Covid-19 News & Updates

[PeteC]

Bloomberg's Worldwide Update

https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/18601 ... rus-update

[PeteC]

How long coronaviruses may linger on contaminated surfaces

"These human coronaviruses, such as SARS and MERS, have been found to persist on inanimate surfaces -- including metal, glass or plastic surfaces -- for as long as nine days if that surface had not been disinfected, according to research published earlier this month in The Journal of Hospital Infection."...........

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/17/heal ... index.html

[HHTel]

That particular study has been repeated on lots of sites. It does fly in the face of other 'expert' findings. As the current coronavirus is new, I think the only truth is that "We don't really know!".

[Big Boy]

I don't know if I've missed this somewhere, but this seems to confirm many people's thoughts on the true impact the virus is having on Thailand. Basically, if they don't tell us, it isn't true. Controlling the news in a crisis as per another thread today.

https://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-he ... -74878.php

[PeteC]

Coronavirus: Largest study suggests elderly and sick are most at risk

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51540981

...."For children up to 9, there have been no fatalities and up to the age of 39, the death rate remains low at 0.2%.....The highest fatality rate is for people aged 80 and older, at 14.8%.....For the next age groups, the fatality rates increase gradually: For people in their 40s it is 0.4%, in their 50s it is 1.3%, in their 60s it is 3.6% and their 70s it is 8%.

Looking at the sex ratio, men are more likely to die (2.8%) than women (1.7%).".........

[hhinner]

I don't know if I've missed this somewhere, but this seems to confirm many people's thoughts on the true impact the virus is having on Thailand. Basically, if they don't tell us, it isn't true. Controlling the news in a crisis as per another thread today.

https://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-he ... -74878.php

Don't give the people real info and then you get the situation where you have to fight a losing battle against misinformation: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... -gets-help

Li Wenliang would have been arrested for spreading fake news in Thailand as well.

[buksida]

Hospital director at China virus epicentre dies
A hospital director at the epicentre of China's virus epidemic died Tuesday, state media said, the latest medical worker to fall victim to the new coronavirus spreading across the country.

The COVID-19 virus, which is believed to have originated in Wuhan late last year, has infected more than 72,000 people and killed nearly 1,900.

Liu Zhiming, the director of Wuchang Hospital in Wuhan, died Tuesday morning after "all-out rescue efforts failed," state broadcaster CCTV reported.

China said last week that six medical workers had died from the virus, while 1,716 have been infected.

Liu's death was initially reported by Chinese media and bloggers shortly after midnight on Tuesday -- but the stories were later deleted and replaced with reports that doctors were still trying to save him.

After initial reports of his death were denied, the hospital told AFP on Tuesday morning that doctors were giving him life-saving treatment.

Liu's death has echoes of that of Wuhan ophthalmologist Li Wenliang, who had been punished by authorities for sounding the alarm about the virus in late December.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/18602 ... entre-dies

[hhinner]

^^ You can't be dead until we OK it?

[HHTel]

Start of another day in the 'End of the World' saga. Figures updated at 08:20 Thai time today:

China has altered it's definition of cases and now include 'clinically diagnosed cases'

75,213 cases ( up 1,881)

Deaths: 2,009 (up 136)

14,619 recovered. (up 1,907)

Currently infected: 58,585 (down 162)
Mild cases 46,528 (79% of currently infected)
Serious or critical: 12,057 (21% of currently infected)

Recovered or died: 16,628 (up 2,043)
Recovered/discharged: 14,619 (88% of the total with outcome)
Died 2,009 (12% of cases with an outcome) Keep an eye on this percentage.

It's reported on some sites that the virus has peaked. I think it's too early to say but the signs are good.

65,671 'flu deaths 2020

[PeteC]

"65,671 'flu deaths 2020"

Where does that one come from HH? It's only 1 1/2 months into 2020.

[HHTel]

65,855 now. Worldometers.info

675 today!

[buksida]

China cracks down on dissent over coronavirus outbreak

China has clamped down on civil society activists and access to information on the coronavirus outbreak after President Xi Jinping told authorities to strengthen control over online media as public outrage erupted over Beijing’s handling of the health emergency.

Prominent legal rights activist Xu Zhiyong, who had criticised China’s political system and its response to the coronavirus outbreak in a series of scathing essays, went missing at the weekend, according to people with direct knowledge of the situation.

Mr Xu, who was jailed from 2014 to 2017, had been in hiding for about 50 days, hopping between friends’ homes to avoid being detained following a pro-democracy gathering of activists and reformers that he helped to organise in Xiamen in late December.

While on the run, he had criticised China’s political system and its response to the coronavirus outbreak, saying the government’s obsession with stability prevented doctors from warning the public. “Nothing — not the freedom, dignity or happiness of the Chinese people — was more important than maintaining stability,” he said, saying the delay had led to a cover up of the seriousness of the health emergency.

Mr Xu had also called on Mr Xi to resign.

His arrest came against a backdrop of outrage at government censorship across Chinese social media following the death of Li Wenliang, a Wuhan doctor who was punished after warning about the new virus before officials had spoken about it publicly.

https://www.ft.com/content/c0e2ad78-518 ... e377c0ee1f

Note: I'm posting these to provide balance to those that blindly follow state media and deny there has been any such cover ups. This *could* mean that any stats or govt figures are much lower than the reality.

[oakdale160]

The gender difference is definite 62% of deaths are male 38% female. If you have been to China you will notice 90% of the men smoke but very, very few women smoke. That will explain this gender gap.

[HHTel]

Note: I'm posting these to provide balance to those that blindly follow state media and deny there has been any such cover ups. This *could* mean that any stats or govt figures are much lower than the reality.

Agree entirely with that statement. The only 'near reality' that we know of entails excluding figures coming out of China as they are extremely suspect. When we look at the stats for the rest of the world, even if we include the rest of China (excluding Hubei), the picture is very much lower.
Only time will tell what the true reality is.

[nil]

Could this be the start?

————————————-

Israel has banned all non-Israelis who have been in Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau in the previous 14 days.

The Thai embassy in Tel Aviv said the ban followed the Israeli Health Ministry's imposition of a 14-day quarantine on visitors from the four countries and territories, part of its measures to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.

According to the embassy, the Population and Immigration Authority under the Israeli Interior Ministry announced the entry ban on Tuesday

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... her-places