Covid-19 News & Updates

[HHTel]

Just heard over the radio that the most watched movie in the states just now is 'Contagion' from 2011.

I wonder why!!

Soon after her return from a business trip to Hong Kong, Beth Emhoff dies from what is a flu or some other type of infection. Her young son dies later the same day. Her husband Mitch however seems immune. Thus begins the spread of a deadly infection. For doctors and administrators at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, several days pass before anyone realizes the extent or gravity of this new infection. They must first identify the type of virus in question and then find a means of combating it, a process that will likely take several months. As the contagion spreads to millions of people worldwide, societal order begins to break down as people panic.

Trailer here:



Not seen it before, but I'll watch it now to satisfy my curiousity.

Now the most downloaded movie on YTS!!

[pharvey]

UK got its 3rd recorded fatality. Old fella, 60 something. Manchester. Experts have said 100,000 may die in UK.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... y-bug.html

Edit - can't find anything on the above from a more reliable source atm

Now up to 4: - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51796072

"The UK will remain in the "containment" stage of its response to the coronavirus following an emergency Cobra meeting.
It comes as Health Secretary Matt Hancock told MPs a fourth person had died from the virus in the UK.
There were 319 confirmed cases in the UK as of 09:00 GMT on Monday, a rise of 46 since the same time on Sunday.
However, measures to delay the virus' spread with "social distancing" will not be introduced yet, ministers said.
Number 10 said it accepted that the virus "is going to spread in a significant way", however.
Downing Street said the prime minister "will be guided by the best scientific advice" but there was no need to cancel sporting events at this stage.
Ministers have also been meeting with sports bodies and UK supermarkets to discuss their response to the outbreak, which could include staging matches behind closed doors.
It comes as Ireland's Six Nations rugby match in France on Saturday has been postponed, following an earlier decision to postpone England's match in Italy. However, Wales's game against Scotland in Cardiff is to go ahead as scheduled.
Another two cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus were confirmed in Wales and another five in Scotland on Monday."

[dtaai-maai]

What has happened to the forum's daily updates on numbers in Thailand? Given the rate at which infections and deaths are rising in Europe, the USA and elsewhere, are Thai authorities still claiming the numbers are in the 30s?

[sateeb]

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

Thailand 50 cases 1 death

What appears obvious from this site is that all new reported cases are in "cold weather" countries.

[HHTel]

Just came across this vid - '60 minutes' from Australia. Quite scary. From around 13 or 14 mins in, an undercover operation tours an illegal 'wet market' in Bangkok, deep in Chatuchak Market. It's portrayed as almost identical to the market in Wuhan where the current virus originated and is still trading. The market has numerous signs 'NO PHOTO'!

[Big Boy]

Very scary, but this type of trading has been happening for hundreds of years I'd imagine. It isn't a trade I personally like (although I have no problem buying meat such as chicken), but if it's so bad, why has Covid-19 just happened.

[caller]

but if it's so bad, why has Covid-19 just happened.

I suspect over the years such viruses have happened, but with China being a closed shop, no-one really knew. Also travel wasn't as widespread as now. Even in the UK not that many years ago, many people never ventured far from their home towns, it was only the introduction of mass cheap railways that changed that.

China - and Thailand - is more open now and wealthier and their citizens are travelling all over the World and more people travel to China. I think that's the difference.

[Ratsima]

Seen at a hotel in Cha Am:
.
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1F9DC3DC-6F8A-40B5-848B-A44C820EF468.jpeg (173.02 KiB) Viewed 550 times

[PeteC]

Bloomberg Worldwide Update (March 10)

https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/18756 ... rus-update

[dtaai-maai]

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

Thailand 50 cases 1 death

What appears obvious from this site is that all new reported cases are in "cold weather" countries.

It seems much more likely to me that Thailand has no idea how many cases it has. Has there been any suggestion by medical experts that a tropical climate could lower the risk?

[barrys]

Has there been any suggestion by medical experts that a tropical climate could lower the risk?

Well, the UK and other western governments have suggested that if they contain the situation now, the virus likely won't survive once warmer summer weather comes..........

[sateeb]

From the Daily Telegraph

Coronavirus: why a warm spring could stop the virus in its tracks
The virus is expected to peak in April and then die off, according to experts.

Warm spring weather may help to stem the tide of coronavirus infections, because similar viruses struggle to survive in hotter temperatures.

Although scientists are still battling to understand the new virus, if it conforms to the patterns of other diseases - such as seasonal flu - then a mild March and April could stop the disease in its tracks.

In the Northern Hemisphere, flu season typically begins in October and peaks between December and February, although some cases can last until May.

Flu survives better in cold weather because it has a fatty protective coating which degrades when it is warm. While the melting of the coating allows the virus to invade the warmth of the body, it dies if the casing disintegrates outside....

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/202 ... us-tracks/

[Big Boy]

I am watching to see how this works in Thailand - in my time here I've noticed virus season seems to coincide with the rainy season. Sort of confirmed by hospitals giving flu injections during May and June.

[handdrummer]

I just saw chart that showed Covid-19 has spread, world-wide, along the 40th parallel. I have the chart in my email but don't know how to send it to the forum.

[dtaai-maai]

https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expe ... asonality/

Dr Michael Skinner, Reader in Virology, Imperial College London, said:

“My considered opinion (with no guarantees until we know more) is that its physical nature means that it will probably become seasonal when it eventually settles down to the normal patterns of transmission we see for the other human respiratory coronaviruses (i.e. in a population that consists of immune and immunologically naive individuals).

“That does not mean that it will follow seasonal dynamics during the larger epidemics we are currently beginning to see in some countries – there may be just too many people infected so that most transmission is short range and less subject to environmental constraints.

“It’s also worth appreciating that flu shows seasonal dynamics in the temperate regions of each hemisphere but is not seasonal in tropics/sub-tropics (where humidity might benefit the virus and where seasons are far less evident, at least in terms of temperature).”

The Washington Post
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLr09SVhqsQ

President Trump has repeatedly suggested warm weather could slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. It appears he is referencing seasonality, which describes how active a virus is depending on the climate. In other words, the idea that people get sick more often in the winter.

Health experts say that for this strain of the coronavirus, which continues to spread across the globe, it’s too early to know if seasonality will have an impact. There are still too many unknowns to predict what will happen to the virus in warmer months.

Even if the novel coronavirus does dissipate in the currently impacted areas, it may find new life in the tropics and southern hemisphere. And that migration between hemispheres can actually prolong the lifespan of the disease. Experts say this means the virus could exist year round. Read more: https://wapo.st/2TlUc74. Subscribe to The Washington Post on YouTube: https://wapo.st/2QOdcqK