# Any good news re: COVID-19? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [March 16, 2020, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-news-re-covid-19/849610 "2020-03-16T22:47:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-news-re-covid-19/849610/1 "2020-03-16T22:47:03Z")
I’ve been trying to keep my chin up during this COVID-19 crisis, but it gets harder and harder as the news gets grimmer, both in terms of the disease itself and what it’s doing to the economy. I know most people survive the virus, although fewer in my age group do. And since I live alone, I have nobody to help out if I do get very ill. There seems no plan in place on the national or international level, and the slow and uncertain response isn’t helping bolster my mood. I tried to think of some good news from this, but all I’ve got is it doesn’t seem to affect children, and it may dampen the stupid anti-vaxx movement. Oh, and most adults who aren’t obese and who don’t have chronic health issues probably won’t get a bad case of it if they do catch the disease. Anybody else got anything? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-news-re-covid-19/849610/2 "2020-03-16T22:55:36Z")
Ummm! It keeps visitors at bay. I’m kinda liking that. (:)) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-news-re-covid-19/849610/3 "2020-03-16T22:56:25Z")
There are countries which seem to have gotten the spread of the disease under control. So existing techniques seem to be working if we implement them. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-news-re-covid-19/849610/4 "2020-03-16T23:01:49Z")
Working from home may be come even more commonplace, and I may make it permanent. More schools will ramp-up online learning programs, providing more access to technology to many kids who otherwise would not. Trump and Pence are being revealed as inept during a national crisis and Trump’s o-so-precious numbers will be taking a hit as a result. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-news-re-covid-19/849610/5 "2020-03-16T23:03:31Z")
Some people can get tested since they have influence rather than symptoms. The fact that, say, Tom Hanks, NBA players ready to play, Justin Trudeau’s wife, the Brazilian PM, Idris Elba (?), etc. are positive but asymptomatic could mean mortality rates are much lower than reported. Fingers crossed. Perhaps as a result, research will be done leading to new breakthroughs and better medicines. Perhaps more surge capacity will be built into emergency and critical care. The return of expertise to decisions of all types is welcome. When you see the large stocks of toilet paper on offer next week at your grocer, you will smile. Most of it will be there for several weeks. 😉 Gas is cheaper, and you still have nowhere to go. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-news-re-covid-19/849610/6 "2020-03-16T23:07:15Z")
Yes, best news so far: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=891777](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=891777) ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-news-re-covid-19/849610/7 "2020-03-16T23:07:19Z")
I’ve been worrying about an increasing move away from scientific belief. I don’t know if this will reverse that trend or not, but if it does it might bring about unaccountable deliverance from a future existential crisis we’ll never know about. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-news-re-covid-19/849610/8 "2020-03-16T23:12:52Z")
Plus the environment gets a breather. We were just starting to trigger some dangerous tipping points. Not sure if that’ll be long lasting though… ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-news-re-covid-19/849610/9 "2020-03-16T23:15:06Z")
I don’t think Tom Hanks and Idris Elba just got the test for shits and giggles. They had a legitimate reason to get tested. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-news-re-covid-19/849610/10 "2020-03-16T23:26:26Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > There are countries which seem to have gotten the spread of the disease under control. So existing techniques seem to be working if we implement them. There is an article here where Chinese are fleeing Western countries: to go back to China. [https://www.wsj.com/articles/people-fleeing-coronavirus-head-to-a-new-safe-haven-china-11584354274](https://www.wsj.com/articles/people-fleeing-coronavirus-head-to-a-new-safe-haven-china-11584354274) South Korea seems to have turned a corner too. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-news-re-covid-19/849610/11 "2020-03-16T23:39:24Z")
The usual hellish commute in Silicon Valley was a breeze today. But I’ll only get to enjoy it for this one day, because my firm just announced that it’s closing for three weeks. I heard there was a glut of lobsters on the market, because American and Canadian companies weren’t able to ship to China for their New Years feasting. So live lobsters may be cheap, if you can find a seller open for business. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-news-re-covid-19/849610/12 "2020-03-16T23:44:24Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > The usual hellish commute in Silicon Valley was a breeze today. But I’ll only get to enjoy it for this one day, because my firm just announced that it’s closing for three weeks. > > I heard there was a glut of lobsters on the market, because American and Canadian companies weren’t able to ship to China for their New Years feasting. So live lobsters may be cheap, if you can find a seller open for business. I heard the same thing about oysters (live and processed). The combo trade war and now this means the harvest is stacked-up at the ports with no where to go. They’ll only keep for so long. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-news-re-covid-19/849610/13 "2020-03-16T23:48:12Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > South Korea seems to have turned a corner too. South Korea just had a nother spike in cases, [linked to a church near Seoul](https://www.nst.com.my/world/world/2020/03/574973/new-coronavirus-cluster-linked-south-korean-church-46-test-positive). ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-news-re-covid-19/849610/14 "2020-03-16T23:55:12Z")
Irish-developed kit confirms infection in 15 minutes > **[Coronavirus: Irish-developed kit that confirms Covid-19 infection in 15...](https://www.independent.ie/world-news/coronavirus/irish-developed-kit-confirms-infection-in-15-minutes-39046582.html)** > > An Irish company is preparing to release rapid Covid-19 testing kits, which can provide results in 15 minutes and potentially act as a "clinical weapon" against coronavirus. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-news-re-covid-19/849610/15 "2020-03-17T00:10:58Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Working from home may be come even more commonplace, and I may make it permanent. > > More schools will ramp-up online learning programs, providing more access to technology to many kids who otherwise would not. > > Trump and Pence are being revealed as inept during a national crisis and Trump’s o-so-precious numbers will be taking a hit as a result. Well, the first and third points are cheering. That second one, though, is a bit of an issue. My niece’s school district is encouraging teachers to teach online, and one issue is that some kids don’t have access to wi-fi at home. Yes, there are kids too poor s to have wi-fi. It’s not that many, but it’s some. And libraries are closing, so that avenue is gone. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-news-re-covid-19/849610/16 "2020-03-17T00:12:18Z")
There is research into drugs to help fight the virus. Some protease inhibitors that are already approved for HIV may help with the infection. > **[Can an anti-HIV combination or other existing drugs outwit the new coronavirus?](https://www.science.org/content/article/can-anti-hiv-combination-or-other-existing-drugs-outwit-new-coronavirus)** > > Chinese scientists are testing widely used antivirals in patients in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-news-re-covid-19/849610/17 "2020-03-17T00:31:45Z")
Try [r/COVID19](https://www.reddit.com/r/COVID19/). Most of the discussion is refreshingly science-based and non-panicky, and there’s a fair amount of promising news about treatment options. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-news-re-covid-19/849610/18 "2020-03-17T00:34:00Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > Well, the first and third points are cheering. That second one, though, is a bit of an issue. My niece’s school district is encouraging teachers to teach online, and one issue is that some kids don’t have access to wi-fi at home. Yes, there are kids too poor s to have wi-fi. It’s not that many, but it’s some. And libraries are closing, so that avenue is gone. Yeah I hear that. I guess what I was thinking is that during this event, districts are trying to work with providers like Verizon to get internet into homes lacking it ASAP at no cost, and then work our a deal for people to keep it afterward at low cost/ One would think these companies would jump on the chance to get more customers. Same for hardware like laptops and tablets. But it may take some time yet to get these things in place at the individual level, and at scale. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-news-re-covid-19/849610/19 "2020-03-17T00:55:52Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Working from home may be come even more commonplace, and I may make it permanent. > > More schools will ramp-up online learning programs, providing more access to technology to many kids who otherwise would not. > > Trump and Pence are being revealed as inept during a national crisis and Trump’s o-so-precious numbers will be taking a hit as a result. Trump and Pence have always been inept. Do you expect that to make any difference to his base? It will be interesting if, as I expect, it turns out that blue states have far fewer deaths than the red ones. Because Republicans are still into denial and reject science and reject experts. But even if that happens, they will call it fake news since they have their own facts. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-news-re-covid-19/849610/20 "2020-03-17T01:25:50Z")
Amazon is hiring. Not known for the best work conditions but a lot of people are going to be without income for a while: > **[Amazon seeks to hire 100,000 to keep up with surge in orders](https://www.mcall.com/2020/03/16/amazon-seeks-to-hire-100000-to-keep-up-with-surge-in-orders/)** > > Amazon said Monday that it needs to hire 100,000 people across the U.S. to keep up with a crush of orders as the coronavirus spreads and keeps more people at home, shopping online. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-news-re-covid-19/849610.md?page=2)