Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[Paris]

In truth, I am more worried about using the roads here in South East Asia than I am about this virus. For instance, I have seen a figure that in Thailand the amount of deaths from RTA's is 2,261 just from the start of this year alone.

ข่าวทั่วไทย | เดลินิวส์

ข่าวทั่วไทย | ทั่วไทย ข่าวทั่วไทย คนดีของสังคม คนดีของสังคม นิยายชีวิต นิยายชีวิต Special Report Special Report ส่องพระยอดนิยม ส่องพระยอดนิยม สังคมภูมิภาค สังคมภูมิภาค

www.dailynews.co.th

 

[Diogenes the Cynic]

In truth, I am more worried about using the roads here in South East Asia than I am about this virus. For instance, I have seen a figure that in Thailand the amount of deaths from RTA's is 2,261 just from the start of this year alone.

ข่าวทั่วไทย | เดลินิวส์

ข่าวทั่วไทย | ทั่วไทย ข่าวทั่วไทย คนดีของสังคม คนดีของสังคม นิยายชีวิต นิยายชีวิต Special Report Special Report ส่องพระยอดนิยม ส่องพระยอดนิยม สังคมภูมิภาค สังคมภูมิภาค

www.dailynews.co.th

The statistics are truly shocking, ive seen the numbers previously without going into the reported reasons behind it.

Off the top of my head:

Large transient tourist population who mainly drive scooters unlicensed, intoxicated and with no experience on Thai streets and in Thai traffic.

Drunk/stoned drivers. There hasn't been the backlash and stigma against drimk driving as uou find in other countries. The taxi guys by me used lie in hammocks in the shade smoking weed until they got a fare.

Poor monitoring of rental vehicles. I rented a scooter over just by asking a guy im the shop.I'd never been on one before and have no type of driving licence. He just showed me what to press and then i was wobbling down the street in full traffic. He didn't offer me a helmet either and nobody else was wearing one so thought you didn't have to. Then of course when i was already on bail i got arrested for no helmet but was able to pay a fine and ride from the police station on my scooter. With no helmet.

Poor street lighting and roads that generally are fine by and large on the main steets but tourists seem not to notice the surface change on smalller roads which are can be covered in gravel that you don't see until it's too late.

The sheer amount of different nationalities and cultures all plonked together with different styles and habits with no training in thst country.

And a really important one. People go there and they let themselves go, they get a bit wild, tale more risks.They're less cautious than they might otherwise be.

Personally i didn't have any bother, i loved whizzing around the islands on a scooter. It was a fine way to explore the place.

 

[Paris]

The statistics are truly shocking, ive seen the numbers previously without going into the reported reasons behind it.

Off the top of my head:

Large transient tourist population who mainly drive scooters unlicensed, intoxicated and with no experience on Thai streets and in Thai traffic.

Drunk/stoned drivers. There hasn't been the backlash and stigma against drimk driving as uou find in other countries. The taxi guys by me used lie in hammocks in the shade smoking weed until they got a fare.

Poor monitoring of rental vehicles. I rented a scooter over just by asking a guy im the shop.I'd never been on one before and have no type of driving licence. He just showed me what to press and then i was wobbling down the street in full traffic. He didn't offer me a helmet either and nobody else was wearing one so thought you didn't have to. Then of course when i was already on bail i got arrested for no helmet but was able to pay a fine and ride from the police station on my scooter. With no helmet.

Poor street lighting and roads that generally are fine by and large on the main steets but tourists seem not to notice the surface change on smalller roads which are can be covered in gravel that you don't see until it's too late.

The sheer amount of different nationalities and cultures all plonked together with different styles and habits with no training in thst country.

And a really important one. People go there and they let themselves go, they get a bit wild, tale more risks.They're less cautious than they might otherwise be.

Personally i didn't have any bother, i loved whizzing around the islands on a scooter. It was a fine way to explore the place.

Personally I'd never drive in Thailand, I'm actually pretty petrified lol

I do hail Grab scooters/bikes though.

 

[Diogenes the Cynic]

Personally I'd never drive in Thailand, I'm actually pretty petrified lol

I do hail Grab scooters/bikes though.

It literally took me a couple of hours and i was completely comfortable.

It was weird how much like a bike it felt to be on. I know that's spectacularly ludicrous thing to say and its not weird all but once i got used to the weight around the corners it was easy.

I actually found it helpful that i don't drive but I've been riding bikes on roads my whole life so I'm constantly checking around me etc.

You saw some scary things though', people just blindly turning into oncoming traffic, tourists veering onto pavements....

 

[Paris]

It literally took me a couple of hours and i was completely comfortable.

It was weird how much like a bike it felt to be on. I know that's spectacularly ludicrous thing to say and its not weird all but once i got used to the weight around the corners it was easy.

I actually found it helpful that i don't drive but I've been riding bikes on roads my whole life so I'm constantly checking around me etc.

You saw some scary things though', people just blindly turning into oncoming traffic, tourists veering onto pavements....

It certainly isn't for the faint-hearted.

 

[Diogenes the Cynic]

It certainly isn't for the faint-hearted.

Needs must i suppose. I felt safr enough to ride everywhere. But yet i don't cycle on the roads in London.

Sometimes you just gotta go with your gut
.

 

[BrendanGOT]

WHO, CDC, NHS etc have not officially declared a pandemic, but the definition is vague...wide spread in high numbers.
New cases are trending down so I can see them holding off and monitoring the trend.

I hadn’t realized the new cases trend was down.

I think the high ups already recognise it as a pandemic and are preparing behind closed doors. I'd imagine announcements of pandemics won't happen until preparations are sorted to deal with it. Girl I know in Belfast works for the health board and said they've set up special rooms for the high ups to meet, apparently no one else is allowed access and they're calling it Operation Silver or Operation Cold 'something'... along those lines anyways. Can't remember the exact code name. If that's happening in Belfast then I imagine London and other big cities have been doing the same and preparing for a while now which suggests pandemic to me

 

[RAFUH]

I think the high ups already recognise it as a pandemic and are preparing behind closed doors. I'd imagine announcements of pandemics won't happen until preparations are sorted to deal with it. Girl I know in Belfast works for the health board and said they've set up special rooms for the high ups to meet, apparently no one else is allowed access and they're calling it Operation Silver or Operation Cold 'something'... along those lines anyways. Can't remember the exact code name. If that's happening in Belfast then I imagine London and other big cities have been doing the same and preparing for a while now which suggests pandemic to me

Definitely.... deciding it for themselves and them announcing it are two different things.

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

Just read this now.

I take it you are all aware that this couple have both tested positive for the virus and, being elderly, are also in the high risk category. But hey, they are just Tory scum so that doesn't matter then. With any luck it'll be 2 less people to vote Tory at the next general election.

Like I said I would be more worried about the tooth infection.

 

[Jebus_lives]

I think the high ups already recognise it as a pandemic and are preparing behind closed doors. I'd imagine announcements of pandemics won't happen until preparations are sorted to deal with it. Girl I know in Belfast works for the health board and said they've set up special rooms for the high ups to meet, apparently no one else is allowed access and they're calling it Operation Silver or Operation Cold 'something'... along those lines anyways. Can't remember the exact code name. If that's happening in Belfast then I imagine London and other big cities have been doing the same and preparing for a while now which suggests pandemic to me

Of course they are. And every single area in the country will have a command and control structure in place to manage the effects. That's normal practice.

 

[RAFUH]

Ah...so maybe we are officially in a "pandemic" just under a different name

https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-who-idUKKCN20I0N8

GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) no longe
has a process for declaring a pandemic, but the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak remains an international emergency, a spokesman said on Monday.

The Geneva-based agency, which declared the H1N1 swine flu outbreak a pandemic in 2009, declared the novel coronavirus that emerged in Wuhan, China in December a public health emergency of International concern, known as a PHEIC, on Jan. 30.

“There is no official category (for a pandemic),” WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said. “WHO does not use the old phasing system that some people may be familiar with from 2009.

Under the IHR (International Health Regulations), WHO has declared a public health emergency of international concern.”

 

[RAFUH]

I've never had to work like this, thankfully, but have had to try it out. I found it very claustrophobic.

 

[LinekersLegs]

 

[Goat]

 

[LinekersLegs]

Joint @WHO-China mission on #COVID19 has concluded its visit and delivered its report, says @DrTedros. Includes a range of findings about the transmissibility of the virus, the severity of the disease and the impact of the measures taken. He outlines some key findings:
- #COVID19 epidemic peaked and plateaued between 23.1. and 2.2. and has been declining steadily since then.
- no significant change in the RNA of the virus
- fatality rate is between 2% and 4% in Wuhan and 0,7% outside Wuhan
- recovery time for people with mild #COVID19 infection is about 2 weeks, people with severe infection 3-6 weeks
- team estimates that measures taken in China have averted a significant number of cases
Report contains 22 recommendations, says @DrTedros (Aylward presser tomorrow)