Coronavirus

[KarlaKGB]

there are so many cases of corona-virus here where i live. Some people have died (Rest in peace) But some people have recovered from it.
Someone said they had the flu and they had to check for corona-virus and they had to have a needle up the nose. ugh....

A needle up the nose? Sounds like a bit of an embellishment.

 

[Hopeless Opus]

genuinely i'm literally terrified of it at this point. and of course, it is now 15 minutes away from me.

i'm so over it.

 

[Jeongguk]

In my state, it was one of the first cases reported in the entire country. I don’t think there’s more than one or two where I live. but I am not worried even if I do get it.. people treat it as though it’s a death sentence, but the recovery rate for healthy and younger people (I’m 21) is incredibly high. I am worried my older or younger family members could get it though. I just hope this entire virus ends immediately.

 

[Cheryll]

I've heard it's in LA and Orange counties, aka the one I live in and the county next to me.

woo~

 

[zato]

i've been sick with a cold...i hope that's all it is. be safe people.

 

[SheepMareep]

With any virus there will be higher risk populations (elderly, infants, immunocompromised) who will die from it. I've heard of multiple cases of people in my state needing heart transplants or having heart issues from the current flu strain going around (it is pretty rough this year) Here is a website comparing/contrasting the two! Corona virus is no where near as bad as everyone is making it out to be. Link!

Just make sure to frequently wash your hands (do this every day regardless!), avoid crowded areas, get enough sleep, stay hydrated, and eat healthy meals c: if you get the virus don't go into a sudden panic, go to a hospital and see what they suggest for treatment. Viruses do not get treated with antibiotics and there isnt a "cure", just need to ride it out and take good care of yourself like the flu! If you suddenly feel as though it's progressing in a bad way then go back to the hospital and get care immediately.

 

[AnonymousFish]

My heart goes out to anyone whose friends/families whose lives have been affected by the virus in one way or another.
If anyone knows ways to get involved (particularly to help those suffering in the lockdown in Wuhan), I would love to know what I can do from the US to help.

While I do think it is incredibly important to be aware and be concerned, I do not think it is something that everyone - at least, in the US - should be in a panic about. Many media outlets here have been using super clickbait-y titles just to get more ad revenue from their articles about the virus. I even saw one outlandish article claiming that 5G was "scientifically" proven to correlate with an increase in COVID-19 mortality, but that is beyond false news; it's simply fear mongering for attention.

If people in this thread are in the US like I am, follow the CDC guidelines and stay informed on updates. If you're in another country, follow the guidelines/protocols given to you by your government representative health officials. The absolute best way to fight an epidemic like this is to stay informed and stay calm.

Scientists are (and have been) working on vaccines diligently, it's only a matter of time until this blows over.


edit to add: reading this comment a few months later just proves american arrogance. we really thought we were untouchable because everyone figured we were equipped and ready for something like this? oh boy was I incredibly wrong... I'm fortunate enough that my state has been very strict, and as a result, we have already experienced what experts believe to be the highest peak in cases. other states are not so lucky, and thousands of people in the US died last week. idk what else to say besides I was wrong, and the US is not okay.

 

[Flyffel]

if you get the virus don't go into a sudden panic, go to a hospital and see what they suggest for treatment.

Don't! At least in my country and other countries in Europe you are not allowed to go to a hospital/doctor if you have or heavily suspect having the virus! You are supposed to call a special hotline and they will come and get you safely into a hospital in a manner in which you won't risk infecting other people. If you just go to a doctor or hospital when you are infected by yourself, you risk infecting other people with that.

 

[SheepMareep]

Don't! At least in my country and other countries in Europe you are not allowed to go to a hospital/doctor if you have or heavily suspect having the virus! You are supposed to call a special hotline and they will come and get you safely into a hospital in a manner in which you won't risk infecting other people. If you just go to a doctor or hospital when you are infected by yourself, you risk infecting other people with that.

I havent heard of anything like that in the US yet but thank you!!! c:

 

[Fey]

Don't! At least in my country and other countries in Europe you are not allowed to go to a hospital/doctor if you have or heavily suspect having the virus! You are supposed to call a special hotline and they will come and get you safely into a hospital in a manner in which you won't risk infecting other people. If you just go to a doctor or hospital when you are infected by yourself, you risk infecting other people with that.

This actually makes perfect sense, since the other patients there would likely be at higher risk of catching the disease and having complications. We’ll see if the US employs any sensible measures as the situation develops...

 

[visibleghost]

many of my colleagues think the virus will spread here in sweden as well. i'm not that worried but apparently it is estimated that there is a moderate risk of it so uh yeah, not that much fun. to be honest, when we first heard of the corona virus in january, i thought it wouldn't be as big of a deal as it has become, especially outside of china. i have a friend who stayed in china for a few months who came home some weeks earlier than planned due to the virus and the fear that she might not be allowed to leave the country if the virus spread to her province/city...

 

[Flyffel]

I forgot to share one way of minimizing infection risk which is paying by card instead of cash. This may be less relevant in some countries like the US where most people pay by card, but in lots of countries people still pay mainly by cash. As cash changes hands frequently, it can also spread/carry pathogens.

 

[SublimeDonut]

dunno if this is supposed to be about the virus itself and i'm being disruptive, but do y'all agree that the crisis has sparked some racism and xenophobia against chinese people? so far all i've seen is some memes and stuff.

 

[Romaki]

Seeing high numbers is scary, but I'd like to remind people that the swine flu caused or contributed to 400,000 deaths worldwide within the first eigth months. As someone who lived through that and had a sick classmate, the hysteria this time seems very disproportional. People refuse to shake people's hands despite there being no case in my district.

Like it's good to tell people how to avoid infections, but the scary part is that it's new.

 

[Flyffel]

Seeing high numbers is scary, but I'd like to remind people that the swine flu caused or contributed to 400,000 deaths worldwide within the first eigth months. As someone who lived through that and had a sick classmate, the hysteria this time seems very disproportional. People refuse to shake people's hands despite there being no case in my district.

Like it's good to tell people how to avoid infections, but the scary part is that it's new.

Why would you shake hands during the dawn of a worldwide pandemic if it's an optional thing, though? Even if you are in a currently low risk area. All the preventive measures people are taking are good for you and everyone else. It would be better to be thankful for people being cautios instead of pretending that nothing is happening and thus heightening the risk of the disease spreading in your area.

It doesn't only help with the Corona!! Thanks to all the preventive measures people have taken, the flu rates in Japan have dropped by 60% (!!!) compared to last year:

The flu season appears to be waning significantly faster than last year thanks to public fear of the deadly new coronavirus, government data shows.

In the week ended Feb. 9, reported influenza cases plunged by over 60 percent to 44,737, compared with 129,989 the same week a year ago, according data from the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.

That means flu cases have fallen for six consecutive weeks since the new year began, the data show.

The ministry also said only 1,760 schools were forced to close by flu outbreaks in the seven-day period starting Feb. 3, down sharply from 3,204 the same week last year.

“Many Japanese people have become serious about taking measures to prevent infection with the new coronavirus. This might be one of the reasons why influenza cases dropped this year,” said Yoko Muramatsu, a researcher at NLI Research Institute.
[...]

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2...stically-wanes-japan-amid-spread-coronavirus/

 

[idiotdoomspiral]

dunno if this is supposed to be about the virus itself and i'm being disruptive, but do y'all agree that the crisis has sparked some racism and xenophobia against chinese people? so far all i've seen is some memes and stuff.

in the uk xenophobia is being reported a lot right now. in one instance a woman was knocked unconscious by a man for defending her chinese friend who was targeted because of the coronavirus. my mum also has a client who told her that she thinks she's going to get the coronavirus if she goes to a local chinese restaurant because they're "migrants" even though the people running it and the chinese community have lived here for years.
british people are generally very racist to everyone so it's not surprising at all that racial abuse has spiked here.

 

[SheepMareep]

dunno if this is supposed to be about the virus itself and i'm being disruptive, but do y'all agree that the crisis has sparked some racism and xenophobia against chinese people? so far all i've seen is some memes and stuff.

Oh. Definitley. I've heard people in public talk about how disgusting chinese people are. People who are chinese or are even mistaken for chinese have been feeling a need to defend themselves that they are clean/not sick and are only wearing a mask as a preventative measure because of the harassment and outbursts on social media as well as in public.

Just like with the swine flu how xenophobia towards Hispanic/latino people spiked and suddenly people were crying out "hispanic people are dirty".

It's even crazier that in the US, which is pretty diverse, anyone who someone considers to look chinese is considered to be a disgusting immigrant when a lot of the time.... they were born in America or havent been back to China in who knows how many years.

Feels like people will find a way no matter what to publicly show their racism/xenophobia. But god forbid you point it out because then you get "I'm not racist I eat chinese food every week and know the lady at the register's first name!!!" Type comments. They know it's wrong/definitley not ok to say or act in these ways but refuse to admit it or attempt to change. Really disgusting imo.

 

[KarlaKGB]

british people are generally very racist to everyone so it's not surprising at all that racial abuse has spiked here.

Ok this is not a fair statement at all.
Research by the Oxford Migration Observatory shows that the majority (72%) of the foreign-born population in Britain feel that the country is hospitable or welcoming for migrants. 91% say that migrants can get ahead if they work hard.
Source: https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/migrants-and-discrimination-in-the-uk/

---
The EU carried out a survey in which they asked black people throughout the EU about their experiences with racism.
Figure 1 "Prevalence of perceived racism in 5 years before the survey"
UK 21%
France 38%
Germany 48%
Ireland 51%
Finland 63%

Figure 2 "Stopped by police in last 5 years for perceived racist reasons"
UK 7%
France 12%
Germany 14%
Austria 37%

Figure 3 "Overall prevalence of discrimination based on ethnic or immigrant background in previous 12 months"
UK 15%
France 29%
Ireland 30%
Germany 33%
Austria 42%
Finland 45%

Source: https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra_uploads/fra-2019-being-black-in-the-eu-summary_en.pdf
---
Please read this:
Do I therefore think that racism isn't a problem in Britain? Of course not.
Am I somehow suggesting that there is a minimum level of racism that's tolerable? Of course not.

I just wanted to put things into context when people make extravagant claims like "Britain is awash with racism". And making generalising statements about British people is no different to stereotyping other groups. I don't believe that racism can only work in one direction.

 

[RedTropicalPeachyFish]

Why would you shake hands during the dawn of a worldwide pandemic if it's an optional thing, though?

It's not optional.

 

[idiotdoomspiral]

snip

u are overthinking this a bit, especially with insinuating that im racist lol. i couldve used a better choice of words (saying "people") ur right that its unfair to say that, of course i dont think that every british person is a raging racist but i do think i live in a country where racism is a major issue. despite the words i chose it wasnt my intention to stereotype everyone and to be honest with u i didnt think that anyone would interpret it that way because im british and that wouldnt make me any different. from my experiences from witnessing it a lot towards anyone that isnt british and hearing about other peoples experiences too i thought i would voice that but probably couldve used better words. i dont think u can deny that we do have a problem even though those statistics look fine, especially right now