# Coronavirus COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) Thread - 2020 Breaking News **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [February 11, 2020, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758 "2020-02-11T01:16:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 29
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/562 "2020-03-11T13:50:06Z")
We’ve had our [first case of COVID19 in Whatcom County](https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article241075056.html). > [@](#): > > The person who tested positive is a woman in her 60s who received medical care at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center. > > Her condition improved and she was discharged. Since that time she has been self-isolating at home. She has no known international travel history, the health department announced. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/563 "2020-03-11T13:52:23Z")
Hey, what’s the difference between the coronavirus and the Boeing 737 Max? The coronavirus is airborne. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/564 "2020-03-11T14:56:57Z")
[Dozens of people get coronavirus at meeting for biotech company](https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/03/11/health/coronavirus-massachusetts-state-of-emergency/index.html). (No comment yet from Alanis Morisette.) ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/565 "2020-03-11T15:16:50Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Does anyone have a source for US data – specifically a map – on areas where the virus has hit? The once-useful [Johns Hopkins map](https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html?fbclid=IwAR1cnB4UuOYuu2DNYoCsIwM9x5iJp6Gxm8VXUT8Hs2AZI3cw_KF1BrsN29Q#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6) no longer has this information. Thanks. Here’s a good one, though as it’s NYTimes it might be behind a paywall. Side note: A couple weeks back, the site gave me a popup offering an e-subscription for a dollar a week for a year. I happily ponied up. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/566 "2020-03-11T15:21:22Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > Fun fact, during SARS, Chinese private automobile ownership skyrocketed. Interesting but believable. In NYC (and Washington DC to some extent) you can often get by quite well without a car so there’s no point in having one most of the time. Here in the 'burbs, everyone _has_ cars but might avoid using them for commuting due to traffic etc. - but I suspect I’m NOT the only person who decided to drive vs using transit. My husband told me that his project (a fairly large one) has called an all-hands meeting for tomorrow. An **in-person** all-hands meeting. Insane. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/567 "2020-03-11T15:32:31Z")
“Okay people! Okay! quiet down; let’s get started. Let’s make a little more room, we’ve still got a few more people outside. Alright. Thank you all for coming to this meeting. I know it’s standing-room-only crowded, but we wanted to be sure that we had everyone on-board with the new company procedures to help stop the spread of this highly contagious disease.” ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/568 "2020-03-11T15:39:36Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > We’ve had our [first case of COVID19 in Whatcom County](https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article241075056.html). As a resident of British Columbia, could you please stop it there? Our border guards are asking people whether they’ve been to Iran or China, but not Italy or Washington State. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/569 "2020-03-11T15:49:03Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > [Dozens of people get coronavirus at meeting for biotech company](https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/03/11/health/coronavirus-massachusetts-state-of-emergency/index.html). (No comment yet from Alanis Morisette.) Most of North Carolina’s current cases are people who were at this conference. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/570 "2020-03-11T15:55:03Z")
> [@](#): > > Claim: ‘It is no more dangerous than winter flu’ > Many individuals who get coronavirus will experience nothing worse than seasonal flu symptoms, but the overall profile of the disease, including its mortality rate, looks more serious. **At the start of an outbreak the apparent mortality rate can be an overestimate if a lot of mild cases are being missed. But this week, a WHO expert suggested that this has not been the case with Covid-19. Bruce Aylward, who led an international mission to China to learn about the virus and the country’s response, said the evidence did not suggest that we were only seeing the tip of the iceberg. If borne out by further testing, this could mean that current estimates of a roughly 1% fatality rate are accurate**. This would make Covid-19 about 10 times more deadly than seasonal flu, which is estimated to kill between 290,000 and 650,000 people a year globally. (my bolding) From here: [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/11/can-a-face-mask-stop-coronavirus-covid-19-facts-checked](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/11/can-a-face-mask-stop-coronavirus-covid-19-facts-checked) I’ve heard it said on podcasts (either the Weeds, Post Reports, Today Explained, or the Daily – I don’t remember which, but all are reputable sources) that the higher fatality rates may be what happens when there is a spike in infections that overwhelms the hospitals (or where medical care is otherwise less available). And thanks, Kayaker for supplying the link I left off a couple of pages back about this being airborne. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/571 "2020-03-11T15:56:31Z")
E3 has been cancelled: > **[E3 2020 Officially Canceled Over Coronavirus Concerns - IGN](https://www.ign.com/articles/e3-officially-canceled)** > > E3 has officially been canceled over concerns about the coronavirus, shutting down the biggest video game convention of the year. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/572 "2020-03-11T16:02:56Z")
Iran’s senior VP and two other cabinet members have the virus. The Iranian death toll went from 62 to 354 yesterday. Qatar saw a 1-day jump in confirmed infections from 24 to 262. > **[News agency: Iran VP, 2 Cabinet members have new virus](https://apnews.com/c8d688dd07438f444b7f6a47e86c22ad)** > > TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's senior vice president and two other Cabinet members have contracted the new coronavirus, a semiofficial news agency reported Wednesday as the death toll in the Islamic Republic from the outbreak rose by 62 to 354... ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/573 "2020-03-11T16:21:34Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > Who is in the “older Americans” age group? Anybody over age X? People age at different rates. You might have a fit, healthy 65 year old in better shape than a 20-something. Is the fit 65-year-old still at high risk? > > Also, many people seem to assume that planes spread infection via the air that’s recirculated, but the fact is, the air is NOT recirculated. I assume then the risk is greater because people are in close proximity to each other for a few hours. If so, does that mean buses and trains are just as dangerous? There are certainly plenty of opportunities to catch a cold while travelling via bus or train: you’re sealed up in a confined space, no more than a foot or two from everyone else - but one culprit while flying is that the air is so dry, which is less of an issue on a bus or plane. The vehicle might be air-conditioned, but the air will probably NOT be as badly dried out as on a plane. You’ll be touching different surfaces as well. A bus won’t have a tray table like a plane does (a train might), and those supposedly are germ-laden. If you use the bathroom, bus toilets often have just hand sanitizer vs any real hand-washing facilities. Train toilets tend to be pretty disgusting after an hour or so, what with water slopping everywhere due to the train movement (and the users’ general pigginess). And none of them are cleaned regularly… in hindsight I feel really bad for anyone who used a train toilet during the last 45 minutes of a certain trip from NYC to DC a couple years ago, as it turns out I had an active case of something like norovirus which promptly went through my entire household :(. As far as your hypothetical healthy 65 year old and frail 20 year old: yes. of course that 65 year old is likelier to do better than his/her age peers, and the 20 year old is likelier to do more poorly. This is why the averages are just that: on average, a 65 year old is at higher risk because he is likelier to have underlying health conditions that make it harder to recuperate, and even just the age means he might be less robust. The healthy 65 year old set against a healthy 20 year old would be a better comparison: All things equal, I’d expect 100 spry geezers to do somewhat less well than 100 spry college students. ---
**Author:** ![This\_Just\_In\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@This\_Just\_In\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/This_Just_In_2)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/574 "2020-03-11T16:30:23Z")
Before the coronavirus I would cough to cover my fart. Now I fart to cover my cough. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/575 "2020-03-11T16:45:56Z")
Oh, [this should help](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-secrecy-exclusive/exclusive-white-house-told-federal-health-agency-to-classify-coronavirus-deliberations-sources-idUSKBN20Y2LM?il=0). (Reuters) > [@](#): > > The White House has ordered federal health officials to treat top-level coronavirus meetings as classified, an unusual step that has restricted information and hampered the U.S. government’s response to the contagion, according to four Trump administration officials. > > \ > > Staffers without security clearances, including government experts, were excluded from the interagency meetings, which included video conference calls, the sources said. > > “We had some very critical people who did not have security clearances who could not go,” one official said. “These should not be classified meetings. It was unnecessary.” Un-fucking-real. ETA: In other news, coronavirus was declared a world pandemic today. Probably not breaking news to anyone paying attention. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/576 "2020-03-11T16:50:47Z")
Response to info leaking about expert recommendations being rejected, like the advice for elderly and vulnerable people to not take commercial flights? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/577 "2020-03-11T16:51:25Z")
I found an article yesterday that discusses the mortality rate, using data from China only: [How does the new coronavirus compare with the flu?](https://www.livescience.com/new-coronavirus-compare-with-flu.html) There are many links to studies that are cited. The article seems to be thorough and carefully written. Here is what is listed for mortality rate of COVID-19: Age 80+ ——— 14.8% Age 70-79 ----- 8.0% Age 60-69 ----- 3.6% Age 50-59 ----- 1.3% Age 40-49 ----- .4% Age 10-39 ----- .2% Age 0-9 ------ no recorded deaths > [@](#): > > Though the death rate for COVID-19 is unclear, most research suggests it is higher than that of the seasonal flu. SO PLEASE son’t take these numbers as hard fact; it’s just the numbers from one set of data and that data is admittedly incomplete. This is prolly the best estimate we have at this time, tho, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/578 "2020-03-11T16:52:31Z")
And yeah, as \*\*Aspenglow[/]b noted, the WHO just declared this to be a pandemic. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/579 "2020-03-11T16:54:01Z")
And yeah, as \*\*Aspenglow[/]b noted, the WHO just declared this to be a pandemic. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/580 "2020-03-11T17:00:23Z")
FFS these server error are annoying ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/581 "2020-03-11T17:01:25Z")
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