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Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
Phrase I read on Imgur today, to express really not wanting to do something: "I'd rather lick doorknobs in China."
 

version

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How testing failures allowed coronavirus to sweep the U.S.

On Saturday Jan. 11 — a month and a half before the first Covid-19 case not linked to travel was diagnosed in the United States — Chinese scientists posted the genome of the mysterious new virus, and within a week virologists in Berlin had produced the first diagnostic test for the disease.

Soon after, researchers in other nations rolled out their own tests, too, sometimes with different genetic targets. By the end of February, the World Health Organization had shipped tests to nearly 60 countries.

The United States was not among them.
 

version

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Coronavirus: Boris Johnson keeps calm but Whitehall plans for worst

Ministers are preparing for a potential coronavirus death toll as high as 100,000 as they try to brace the country for months of upheaval without spreading panic.

Boris Johnson will chair his second meeting of the Cobra emergency committee tomorrow, where medical experts are expected to recommend that the government move formally into the second “delay” phase of the government’s response.

That could lead to more people working from home and fewer public gatherings.

Officials in Whitehall last week began describing a 100,000 figure as the “central estimate” of the potential death toll, according to a source involved in the preparations, rather than the previously publicised worst case scenario of 500,000 deaths if 80% of the population were infected.

A unit in the housing ministry has issued guidance to local councils, giving each of them a figure as to how many casualties they should prepare for.

The total number has not been circulated to town hall leaders to prevent panic. But a second official said the “ballpark” figure for expected deaths across all councils was “in the region of 100,000”. That includes those likely to die from seasonal flu, which averaged 17,000 over the past five years.

One official who has been involved in the planning said: “The central estimate of deaths is about 100,000. Everyone has been focusing on the worst case but this is what the experts actually expect to happen. Some of those people would have died of other flus.”

The figure is just under half the number of British deaths to Spanish flu in 1918, the worst modern pandemic. Covid-19 has already infected 80,000 people in China, killing more than 3,000 of its population of almost 1.4 billion. Italy, with a 60 million population, has suffered more than 200 deaths from some 5,800 cases. The UK had 209 cases by last night with two deaths.

A cabinet minister confirmed that the 100,000 figure was considered “about right” by experts. Downing Street did not contest the total.

The government is trying to prepare the public without causing widespread concern, with ministers already nervous about the effect on the economy from extensive disruption.

But, under sweeping contingency plans now on the table:

• Exam boards are drawing up plans to delay GCSEs and A-levels amid official predictions that the epidemic will be at its height in late April and early May. The exam period starts on May 11 and lasts until mid-June

• Teenagers who miss exams or underperform because of the coronavirus would be awarded “special consideration” grades in a bid to help pupils who miss exams because they fall ill or their school is closed

• Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, will use Wednesday’s budget to announce measures to tackle the virus and signal that he is prepared to turn on the spending taps if the crisis prompts a recession

• Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker, will chair a meeting tomorrow of the House of Commons Commission, which is set to ban visitors to parliament and all official travel abroad by MPs, staff and committees. The Speaker favours closing parliament for three months if someone is diagnosed with the disease on the parliamentary estate

• Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, will hold meetings with sports bodies tomorrow to give them the latest advice before they make decisions on abandoning events or playing them behind closed doors. Current medical advice is there is more chance of contracting the virus by watching games in a pub than at a stadium.

Ministers are not yet willing to contemplate politically unpalatable actions recommended by officials. Justice officials have drawn up a secret blueprint to release thousands of low-risk prisoners early, should the coronavirus epidemic create a shortage of prison staff, so they can use scarce resources to guard the most serious convicts.

Robert Buckland, the justice secretary, has been “given advice” on measures to release offenders serving short sentences for minor offences. He and other ministers are “completely against the plan”, according to one source, who said: “As soon as ministers saw that, they said there is no way it is happening.”

Nonetheless, senior justice officials are concerned a skeleton prison staff would be unable to provide basic necessities, such as food and security, for the UK’s 84,000 prisoners.

On Thursday the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies agreed that while the government would try to contain the virus, it was highly likely that it was going to spread in a significant way.

Under emergency legislation, more court hearings will take place via video link, 500 extra staff will be recruited for the NHS’s 111 call centre and help will be provided for workers in care homes. Around three million volunteers are expected to help if the pandemic hits. The main jobs of volunteers would be protected for up to four weeks.

Matt Hancock, the health secretary, said: “Responding to coronavirus is a massive national effort, and I’m working with colleagues across government to ensure we have a proportionate emergency bill, with the right measures to deal with the impacts of a widespread Covid-19 outbreak.

“We plan for the worst and work for the best, and the NHS is working 24/7 to fight this virus. Calls to NHS 111 have increased by more than a third and we have already put in place 500 extra staff to help with this increase.”

On Friday George Eustice, the environment secretary, spoke to chief executives from leading supermarkets. In response, curfews that prevent delivery vehicles from operating late at night will be lifted. The government also agreed to share data with supermarkets on Covid-19 “hotspots” so retailers can ensure food stocks are moved around to maintain a “resilient food supply”.

Eustice will be convening a further meeting with retailers tomorrow to discuss support for vulnerable groups that may be in isolation, ensuring that the elderly and those with young children continue to get access to food.

Yesterday Tesco introduced a maximum purchase limits on certain items in its stores after reports of hoarding and panic buying. Customers will only be able to purchase a maximum of five packets of anti-bacterial products, UHT milk and dried pasta. The retailer said the limit would apply to online purchases from today.

In other developments:

● Ministers acknowledged that May’s local elections may be delayed, just as they were in 2001 because of the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in cattle

● Brexit negotiators have talked to EU counterparts about halting the talks if the crisis deepens. The two sides agreed not to shake hands last week.
 
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">New <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/China?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc^tfw">#China</a> study shows <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVIDー19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc^tfw">#COVIDー19</a> can spread more readily in certain conditions. Hunan province researchers found virus in air-con bus:<br>-traveled 4.5m (15 ft) 2x official “safe distance”<br>-stayed in air for 30min<br>Advice is masks in enclosed spaces <a href="https://twitter.com/WHO?ref_src=twsrc^tfw">@WHO</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottGottliebMD?ref_src=twsrc^tfw">@ScottGottliebMD</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/megtirrell?ref_src=twsrc^tfw">@megtirrell</a> <a href="https://t.co/Wa6ciwpMw5">pic.twitter.com/Wa6ciwpMw5</a></p>— Eunice Yoon (@onlyyoontv) <a href="">March 9, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
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Leo

Well-known member
we know a guy in Italy who said a few weeks back, there was a black market for fake positive COVID-19 test results that people would use to get out of going to work for a week.
 

droid

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Most of Europe will be in lockdown within a month or less. Its gonna run rampant through the middle east. I am getting more fearful for the US, the response there is completely insane.
 

Leo

Well-known member
trump just had a press conference and the first "relief" measure he announced was a proposed cut in the payroll tax. wtf does that have to do with protecting us?
 
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