-approved statistics.
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Dotini
While those numbers are horrific and possibly real, they are not proved or accepted, and must be viewed with considerable skepticism, especially the number of dead.
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Also note that it comes from a Taiwan news outlet. While there are many conspiracy theories out there, I at least dont believe the cases outside China are fabricated or held back.
 
Interesting... the figures being cited above are not a kick in the pants away from what was predicted by my colleague and her collaborators last week, as well as a separate report in The Lancet, which estimated that there was already some 75000 infections by 25 Jan, and a doubling rate of 6.4 days. A figure of 150000 infections by this point is not surprising.

While I wouldn't base my concerns around a leak from one source, one thing does stand out, and that is the total reported cases are substantially lower than what both studies have suggested is likely at this stage. Of course, this may be explained by the fact that most cases of a novel virus will not be reported at all or will be reported only after a period of time, which could be anything between a few days and a few weeks.

These studies are reporting likely numbers of people who are actually infected, and it is (very) likely that the real numbers are indeed much higher than even accurate and official sources are reporting.

As for the number of deaths, though, I would take that with a massive pinch of salt. Something like 30,000 people die in China every day - and more than 200 Wuhanites die every day, and thus it is very hard to tell how many deaths can be directly attributed to a viral infection (though knowing how many actual deaths are recorded each day in Wuhan would be a useful number to keep track of, so as to be able to compare the current rate with what is normal for this time of year)
 
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Dotini
While those numbers are horrific and possibly real, they are not proved or accepted, and must be viewed with considerable skepticism, especially the number of dead.
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Against official Chinese government numbers?
 
It is reported on CNBW's Asia: Squawk Box that Hyundai and Kia have suspended production in South Korea due to supply chain disruptions in China.

EDIT:

Tidbits of information from a special just broadcast on CNBC:

80% of antibiotics and other generic ingredients in drugs and pharmaceuticals coming into the US annually are from China.
One Chinese plant shutdown could cause a global shortage.
Affected include antibiotics, ingredients for
Blood pressure
Oncology
Antidepressants
Epilepsy
Parkinson's
Birth Control
Ibuprofen 95%
Hydrocortizone 91%
Acetamenophen 70%
Heparin 50%
Clinical trials and approvals of new drugs
Nationalization of other offshore pharma facilities
China is it's own 1st customer
There may be a 2 week to 2 month inventory on hand now in the US.

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2,826 suspected cases monitored in Kerala, India
https://www.aninews.in/news/nationa...in-kerala-says-health-minister20200206223440/

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From the BBC
The third person in the UK to be diagnosed with coronavirus caught it in Singapore, it is understood.

He is thought to have tested positive for the virus in Brighton before being taken to hospital in London.

The government is now telling travellers arriving in the UK from a total of nine Asian countries and territories to check for symptoms.

They are advised to stay at home and call the NHS if they are ill and have flown home in the past 14 days.

The initial advice had only covered mainland China, but now also includes:

  • Thailand
  • Japan
  • Republic of Korea
  • Taiwan
  • Singapore
  • Malaysia
  • Hong Kong
  • Macau
Anyone returning in the past fortnight from those place who has symptoms like a cough, fever, or shortness of breath should stay indoors and call the NHS 111 service.

The Department of Health said they should do so "even if symptoms are mild", adding: "These countries have been identified because of the volume of air travel from affected areas, understanding of other travel routes and number of reported cases. This list will be kept under review."

The new UK patient is understood to be a middle-aged man who was isolated at home, tested positive and was taken to St Thomas's Hospital in central London, where he is being treated at a specialist infectious diseases unit. It had previously been reported he was at Guy's Hospital in the city.

It is the first UK case in which the virus was contracted outside mainland China.
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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51398039
 
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Three cruise ships quarantined.

Diamond Princess quarantined at Yokohama with 3700 passengers. 61 positive for nCoV on board.

World Dream, 3600 aboard quarantined at Hong Kong, 8 tested positive.

Westerdam, 2300, quarantined at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, was en route from Hong Kong to Japan, now no port will accept them. One suspected case.
 
I should mention any packages going near China will have to go through China.
UPS has it's only main hub in China for the Western Asia.
In which has been delayed significantly due to the shutting down of ports.
Unsure on FedEx/DHL but would suggest the same.

PlayStation/Xbox production may see impact and delays if China remains shut down for a month.

Hopefully the necessary means can get certain products in and out so we don't have to have higher prices.
 
TJ13
I should mention any packages going near China will have to go through China.
UPS has it's only main hub in China for the Western Asia.
In which has been delayed significantly due to the shutting down of ports.
Unsure on FedEx/DHL but would suggest the same.

PlayStation/Xbox production may see impact and delays if China remains shut down for a month.

Hopefully the necessary means can get certain products in and out so we don't have to have higher prices.
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Phones I think will see a more immediate impact. Many of the districts that produce foreign bound products have had their factories shutdown, let alone distribution...
 
Another 13+ million have been placed under strict quarantine - the city of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, adjacent to Hong Kong.

With over 1000 confirmed infections, they are now an epicenter of the epidemic.
 
Dotini
Another 13+ million have been placed under strict quarantine - the city of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, adjacent to Hong Kong.

With over 1000 confirmed infections, they are now an epicenter of the epidemic.
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Gaungzhou is where the US Consulate handling immigration is (it's the only one in China). I was there not so long ago. All US adoptions must go through the US Consulate in Gaungzhou (at least to the best of my understanding of immigration law). There are adoption groups that move through China on a weekly basis. Which means there are families from the US with newly adopted children in Gaungzhou probably right now, hoping to get home to their houses, the rest of their families in some cases, and jobs, and in many cases to doctors and specialists ready to treat and diagnose conditions of the adoptive child. And I wonder if they're stuck.

When we adopted, we had a team of specialists lined up beforehand for within weeks of when we arrived back in the states. Changing that appointment would have delayed therapy by months, and for a 2 year old, those months are a big deal. Air travel costing thousands was booked and hotel costs racked up. In some cases, adoption Visas for the adoptive parents were kept short because the adoptive parent was a religious figure or was a journalist (like within days of the duration of the trip, which requires a lot of immigration paperwork, including getting both Chinese and US passports and appropriate Visa within a matter of weeks). I would imagine that there may be some folks wondering if their Visa will run out before they're allowed to leave.

And what's the alternative for inbound families? Delay adoption? Leave your adoptive kid in an orphanage until this blows over? Not likely.
 
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Eunos_Cosmo
Is it reasonable/plausible that this viral outbreak could start to accelerate global inflation?
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According to the Fed chief, significant distress in China could result in retrenchment in risk appetite, appreciation of the US dollar, and declines in trade and commodity prices. I'm sure he knows a lot. But right now there is hysterical prices being paid for items like masks. Oil has gone down, gold up a bit. IMHO, here will very probably be shortages and price hikes in several very important products.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/c...port-says-2020-02-07?siteid=yhoof2&yptr=yahoo
 
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@UKMikey I know you will already be on top of the situation, but I would seriously keep an eye on travel restrictions back to the UK, esp. from Singapore etc. (The latest UK case was apparently from Singapore and had not been to China before catching the virus)... if you are seriously concerned, I wouldn't take any chances and make your excuses and leave, esp. if you might be needed at home. I doubt it will come to that and you will, in all likelihood, be fine until the end of the month, but I would have a Plan B ready to go at a moment's notice if I were you.

TJ13
PlayStation/Xbox production may see impact and delays if China remains shut down for a month.

Hopefully the necessary means can get certain products in and out so we don't have to have higher prices.
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We are on the cusp of a possible global pandemic, with millions of people facing sickness or death, weeks or months of self-imposed or enforced isolation/quarantine, weeks or months of severe restrictions on international travel and commerce, and possible shortages of critical medical supplies.

But heaven forbid that the production of games consoles is impacted or that some luxury goods might go up in price!!
 

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