There is no cure, as such, for the virus itself, but there are medical steps to cope with the individual stages of it - even to cope with possible pneumonia cases. As the doctors get more experience in coping with these cases so the survival/recovery rate can be expected to improve. The important thing is to come to a stage where the recovery rate is bigger than the rate of new cases coming in. Britain is not yet at the stage where this can be measured because it's relatively new there. Also the death rate may be linked to the demographic structure being different in different countries. The reason why the situation in Italy is so acute is because it may have been present for weeks before it was diagnosed - it also has the second oldest population in the World after Japan.
‘No risk’ of catching coronavirus on the Tube, says Sadiq Khan Sadiq Khan has said there is ‘no risk’ of people catching coronavirus while travelling on buses or trains in the capital. The Mayor of London has urged people to continue to use the Tube and go to concerts despite the outbreak of the disease. So far in the UK, 39 people have tested positive to the virus. Mr Khan said it is ‘important we don’t spread panic or alarm’ and urged politicians to ‘reply upon the best advice we have from the public health experts and from the chief medical officer’. He told Good Morning Britain today: ‘There is no risk in using the Tube or buses or other forms of public transport or going to a concert.’
Remember that next time you're squeezed in like a sardine and the old trout next to you is spluttering away. If Khanage had to use the tube every day like millions of poor sods in the capital perhaps he'd change his 'London Is Open' tune...
These are the countries best prepared for health emergencies please log in to view this image Amidst the coronavirus epidemic, it's worth thinking - How prepared are we? Image: REUTERS/Adriano Machado 12 Feb 2020 Stay up to date on Coronavirus COVID19 1FGaW_uPw.jpg"> please log in to view this image ; please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Explore the latest strategic trends, research and analysis please log in to view this image The Global Health Security Index lists the countries best prepared for an epidemic or pandemic. National health security is fundamentally weak around the world, it says, and nowhere is fully prepared to handle such an outbreak. Global biological risks are in many cases growing faster than governments and science can keep up. The international community must work together to ensure all countries are prepared to respond to these risks, it says. Two years ago the director general of the World Health Organization silenced the audience at the World Government Summit with the view that a devastating epidemic could start in any country at any time – and that the world would not be prepared. Today, with the globe in the grip of coronavirus, those comments seem even more prescient. The current outbreak is nowhere near the scale of the situation Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described to leaders at the Dubai summit, in which as many as 100 million people could die. But it has brought one question into sharp focus: just how prepared are we for a pandemic? Have you read? Some truths about the coronavirus, according to the World Health Organization A deadly epidemic could start at any time. And we're not prepared, says the head of the WHO Not enough, according to the Global Health Security Index, a report from the Nuclear Threat Initiative, the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and the Economist Intelligence Unit released in October 2019. The 195-country study finds national health security to be “fundamentally weak” around the world. No nation is fully prepared to handle an epidemic or pandemic, it says. Which countries are best prepared? The report uses public information to assess each country’s ability to prevent, detect and respond to health emergencies. The index measures countries’ capabilities from 0-100, with 100 representing the highest level of preparedness. please log in to view this image How countries around the world rank when it comes to dealing with a pandemic Image: Statista On this scale, the US is the “most prepared” nation (scoring 83.5), with the UK (77.9), the Netherlands (75.6), Australia (75.5) and Canada (75.3) behind it. Thailand and South Korea are the only countries outside of the West that rank in this category. Much of Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Asia and Central and South America are described as “more prepared,” with scores between 66 and 34.3, while the majority of countries ranked “least prepared” are in Africa. North Korea (17.5), Somalia (16.6) and Equatorial Guinea (16.2) are listed in the index's bottom three. China – which is at the centre of the recent coronavirus outbreak – is in 51st place, scoring 48.2. What is the World Economic Forum doing about epidemics? Epidemics are a huge threat to health and the economy: the vast spread of disease can literally destroy societies. In 2017, at our Annual Meeting, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) was launched – bringing together experts from government, business, health, academia and civil society to accelerate the development of vaccines against emerging infectious diseases and to enable access to them during outbreaks. . Our world needs stronger, unified responses to major health threats. By creating alliances and coalitions like CEPI, which involve expertise, funding and other support, we are able to collectively address the most pressing global health challenges. Is your organisation interested in working with the World Economic Forum to tackle global health issues? Find out more here. Show What needs to be done? Collectively, international preparedness is “very weak.” The index’s average overall score is 40.2, which rises to 51.9 for high-income countries – a situation the report describes as alarming. So what can be done? The report emphasizes that health security is a collective responsibility. It recommends governments commit to action to address health security risks, that every country’s health security capacity should be measured regularly and transparently, and that the international community works together to tackle biological threats, with a focus on financing and emergency response. This kind of action will become even more necessary. The number and diversity of epidemic events has increased over the past 30 years, according to the World Economic Forum's Global Health Security: Epidemics Readiness Accelerator. The trend is expected to intensify. As globalization brings increasing trade, travel and population density, and as problems such as deforestation and climate change grow, we enter a new era in the risk of epidemic events, it says. Stronger, unified responses to these threats – such as that displayed by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations when it moved to rapidly form partnerships to develop a vaccine for the novel coronavirus – will be of vital importance.
Coronavirus panic: Why are people stockpiling toilet paper? By Frances Mao BBC News, Sydney 6 hours ago Coronavirus outbreak please log in to view this image Image copyrightGetty Images Image caption Does this strike fear into your heart? Perhaps the worst doomsday scenario is this: being stuck on the toilet and finding you're down to the last square. At least that appears to be the nightmare prospect scaring many Australians right now, who have become the latest group to respond to coronavirus fears by buying toilet paper en masse. This is despite authorities stressing there is no shortage - given most of the nation's rolls are made locally. However in Sydney, the nation's largest city, supermarket shelves have been cleared in minutes, forcing one chain to enforce a four-pack buying limit. Police were even called to a dispute on Wednesday, with reports saying a knife was pulled out in an argument over toilet roll between panic buying shoppers. On social media, #toiletpapergate and #toiletpapercrisis were top trending on Wednesday. Rolls were being flogged for hundreds of dollars online, while listeners were calling into radio stations to win packs of 3-ply loo roll. please log in to view this image Image copyrightKATHERINE QUIRKE/TWITTER Image caption Australian stores have seen a mad rush for toilet paper this week The situation in the past 48 hours has unravelled so much there are also reports of people stealing from public loos. Just what is going on, and why are people acting this way? An uptick in panic The toilet paper problem is not unique to Australia - a similar situation besieged places worse-affected by the virus, such as Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong. Last month, armed robbers stole pallets in Hong Kong following panic-buying induced shortages there. There are reports of toilet paper buy-ups in the US as well. In Australia, the frenzy began on the weekend after new cases of Covid-19 emerged and the first local death was reported - a 78-year-old man in Perth, Western Australia. On Wednesday a 95-year-old who died this week in Sydney also tested positive for the virus. Australia's infection numbers had initially plateaued in the first weeks after the outbreak, following a strict travel ban on visitors from China. please log in to view this image What do I need to know about the coronavirus? WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS? A simple guide WAYS TO PREVENT CATCHING IT: How to wash your hands WHERE ARE WE WITH A VACCINE? Progress so far A VISUAL GUIDE TO THE OUTBREAK: Virus maps and charts please log in to view this image Reports then on the weekend of an uptick in cases sparked renewed alarm. As of Wednesday, Australia had recorded 41 cases of Covid-19, and one death. These are numbers significantly lower than that of other nations. Official guidance advised people to practice good hygiene and wash their hands. It was also suggested that people could prepare two weeks worth of food and water, as well as other household goods, if they felt it necessary. The demand for toilet paper surged - ahead of long-life food and other non-perishable goods. Posts on social media showed customers seizing rolls and piling packets on trolleys. Skip Twitter post by @SoniaCrestpac Report End of Twitter post by @SoniaCrestpac please log in to view this image Amid these reports, authorities have urged the public to stop panic buying. Australia's chief medical officer Dr Brendan Murphy told parliament this week: "We are trying to reassure people that removing all of the lavatory paper from the shelves of supermarkets probably isn't a proportionate or sensible thing to do at this time." Supermarkets Coles and Woolworths have stated there is plenty of stock, while the manufacturer of Kleenex toilet paper in the nation said it was now operating 24hr production lines to meet demand. The government has said that the nation is well-prepared, and taking all active measures to contain the virus. Local cases of transmissions have been relatively isolated so far. However the toilet-roll buying frenzy continues. Coronavirus travel ban: Spending $20,000 to get to class Driven by fear The buy-up has provoked a collective cringe in some areas. Online, commentators are flummoxed over the need for an item which, were it to run out, does have rougher substitutes. Some have called it the "dumbest" crisis drummed up by Australians so far. Others have pointed out, that compared to medicines or face masks or hand sanitiser, it's not even an item that helps to combat the virus' spread. Skip Twitter post by @TwoEyeHead Report End of Twitter post by @TwoEyeHead Skip Twitter post by @adamliaw Report End of Twitter post by @adamliaw Skip Twitter post by @StephenMcDonell Report End of Twitter post by @StephenMcDonell please log in to view this image Consumer psychology experts say the behaviour is "obviously irrational", and a clear example of herd mentality whipped up by social media and news coverage. The pictures of bare aisles haven't helped. "What you've got to remember is that when 50 packs of toilet paper rolls disappear off shelves, you really notice it because they take up so much room," says Prof Debra Grace from Griffith University. "It's much more noticeable than say 50 cans of baked beans or hand sanitiser disappearing." please log in to view this image Image copyrightGetty Images Image caption Barren shelves in a Sydney supermarket FOMO syndrome - or Fear Of Missing Out - is in full force here says Associate Professor Nitika Garg from the University of New South Wales. "They think if this person is buying it, if my neighbour is buying there's got to be a reason and I need to get in too," she told the BBC. Prof Garg compares the rush to what occurred in many Asian nations. She notes that in China for example, there was a greater motivation to stock up on white ply because "there's a thinking that toilet paper can be substituted for tissues and napkins and to make makeshift masks". Using toilet paper as a medical resource isn't fuelling the Australian demand so far, she says. The local buy-up is driven by fear. She suggests the situation is unprecedented. Australians have stocked up on household goods before but it's been due to a natural disaster like a bushfire or cyclone, and restricted to certain communities. "But when it comes to coronavirus, people aren't certain as to how things are going to pan out, or how much worse it's going to get," Prof Garg says. "They want to be prepared because it's the one thing they can do to get some sense of control." please log in to view this image Media playback is unsupported on your device Empty shelves as coronavirus "panic buying" hits Australia Exit player Media captionEmpty shelves as coronavirus "panic buying" hits Australia Another consumer expert, Dr Rohan Miller from the University of Sydney, believes it is a reflection of an urbanised society and lifestyle where modern convenience reigns supreme. "We're not used to shortages and scarcity, we're used to being able to pick and choose what we want, when we want. So the rush to get toilet paper is just this sheep mentality to maintain that status," he says. Soft, white squares of toilet roll - marketed with pictures of puppies and pure snow - are a daily "luxury" that Australians and others just aren't willing to mentally part with. "I think people want to make sure they have some comforts in their lives if they're going to be shacked up with their family for a long time," he says. "Toilet paper doesn't really matter - it's just so far down the survival list compared to other things like food or water - but it's just something people cling to as a minimum standard.
Release of James Bond film No Time To Die delayed amid coronavirus fears 5 hours ago Coronavirus outbreak please log in to view this image Image copyright Universal Image caption No Time To Die marks Daniel Craig's swansong as James Bond The release of the new James Bond film has been put back by seven months as coronavirus continues to spread. The producers said they had moved the release of No Time To Die from April to November after "careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace". The announcement comes days after the founders of two 007 fan sites called on the film studios to delay its release. It will now come out in the UK on 12 November, and in the US on 25 November. No Time To Die, which is due to be Daniel Craig's final appearance as the British secret service agent, had been due for release on 3 April.
Latest figures from here: Germany has a registered 349 cases up to now. The state of North Rhine Westphalia (referred to as NRW) has just over 175 cases and the municipality of Heinsberg (in NRW) has around 130. From the 349 cases 4 are classified as 'serious'- 2 of which are on the critical list (both had direct contact to North Italy) - nobody has died yet. From the older cases (Heinsberg) many are now symptom free, but are only considered as inactive cases when 2 consecutive tests prove negative (over a 10 day period). In NRW we are on the way to achieving a situation where the numbers of 'healed ' cases per day catches up with the numbers of new cases - though the situation in Germany as a whole has a bit to go yet. The reason why NRW is disproportionally effected may have to do with the carnival towards the end of February - in hindsight it should have been cancelled. The north and East of Germany have very few cases by comparison. Even allowing for 175 cases in NRW - this is balanced against a population of 17 million, and so we're talking about one in 100,000 - hardly reason for me to go outside thinking that everyone is my enemy. Besides which when I was a kid there were things like Polio, Tuberculosis etc. doing the rounds so I'm not getting my knickers in a twist about this one. Elsewhere - supermarkets in Russia are running out of vodka because of people stocking up ! A man in Lithuania locked his wife in the bathroom because she said she had spoken to someone who had recently been abroad ! The firebrigade had to come and free her - she was later tested for the virus which proved negative. Lithuania has only one case up to now !
Elderly, with pre-existing health issues. Worrying bit is that they contracted the virus in the UK, and are tracing their contacts.
Pet dog infected with COVID-19, Hong Kong authorities confirm please log in to view this image © DALE DE LA REY All pets of people in Hong Kong infected with the coronavirus will be quarantined for 14 days, starting Friday The pet dog of a coronavirus patient in Hong Kong was confirmed to be infected with the disease, in a likely case of human-to-animal transmission, authorities said on Wednesday. The canine, which belongs to a 60-year-old woman patient, had repeatedly tested "weak positive" for the new coronavirus since Friday, when it was quarantined at an animal centre. The city's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said repeated tests suggest the dog -- a pomeranian -- has "a low-level of infection". The AFCD said experts from universities and the World Organisation for Animal Health have unanimously agreed that "it is likely to be a case of human-to-animal transmission". The pomeranian has not shown any novel coronavirus symptoms, it said. New measures put in place by Hong Kong's government last Friday mean all pets infected with the coronavirus must be quarantined for 14 days. Two dogs are already in isolation. The other dog in quarantine belongs to a second coronavirus patient that tested negative for the virus once and will be tested again before its release. Authorities said they will continue to closely monitor the pomeranian and return it to its owner when it tests negative for the disease.
Yes i heard and I have 2 nurse friends that work in that old peoples ward. One a senior nurse. I see them once a week in the pub. I don't know if i will kiss them this week.
If you do kiss, Ellers, avoid tongues and wash your mouth out with soap afterwards while singing the National Anthem
