Coronavirus - those in China, and general discussion

[ChTTay]

Never heard of a NeoGeo until this thread. Always played Mega drive though. Would love one now! Can’t do with emulators, need the real remotes. 
 

Apartment restrictions and conditions vary so much, even within Beijing. I am free to come and go as I please as long as I pass a temperature check but friends elsewhere are only allowed out if they have an ID slip of sorts. It’s not at the point where they have limited ticketing though. 

[Lu]

On 2/16/2020 at 10:21 AM, StChris said:

 I was well prepared this time and had brought my own so that I didn't have to use the same one as everybody else in the apartment complex. Unfortunately, as I was half-way done writing my phone number, the pen ran out of ink.

You're in Harbin, right? Low temperatures? Ballpoint pens are bad with that, they clog up when it gets cold (doesn't even have to be below zero). Use a pencil, if that is allowed.

[Jan Finster]

Being quarantined is bad enough, but being stuck on a ship with an ever rising number of infections sounds like hell to me. 

 

As of today, Diamond Princess ranks second after China in number of cases:

 

Do you guys know anyone on this ship? 

[feihong]

Weirdly enough, my sister’s coworker is one of the people stuck on the ship. He’s not having a good time, but at least he’s not staying in one of the tiny rooms without a window. His wife is one of the infected passengers, so she’s in a Japanese hospital.

[Dawei3]

24 minutes ago, Jan Finster said:

being stuck on a ship with an ever rising number of infections

This is someways surprising.  Many ships have strict approaches for avoid viral infections because on a periodic basis, norovirus shuts them down.  Many give those serving themselves at buffet tables a glove to wear while spooning out their food (because everyone touches the same serving utensil and few wash their hands AFTER getting their food).   However, some likely see this as too big of a hassle or don't like the perception for guests.  

 

St. Chris - Please keep your updates from Harbin coming.  

[Flickserve]

12 hours ago, Jan Finster said:

Being quarantined is bad enough, but being stuck on a ship with an ever rising number of infections sounds like hell to me. 

this ship is really strange. Everybody is in strict quarantine yet infections are increasing. For some reason, staying in the room doesn’t seem safe. Definitely very tough for those who are just waiting. 

[mackie1402]

1 hour ago, Flickserve said:

this ship is really strange. Everybody is in strict quarantine yet infections are increasing. For some reason, staying in the room doesn’t seem safe. Definitely very tough for those who are just waiting. 

 

I read somewhere online a few weeks ago that China was closing down office buildings which used a central aircon system, as it was basically pumping the virus around the building. 

 

I wonder if that's related 

[edelweis]

47 minutes ago, mackie1402 said:

a central aircon system

 

On cruise ships, people in outside cabins can open a window and let (hopefully) clean air in.

But people in inside cabins just don't have any windows, so they rely entirely on the air ducts to get air to breathe (?)

 

BTW legionella can also propagate through central A/C systems.

[DavyJonesLocker]

1 hour ago, mackie1402 said:

I read somewhere online a few weeks ago that China was closing down office buildings which used a central aircon system, as it was basically pumping the virus around the building. 

 

 

funny you should mention that, the aircon in partners office was shut down this morning for that reason. 

[Lu]

4 hours ago, Flickserve said:

this ship is really strange. Everybody is in strict quarantine yet infections are increasing. For some reason, staying in the room doesn’t seem safe. Definitely very tough for those who are just waiting.

I assume they get food and drink somehow, and that this food and the plates, glasses, utensils etc are touched by a human at some point. That human will do it the correct, hygienic way 99 times and get it ever so slightly wrong the 100th time. Or perhaps some of the passengers manage to sneak out of their room very, very occasionally. Stick 3700 people in a basically enclosed space with one person being sick and eventually they will all get sick. Just like it happens with the norovirus on such ships. And yes very tough for those on the ship who are not yet sick.

[Shelley]

And then there is this. As a cat owner and general animal lover I have to say it brought a tear to my eye.

 

I hope you can watch it. Its about a wonderful man, sorry hero, who is going to people's flats and homes to feed and water their pets.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2020/feb/14/catman-of-wuhan-the-man-rescuing-pets-abandoned-amid-coronavirus-outbreak-video?fbclid=IwAR3roXmHcAnbcJgQiOHOIQC-2fpShobXIifwSwxBXRcr_dHdo7-tj2ioAUw

[StChris]

There's a Chinese Youtuber going by the name of stone记, does anyone else watch his show? It has become part of my morning routine, and most of his recent videos concern the virus. Although he sometimes reports rumours, he does seem careful about the information he puts out, and admits it when he gets things wrong. It makes a nice change from the usual CCTV fare (at least, when my VPN is working)

[Flickserve]

5 hours ago, Lu said:

assume they get food and drink somehow, and that this food and the plates, glasses, utensils etc are touched by a human at some point.

 

I doubt it is through this way. 

 

These are too obvious though I don't discount them as possibilities. Once this is over, that ship will undergo a thorough investigation for the reason. It's important for the design of other ships in the industry.

[Dawei3]

6 hours ago, Lu said:

food and drink somehow, and that this food and the plates, glasses, utensils etc are touched by a human at some point

I had read a news report than mentioned people getting boxed meals (how boring to be locked in your room and to be fed simple foods....).  

 

Friends in Beijing have also heard about the shutting down central heating systems (they call it a/c) to avoid spreading the virus.  Some are very cold right now because their apartment complex shut them down.   

 

While theoretically a central heating system could spread the virus, it's not likely.  Legionnaires disease is spread by water droplets that can originate within the air conditioning.  The air from the systems is moist and the legionnaire bacteria come from in the water from the system (it lives in the water and the water can have considerable # of bacteria).  In contrast, coronaviruses would need to be entrained in the air by a heating system and sucked from one room to another.  This is unlikely.  Most concern about viral disease transmission relates to being 1 or 2 meters from a person.    

 

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has a very extensive discussion of virus transmission and defenses against this.  Even though the book focused on influenza, much of what it says applies to coronavirus.  It's freely downloadabe:    https://www.nap.edu/catalog/11980/preparing-for-an-influenza-pandemic-personal-protective-equipment-for-healthcare

 

It dates from 2008, but it still valid.  Many of the information gaps it identifies still exist.  

 

 

 

[Lu]

14 minutes ago, Flickserve said:

Once this is over, that ship will undergo a thorough investigation for the reason. It's important for the design of other ships in the industry.

I guess they will find a cause, but in the end, if you put a large concentration of any animal in a small enclosed space, diseases will break out.

[Shelley]

And now we have, sadly, people in our city in the south of England, thousands of miles from China insulting and pointing fingers at Chinese people (maybe not even chinese but they don't know better), shouting "Virus" and worse at them and doing similar things to people working in chinese restaurants.

 

One of those who was taunted spoke out and her point was the virus doesn't come with our passports.

 

It made me sad, and I want to just go and hug the next chinese person I see, but that will probably be taken very badly, so I will do it in my heart and mind.

A moment's thought for all chinese people and everyone suffering all this kind of crazy stuff.

 

[mkmyers45]

The Boredom is certainly getting to me here in Wuhan. My study, research and travel plans for the winter holiday period have all ended in flames but hopefully the city turns a corner soon. The more stringent measures being taken by local and district authorities is definitely not helping in easing tension about the potential outlook of the outbreak. I now need a pass to walk to the gate to send or receive kuaidi. 

 

Fun times!!!!!!!

 

 

[suMMit]

1 hour ago, mkmyers45 said:

research and travel plans for the winter holiday period have all ended in flames

Were you offered a seat on an evacuation flight? Its good to hear that its still "only boring and pass to get out of the gate". I thought it might be worse. 

[mkmyers45]

16 hours ago, suMMit said:

Were you offered a seat on an evacuation flight? Its good to hear that its still "only boring and pass to get out of the gate". I thought it might be worse. 

I wasn't offered a seat unfortunately. I would like to echo what Tomsima said earlier about people just staying indoors and not really being exposed to the brunt of what is happening on the front lines. Those of us who are yet to present with symptoms or have to go to healthcare or government facilities are mainly just bored and kicking it at home BUT that those not mean that once in a while we don't get to see just how tenuous the situation is. A building near me was cordoned off recently because 4 people got infected, that was quite surreal. Supplies have been extremely difficult to get though, I haven't been able to get kegs of water in almost a week now (still waiting).

[suMMit]

27 minutes ago, mkmyers45 said:

Supplies have been extremely difficult to get though, I haven't been able to get kegs of water in almost a week now (still waiting).

You can always just boil tap water no? I was also thinking about students, or even English teachers, who may not have tons of money on hand. What happens if the BOC card runs out of money and they have no way to get money from their home country? Do you still have a lot of friends/colleagues in Wuhan?

 

30 minutes ago, mkmyers45 said:

BUT that those not mean that once in a while we don't get to see just how tenuous the situation is. A building near me was cordoned off recently because 4 people got infected, that was quite surreal

I can imagine. 

 

Stay safe.