Dear friends REAPERITES from the United States
I am Belgian and work in healthcare (home for the elderly) Without giving in to panic, I urge you very seriously not to take this corona virus lightly.
It's not just a flu.
The virus is not dangerous for most of the population but may be particularly virulent for the elderly and weak people, so it is very important to limit social interactions as much as possible in order to limit the spread as much as possible. Protect yourself so as not to become a vector of the virus and inadvertently contaminate those around you.
By following a few simples hygiene and containment guidelines, you will slow the spread of the virus and allow your healthcare institutions not to be saturated.
The situation here in Europe is very worrying and, even, in some countries like Italy, dramatic
Raise awareness among those around you, your friends, your families and do not take this crisis lightly.
Here in Belgium, the government has taken strong and coercive measures. Schools are closed except for children of medical staff.
bras, pubs, restaurants, nightclubs, cinemas are closed.
Non-food or basic necessities stores can only open on weekdays.
All cultural, recreational events, concerts, parties, public or private are prohibited.
Here in Belgium, the government has taken strong and coercive measures. Schools are closed except for children of medical staff.
bras, pubs, restaurants, nightclubs, cinemas are closed.
Non-food or basic necessities stores can only open on weekdays.
All cultural, recreational events, concerts, parties, public or private are prohibited.
Same here in Poland.
Grocery stores and drugstores are only open.
Everyone who can work from home is working remotely.
Schools, kindergartens and universities are closed.
The same procuration also here in Czech Republic, in order to slowdown the spread of virus.
Our company is working on home offices over week already. Yes, situation is serious.
Also the borders are closed for all in/out (except for returning citizens, which will have to stay in quarantine for 14 days), no incoming foreign person allowed. International transportation (buses, trains, airplaines) are stopped.
Unfortunately here in the UK the government is dragging it's feet on closing schools, reducing mass gatherings and restricting travel. All the countries that seem to be containing the spread did these things very quickly.
Our government claims there is scientific evidence to show that bringing these measures in too early can actually be damaging, as people tire of them at the point they are needed most, but I can't help wondering if the economic hit of millions of people withdrawing from the workforce to watch their kids is playing a part in that decision too...
One thing is for sure, it's going to get worse before it get's better.
Disposable gloves in public, and remember not to touch your face.
I gave up on hand sanitizers ages ago after seeing how soap and water was much more effective...the alcohol-based ones are a decent portable solution if you can't use gloves, and to wipe down things.
Worth noting that as serious as this is the climate is on our side in the northern hemisphere. As we get closer to spring and warmer temps the virus will have a more difficult time sustaining itself. That doesn't help in March, but it there is a small light at the end of the tunnel.
Worth noting that as serious as this is the climate is on our side in the northern hemisphere. As we get closer to spring and warmer temps the virus will have a more difficult time sustaining itself. That doesn't help in March, but it there is a small light at the end of the tunnel.
Key word there is speculation. We don't know, they don't know, but you rarely hear of flu-like epidemics in warmer months in the northern hemisphere. We'll know more in a few weeks. I refuse to panic, but don't refuse to be careful.
This is wrong. Alcool works but not the best. Just the most handy cause it doesn't use water so handy for public transport etc.
The best if soap, and water. 30seconds. WHO recommand it .
Absolutely! I certainly did not wish to imply that alcohol based sanitizer is the best option. The article my post links to makes it clear that soap and water is best. Sanitizer can still be helpful though when soap and water is not available.
But my point is to avoid at all times those hand sanitizers that don't have alcohol because they are no use at all.
Key word there is speculation. We don't know, they don't know, but you rarely hear of flu-like epidemics in warmer months in the northern hemisphere. We'll know more in a few weeks. I refuse to panic, but don't refuse to be careful.
mebbe but of course this is not a flu virus and it is spreading in the tropics. Panic is useless but caution and being sensible is .... sensible.
Quality information from
WHO, Johns Hopkins and CDC
as for the UK - they are suffering for political reasons - they had the worlds best public health system and it has been steadily dismantled by the current govt (consistently across changing prime ministers). It is similar in Australia where I am - our public health system was amazing, is still pretty good in most places, but has been steadily degraded for political reasons for the last 20 years.
Of course in the US the public health system is the worst in the developed world so they are going to be in a lot of trouble
There's one good thing here, the humanity is united agains the single enemy which is becoming literally everyone's problem. When was the last time such thing happen? Thousands and thousands of scientists around the world are burning the midnight oil to strangle this piece of shit microbe. My country is already zeroing in onto therapies discovered by the Chinese (some specific malaria/antiviral meds).
So yeah, wash your hands and what's much more important, don't bunch up, as this fucking thing is spreading even from asymptomatic hosts just by breathing. Hope soon every country will be at least as succesful as South Korea or Taiwan in containing it.
__________________
AM bient, rund funk and heavy meteo
my bandcamp+youtubings
https://youtu.be/4dJuC4kEb-Y
Incubation period of up to 20 days before symptoms appear and stays active on hard surfaces like plastic for over 2 to 3 days.
Personally I have a dilemma that may be shared with many fellow musicians across the globe. Should I go to the band practice tonight for the gig next week? Will the gig even (I am in the UK) take place? As a old person who underwent recent heart surgery maybe I should stay at home.
But it does not feel like an easy choice and I oscillate between thinking I am in denial or in paranoid mode.
As an aside I am encouraged by the caring and rational tone of this thread.
Personally I have a dilemma that may be shared with many fellow musicians across the globe. Should I go to the band practice tonight for the gig next week? Will the gig even (I am in the UK) take place? As a old person who underwent recent heart surgery maybe I should stay at home.
But it does not feel like an easy choice and I oscillate between thinking I am in denial or in paranoid mode.
As an aside I am encouraged by the caring and rational tone of this thread.
you sound like you are in the high risk category - if I were high risk I would stay at home and self-isolate as much as possible, if I were in your band I would want you to stay safe and stay at home
Personally I have a dilemma that may be shared with many fellow musicians across the globe. Should I go to the band practice tonight for the gig next week? Will the gig even (I am in the UK) take place? As a old person who underwent recent heart surgery maybe I should stay at home.
But it does not feel like an easy choice and I oscillate between thinking I am in denial or in paranoid mode.
As an aside I am encouraged by the caring and rational tone of this thread.
This one's a no brainer. Like the rest of us, you've probably not yet absorbed the full seriousness of this situation ... it's totally outside the sphere of your (or anyone else's) experience or concept of reality.
Like me, you're in that very high risk category. Stay home. That decision just might save your life.
Hmm? I heard in that linked video that it is 2-3 days on plastic surfaces... Where is that 8 days mentioned, please?
It depends on a number of factors - the specific virus, the climate, type of surface for example. As regards this particular virus, our knowledge is still insufficiently complete for certainty, but can likely be 2 to 9 days. For more detailed info, go here:
Also if you got some fever do not take ibuprofen or other anti inflamatory drugs, there's a big suspicion about those causing the disease to get really bad, even for young people.
^ NSAIDs can go to hell anyway, they gave my romantic associate a peptic ulcer.
i wonder about the influence of social distancing on the output of some software developers i follow
__________________ mccrabney scripts: MIDI edits from the Arrange screen ala jjos/MPC sequencer
|sis - - - anacru| isn't what we performed: pls no extra noteons in loop recording
| - - - - - anacru|sis <==this is what we actually performed.
It is quite correct to say that we should not panic regarding COVID-19, but it is equally important that you do not underestimate the seriousness and complexity of the situation we are about to enter. You need a plan to begin acting upon now, not later. Here is what the US center for disease control (CDC) suggests for planning at present:
Also, quoting from the current situation report from CDC
"Public health and healthcare systems may become overloaded, with elevated rates of hospitalizations and deaths. Other critical infrastructure, such as law enforcement, emergency medical services, and sectors of the transportation industry may also be affected. Healthcare providers and hospitals may be overwhelmed. At this time, there is no vaccine to protect against COVID-19 and no medications approved to treat it. Nonpharmaceutical interventions will be the most important response strategy to try to delay the spread of the virus and reduce the impact of disease."
I am a PhD ecotoxicologist with experience in population modelling. I have been unable to find authoritative information on best-case/worst case modelling of the trajectory of the epidemic in the US, but press reports of CDC modelling suggest that truly daunting numbers of people could require hospitalization if we are unable to slow the rate of spread of the disease substantially. It is critical that each of us does his/her part to prevent the spread of COVID -19.
Bottom line: Don't panic. Plan and act now, don't wait to start. Be informed. Get your information from authoritative sources. Do your part to prevent spread of COVID-19.
The whole underlying health condition is a pain, literally.
I am on immune suppressant meds which, when I get fluish/nasty coldcough whatever, I stop in order to let my immune system battle for me.
Consequently I get the pain from re-emerging underlying condition.
Learned that lesson 2 years ago with 6 weeks of fluish thing, losing 2 stone but only stopping meds 3 weeks in - ugh.
Rock and hard place - balance is hard.
Oh, I am over 70 and seems like I might be banished to my room for 4 months. My wife is overjoyed.
There is so much we do not know about this corona thing, apart from it having started with animals, can be passed between species, and its effect on humans. Sounds like a scifi novel ... no wait, been done!
Yes, don't panic, be sensible, take care of yourself and others, better to be overcautious than ill.
Personally I have a dilemma that may be shared with many fellow musicians across the globe. Should I go to the band practice tonight for the gig next week? Will the gig even (I am in the UK) take place? As a old person who underwent recent heart surgery maybe I should stay at home.
But it does not feel like an easy choice and I oscillate between thinking I am in denial or in paranoid mode.
As an aside I am encouraged by the caring and rational tone of this thread.
I'd stay home if I were you, odds are good that the gig will be cancelled anyways. If you're not in the best medical shape (elderly, pre-existing conditions) you are especially vulnerable.
It sucks by the way that a lot of musicians - typically freelancers - are currently facing financial issues because of the lockdown.
According to the WHO: https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-de...-coronaviruses The “incubation period” means the time between catching the virus and beginning to have symptoms of the disease. Most estimates of the incubation period for COVID-19 range from 1-14 days, most commonly around five days. These estimates will be updated as more data become available.
It is not certain how long the virus that causes COVID-19 survives on surfaces, but it seems to behave like other coronaviruses. Studies suggest that coronaviruses (including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus) may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days. This may vary under different conditions (e.g. type of surface, temperature or humidity of the environment).If you think a surface may be infected, clean it with simple disinfectant to kill the virus and protect yourself and others. Clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, or nose.
Only wear a mask if you are ill with COVID-19 symptoms (especially coughing) or looking after someone who may have COVID-19. Disposable face mask can only be used once. If you are not ill or looking after someone who is ill then you are wasting a mask. There is a world-wide shortage of masks, so WHO urges people to use masks wisely.
WHO advises rational use of medical masks to avoid unnecessary wastage of precious resources and mis-use of masks
Here in Belgium, the government has taken strong and coercive measures. Schools are closed except for children of medical staff.
bras, pubs, restaurants, nightclubs, cinemas are closed.
Non-food or basic necessities stores can only open on weekdays.
All cultural, recreational events, concerts, parties, public or private are prohibited.
The best source I've seen of collating info and good advice is from Dr. John Campbell, who updates every day and is a way better resource than the CDC:
The CDC is annoying: telling people not to buy masks is mistaken, people SHOULD be wearing masks *to prevent those around them from getting infected*.
This might be the single most important thing affecting the R0 of a country, Korea has decent mask-wearing social habits, Italy did not.
I think the South East U.S. is going to be ravaged. So many MAGAs still think it's a "hoax", that it's "just like a cold", and have no conception of compound math. "Duh hurh, look at how many people have the flu, huh durhr".
Another thing that's... disheartening is that people in the U.S. seem to think, for no reason at all, that it's not going to impact us as bad or as long as other nations.
Local schools in my area are talking about "closing for a week or two", postponing events for "2 weeks" etc., as if it's not only not going to be worse, but miraculously gone!
Hopefully the hot weather will help ameliorate the spread some, but if China's draconian response took 3 months to see a flattening of the curve, it's going to be double that for anywhere else in the best of cases.
That puts us up to September.
Being a guitar teacher I have no paid vacation or sick days. This is not looking good for me physically or financially....
This one's a no brainer. Like the rest of us, you've probably not yet absorbed the full seriousness of this situation ... it's totally outside the sphere of your (or anyone else's) experience or concept of reality.
Like me, you're in that very high risk category. Stay home. That decision just might save your life.
This. It's just not worth the risk. Things are likely to get pretty hairy in a month or so, as multiple countries will all most likely be reaching the peak of their own epidemic, and medical supplies and manpower may begin to dwindle.
Personally I have a dilemma that may be shared with many fellow musicians across the globe. Should I go to the band practice tonight for the gig next week? Will the gig even (I am in the UK) take place?
Stay home! It will be bad very soon and there will be no gig for sure! I'm in Italy, last monday I had a planned band practice for a gig: the same day our country was put in total lockdown, and now we need a signed paper to get out of our houses. 3 weeks ago we had only 3 confirmed cases, today these are 20.000 and we are having 200-300 deaths every day (368 just today). STAY HOME!