Coronavirus

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  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,462MI6 Agent
    It occurred to me that this was the Bond film I was never meant to see....

    maxresdefault.jpg

    Lordy, if that film had come out we'd be spending all our time bitching about it, so small mercies.

    On the other hand, that car chase scene in Spectre looks more realistic now, as the Rome streets are virtually deserted. Only Blofeld's gang not doing the social distancing thing.
    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,310MI6 Agent
    JTM wrote:
    Asp9mm wrote:
    Boris Johnson just taken to intensive care.

    Wow. As Theresa May said, “This horrific virus does not discriminate. Anyone can get it. Anyone can spread it.” Rich, poor; young, old—the danger is to everyone. Wishing him a full and speedy recovery. I’m sure he’s in good hands with the hard working and dedicated medical staff at the ICU.


    Not according to this: Emily Maitless sets it down

    It doesn't affect everyone in the same way. Men are more susceptible than women. City dwellers, in particular the poor, are more likely to get it. Those in the suburbs like myself, less likely. Boris and his gang got it because frankly they didn't obey their own self-isolating rules.

    When Prince Charles got it I did think, oh this is the bit where Buckingham Palace got bombed in the war prompting the Queen Mother to say they could now look the East End in the face.

    The overweight are also likely to get sicker from Covid-19, and in today's strange world obesity is more common among the poor.
  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,462MI6 Agent
    An excellent point, of course the poor can't afford the gym and get suckered into junk food living, and eating what they can afford.
    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,310MI6 Agent
    Some US hospitals have to fire employees because Corona patients don't pay. Great healthcare system, folks! :#
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    It was extraordinary watching the news tonight, showing mass graves in New York.
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,310MI6 Agent
    Yes, it was a horrible sight. :(
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,310MI6 Agent
    I just heard a very interesting interview with a Swedish author and journalist. She asked if Sweden is "spoiled by peace". The country hasn't seen war in more than two hundred years and natural disasters are also very rare. She he asked if Sweden has to some degree lost the mental readiness for disiasters because of this. Sweden has put in place very few restrictions to battle Corona: Schools are open, so are bars and restaurants and many don't practice more social distanicing than we normallly do in the Nordic nations. Swedes now see many times as high numbers of Corona dead than we get in any of the other Nordic states. It's interesting how Finland has been one of the most effective countries in fighting Corona. The country was also by far the country in the region that was the most affected by WWII. Denmark and Norway also seem to handle Corona very well, but not quite as well as Finland. Both countries were occupied by the Nazis. Sweden was as we know not involved in the war. Is there a connection?
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,310MI6 Agent
    Adjsuted by population the hardest hit countries in the world are Italy, Britain and Belgium.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    I'm guessing you're believing the Chinese government figures then .......
    ...... I have some magic beans, I'm looking to sell ? :D
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,310MI6 Agent
    No, the Chinese numbers are almost certainly false. But since the population of China is so enormous the highest number of Corona deaths by capita are still in Italy, Britain and Belgium. Unless you belive tens of millions of Chinese deaths are kept under wraps, but I don't think that's the case this time.
  • JTMJTM Posts: 3,027MI6 Agent
    Number24 wrote:
    No, the Chinese numbers are almost certainly false. But since the population of China is so enormous the highest number of Corona deaths by capita are still in Italy, Britain and Belgium. Unless you believe tens of millions of Chinese deaths are kept under wraps, but I don't think that's the case this time.

    Would certainly say the same about North Korea. Reading the reports that the country is still "virus free"...even with the border restrictions there, certainly seems unbelievable.
  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,462MI6 Agent
    I suppose, but how would anyone get it? They're not allowed to leave the country any time anyway.
    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,310MI6 Agent
    A lot of North Koreans work in designated (and guarded) factories in China to bring home hard cash.
  • JTMJTM Posts: 3,027MI6 Agent
    I suppose, but how would anyone get it? They're not allowed to leave the country any time anyway.

    Yes NK have very strict border restrictions, but it’s not like people can’t go in and out of the country—it’s not completely closed off. With permission from the government, which is far from impossible to get, travel is permitted...buuut not if you’re from the US—their State Dept banned travel to NK a few years ago. For everyone else that wants to go, I believe you have to go as part of a tour group that’s run by their government.

    The other day I was watching a Graham Norton episode from a couple of years ago and Michael Palin, one of the guests, was chatting about a trip he took to the country. After watching that I got curious about NK travel and found a news article online from back in 2016 which said that during the previous year (2015) NK had 100’000 foreign tourists visiting the country and they hoped that by 2020, that number would be around 2 million. I didn’t go hunting for updates to see if they hit that 2 mil, but I did run into an article from November last year that said that a conservative estimate on Chinese tourists to NK (a lot coming via the countries’ northern borders) in 2019 is over 350’000, and that’s just Chinese tourists.

    So anyway, with that many people coming in and out of the country, it’s highly doubtful that they’ve remained virus free.
  • HigginsHiggins GermanyPosts: 16,619MI6 Agent
    Number24 wrote:
    A lot of North Koreans work in designated (and guarded) factories in China to bring home hard cash.

    Are they ever traveling back to see their families?
    President of the 'Misty Eyes Club'.

    Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,310MI6 Agent
    Most of their wages are sent directly to the state. I don't know, but at some point the workers will return too. Perhaps NK will keep them in China until the whole Corona thing is over? Given the brutality of the regime it's even possible the workers will be shot as soon as they return ….
  • HigginsHiggins GermanyPosts: 16,619MI6 Agent
    That's my thought.
    So guestworkers would not carry the virus over to Northkorea.
    And I doubt that tourism really did go on this year.
    President of the 'Misty Eyes Club'.

    Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,310MI6 Agent
    Well, we don't know. Perhaps some workers were sent back early on and a few of them carried the virus?
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    It's a good system, I'm sure the
    CCP have been given the all clear
    From WHO. After all China has a
    Free press just like N.Korea. NO
    Fake news coming out of there. :D
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,310MI6 Agent
    I'm glad to report the number of people infected by Corona in hospitals has been dropping for a week or two in Norway, and today there are only 176 Corona patients. I hope the worst is over - not only for us, but other countries too. :)
  • ChriscoopChriscoop Belize Posts: 10,458MI6 Agent
    The UK seems to be hitting a plateau now in most areas, which means we are in the middle of this thing, 3 more weeks of Lockdown also announced and if I dare mention it, our foreign secretary, who I hold in high regard states their needs to be an adjustment with the UKs relationship with China particularly with respect to the outbreak of the pandemic.
    It was either that.....or the priesthood
  • HigginsHiggins GermanyPosts: 16,619MI6 Agent
    Number24 wrote:
    I'm glad to report the number of people infected by Corona in hospitals has been dropping for a week or two in Norway, and today there are only 176 Corona patients. I hope the worst is over - not only for us, but other countries too. :)

    Let‘s hope for the best but lets all keep in mind that this is not over yet.
    We must avoid that another - probably even bigger wave is coming soon or latest in fall.
    President of the 'Misty Eyes Club'.

    Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,310MI6 Agent
    My impression is that lots of testing is very important to limit the effects of Corona. To me it looks like the countries that so far has low numbers of dead and seriously ill have tested a lot (Germany, South Korea, Norway etc.)
  • ChriscoopChriscoop Belize Posts: 10,458MI6 Agent
    Higgins wrote:
    Number24 wrote:
    I'm glad to report the number of people infected by Corona in hospitals has been dropping for a week or two in Norway, and today there are only 176 Corona patients. I hope the worst is over - not only for us, but other countries too. :)

    Let‘s hope for the best but lets all keep in mind that this is not over yet.
    We must avoid that another - probably even bigger wave is coming soon or latest in fall.
    Absolutely, just walking out of restrictions into "normal life" will just produce a further spike in infections.
    It was either that.....or the priesthood
  • HigginsHiggins GermanyPosts: 16,619MI6 Agent
    Normally, I‘d be in HK at this time with my wife, visiting trade shows and meeting family and friends.
    Of course this does not happen now and my wife is banking on that we do all this in October.

    Thinking deeper into it, I don‘t think that this will happen!
    Even if international travel is reinstalled, even if airlines operate to destinations worldwide, am I willing to take the risk being on a plane with 350 others who could potentially infect us?

    Am I willing to participate in a trade show with tens of thousands of people from all over the world meeting all together in the Wanchai exhibition center?

    The answer to both is No! Unless I know, that I‘ve had the infection and am immune.

    And imo that is the only realistic hope that we have for the next 12 months until hopefully a vaccine is developed.
    Imo, you will need a kind of carte blanche (which attests that you have Covid antibodies) to enter an airport in the foreseeable future.
    President of the 'Misty Eyes Club'.

    Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,310MI6 Agent
    When most of the restrictions are lifted the simplest things will seem exotic. Going to the cinema, eating at a resteurant, shaking hands, standing in a normal cue and or visiting a friend at his house …
    Will we stand far away from others and not shake hands on instinct?
  • Red IndianRed Indian BostonPosts: 427MI6 Agent
    I hope everyone is doing OK! It's overwhelming to think of how this has changed the entire world. Number 24 I have recently been thinking how bizarre it is that we are alive to witness the (more than likely) end of hand shaking. This whole situation is surreal; like existing in an old episode of The Twilight Zone. Best wishes to all of you and your loved ones. Patience is a virtue and never more needed...
  • ChriscoopChriscoop Belize Posts: 10,458MI6 Agent
    Red Indian wrote:
    I hope everyone is doing OK! It's overwhelming to think of how this has changed the entire world. Number 24 I have recently been thinking how bizarre it is that we are alive to witness the (more than likely) end of hand shaking. This whole situation is surreal; like existing in an old episode of The Twilight Zone. Best wishes to all of you and your loved ones. Patience is a virtue and never more needed...
    And all the best to you also -{
    It was either that.....or the priesthood
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,310MI6 Agent
    Just to clearify: I don't think this is the end of handshakes. But I think it will feel strange when we finally feel it's safe to shake hands again. Many of us will probably hesitate or do a "double take" with our hands. :))
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