# 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:** 86
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1703 "2020-03-30T01:18:25Z")
Bread should be available again soon. You can hoard only so much of it, even with a chest freezer. (I’ve got one, can’t imagine doing without one. I usually have six or seven loaves tucked away in it, so I haven’t had to go looking for bread. I don’t want to fill the whole damn thing with bread, after all!) ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1704 "2020-03-30T01:34:18Z")
Yeah, I’ve been freezing fresh store-bought baguettes of sourdough, because you can get those usually, but not sandwich bread. Cut the loaf in thirds and bag each third individually. I’ve been quite surprised how fresh the bread seems if you thaw it on the counter – still soft and seemly fresh like at the store. But now I’ve got like six loaves in the freezer so I’m good for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1705 "2020-03-30T02:11:46Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > Definitely in the U.S. too. I am on a bunch of cooking Facebook pages, and everyone is looking for yeast. I feel like all week I’ve been constantly reposting [instructions on how to make your own sourdough starter without yeast.](https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/sourdough-starter-recipe) (And have given away 3 jars of my own sourdough starter.) People also reporting lots of shortages of bread, flour, and other baking supplies. > > If you want fresh bread and you’re stuck home anyway, now is the time for all the people who want bread but don’t want to be running to the store every couple of days to do some baking. (And I am seeing a lot of my friends baking with their kids as a useful and fun indoor activity - it’s even educational!) Nearly the last thing I did before I started isolating myself was send a care package of yeast to my enthusiastic-baker father in the UK (I didn’t have to buy it - they always put too much in my 5kg bags of flour). So … there too! ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1706 "2020-03-30T03:31:19Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Today in Austria: > > [ul] > > [li] In Vienna, all national parks have been closed since the self-isolation measures went into effect, whereas the municipal parks have remained open. And with all public entertainment and recreation venues shut down, and no other place to take in fresh air, the municipal parks are getting overcrowded with people going for walks. I’ve been going for walks in the parks every couple days myself and, especially on weekends, I find it hard to always keep an appropriate distance from other pedestrians. As a result of this overcrowding, the city and federal government today agreed to reopen the national parks here, including the huge gardens of the Belvedere and Schönbrunn palaces.[/li] > [li] There have been some minor but quirky anomalies in the food supply. Austrian dairy producers report a huge drop in demand for milk, which has resulted in a huge surplus. So far, prices don’t seem to be affected. By contrast, Vienna (or maybe all of Austria, for all I know) seems to have a shortage of yeast. Yesterday morning I visited six big-name supermarkets (three in one district and three in another) and found that every single one of them was sold out of yeast. I finally managed to find a package in a small Turkish supermarket near my home. It seems that word of the yeast shortage quickly spread among the Turkish community, as later in the day I noticed handwritten “WE HAVE YEAST” signs outside many of the other Turkish food stores in my neighbourhood. I’m not sure why yeast is in such short supply, but if I had to guess, it’s because everyone who is staying at home now has enough time on their hands to bake their own bread.[/li] > I called my father today, who lives 8000 km away, on another continent, and he reported to me that they’re sold out of yeast over there too. Is this a global thing? > > [li] Current statistics: 8774 confirmed infections (up 652 from yesterday), 86 dead (up 11 from yesterday), 479 recovered (up 69 from yesterday).[/li] > [/ul] Thank you for these updates. Everywhere is important and we should record for history what has happened. ---
**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 30, 2020, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1707 "2020-03-30T04:23:18Z")
722,196 confirmed infections 33,976 dead 151,766 recovered In the US\*: 142,178 confirmed infections 2,484 dead 4,559 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 663,741 confirmed infections > 30,880 dead > 142,183 recovered > > In the US: > > 123,750 confirmed infections > 2,227 dead > 3,231 recovered \*I know that the numbers for the US (and by extension the world numbers) are incorrect because I saw an AP article at least 10 hours ago saying that the death toll in New York state had passed 1,000 but WoM is only listing it as 965; the AP has since removed the story (but not the headline) as [other news services began running it](https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2020-03-29/new-york-citys-poorer-neighborhoods-hit-hardest-by-virus). I’m figuring that today being Sunday has somehow skewed what is normally timely reporting and recording at WoM. > [@madsircool](#): > > Everywhere is important and we should record for history what has happened. I agree completely; it was a big part of my motivation for starting this thread. ---
**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 30, 2020, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1708 "2020-03-30T04:30:32Z")
Missed the edit window; here’s the story on the AP: [New York state surpasses 1,000 coronavirus deaths](https://apnews.com/948020aa76fb15da6aeaeaab21abaefb) > [@](#): > > New York state’s death toll from the coronavirus outbreak climbed Sunday above 1,000, less than a month after the first known infection in the state. > > Most of those deaths have come in just the past few days. > > New York City reported in the evening that its toll had risen to 776. The total number of statewide deaths isn’t expected to be released until Monday, but with at least 250 additional deaths recorded outside the city as of Sunday morning, the state’s total fatalities was at least 1,026. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1709 "2020-03-30T05:17:15Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > \*I know that the numbers for the US (and by extension the world numbers) are incorrect because I saw an AP article at least 10 hours ago saying that the death toll in New York state had passed 1,000 but WoM is only listing it as 965; the AP has since removed the story (but not the headline) as [other news services began running it](https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2020-03-29/new-york-citys-poorer-neighborhoods-hit-hardest-by-virus). The German numbers have also, at times, diverged quite widely between different sources, some local sources showing up to 4,000 more infections (in total) than were posted at the WoM-site at the time; a part of that was, indeed, that not all local health offices reported their numbers on the weekend. Right now they seem largely consistent, though. ---
**Author:** ![MaverocK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@MaverocK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaverocK)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1710 "2020-03-30T06:56:52Z")
If you guys want to follow German numbers, you can check Tagesspiegel: [Coronavirus-Karte: Deutschlandweite Fallzahlen in Echtzeit | Tagesspiegel](https://interaktiv.tagesspiegel.de/lab/karte-sars-cov-2-in-deutschland-landkreise/) It is a quite trustworthy resource IMO. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1711 "2020-03-30T11:22:43Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Thank you for these updates. Everywhere is important and we should record for history what has happened. > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I agree completely; it was a big part of my motivation for starting this thread. Thanks; I’m glad you still find them of interest, even now that circumstances in the US and elsewhere may be even more dire. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1712 "2020-03-30T11:29:37Z")
> [@MaverocK](#): > > If you guys want to follow German numbers, you can check Tagesspiegel: [Coronavirus-Karte: Deutschlandweite Fallzahlen in Echtzeit | Tagesspiegel](https://interaktiv.tagesspiegel.de/lab/karte-sars-cov-2-in-deutschland-landkreise/) > > It is a quite trustworthy resource IMO. Or Morgenpost. It has an interactive map which is probably easier to read at a glance. ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1713 "2020-03-30T11:31:01Z")
Spain: Dr. Fernando Simón, 57, chief of the governmental task force for Health Emergencies in charge of coordinating the Spanish coronavirus response, began showing symptoms last night and has tested positive. He has been chief of the Spanish health emergencies department since 2003, and has been in this post under several governments of different parties. He was in charge during the 2014 Ebola outbreak. He has experience working in Africa and Latin America in diverse projects on public health. He is replaced for the time being by his adjutant, Dr. María-José Sierra. She has been working in the task force from the beginning. ---
**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 30, 2020, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1714 "2020-03-30T11:35:52Z")
> [@Moe](#): > > Or Morgenpost. It has an interactive map which is probably easier to read at a glance. Is any Straight Doper in Mannheim, Germany or nearby? What’s it like there now? ---
**Author:** ![Fugazi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@Fugazi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fugazi)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1715 "2020-03-30T11:40:41Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 722,196 confirmed infections > 33,976 dead > 151,766 recovered > > In the US\*: > > 142,178 confirmed infections > 2,484 dead > 4,559 recovered That means that 1/5, or 20% of all cases in the world are in the US. Wow, we’re doing a bad job. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1716 "2020-03-30T11:43:25Z")
> [@Moe](#): > > Or Morgenpost. It has an interactive map which is probably easier to read at a glance. Oops, forgot to paste the link. [Fixed link](https://interaktiv.morgenpost.de/corona-virus-karte-infektionen-deutschland-weltweit/) ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1717 "2020-03-30T12:03:04Z")
Busy news day in Austria! Here are the afternoon’s dispatches: [ul] [li] The federal chancellor today warned that Austria finds itself in “the calm before the storm” and thus “far away from any loosening of the restrictions” aimed at slowing the spread of the virus. On the contrary, the government will now be pressing ahead with further measures. These include the following:[/li] [list] [li] There is a new requirement for shoppers to wear face masks in all supermarkets. The masks will be distributed by the supermarkets themselves starting on Wednesday. Supermarkets are already taking further measures to protect customers and staff, including marking lines on the ground to encourage social distance at the cash register.[/li][li] Protection measures at hospitals are being beefed up. These include protective barriers for staff, restricting public access to certain areas, and increasing the number of virus tests for staff. I was due to attend a local hospital here on Thursday for an examination; someone called me today to inform me that the examination had been deemed not-critical and therefore cancelled.[/li][li] All non-essential use of hotels is now prohibited. (In theory tourists shouldn’t have been using them anyway due to the existing restrictions on movement.)[/li][li] It is now legally binding on employers to send employees in high-risk groups (older people, those with compromised immune systems, etc.) to home office, or else exempt them from work entirely.[/li][/ul] [li] The country has 3000 ventilators, of which 2000 are now in use. The chancellor and interior minister warn that the intensive care system will collapse if the spread of the virus reaches 2000 per day, which could happen as early as the middle of April. We’re currently experiencing a daily growth in the number of infections of 14%, but this needs to go down to 7% to avoid a catastrophe.[/li] [li] May Day celebrations have been cancelled and the country’s most famous summer music festival, the Donauinselfest, has been pushed back to September.[/li] [li] Since the self-isolation rules took effect, police have cited 10,426 people for violating them (including 2046 this past weekend).[/li] [li] Speaking of police, they are warning the public of an even greater increase in coronavirus-related scams, particularly those targeting the elderly. And in the state of Carinthia, there are reports of two men falsely posing as police officers who are pulling over cars and measuring the occupants’ temperatures with an infrared thermometer. It’s not clear why they are doing this, though it could be to extort “fines” or bribes from people who test positive.[/li] [li] Current statistics: 9131 confirmed infections, 999 hospitalized, 108 dead, 636 recovered. The number of confirmed cases is doubling every 5.9 days, down from 2.5 three weeks ago.[/li] [/list] ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1718 "2020-03-30T13:12:23Z")
What’s happening in New York is a disaster of the first order. The state has now reported over 1,000 COVID-19 related deaths. Byu comparison, Canada, literally next door, with roughly twice the population, has reported 61. I dunno what the hell happened in New York, but holy shit. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1719 "2020-03-30T13:22:26Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > What’s happening in New York is a disaster of the first order. > > The state has now reported over 1,000 COVID-19 related deaths. > > Byu comparison, Canada, literally next door, with roughly twice the population, has reported 61. > > I dunno what the hell happened in New York, but holy shit. At this point I just feel like everywhere else is just some days away from where NY is at right now. They just had a head start. ---
**Author:** ![polar\_bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@polar\_bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/polar_bear)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1720 "2020-03-30T13:31:16Z")
Here you see some big differences based on culture. In the Netherlands there are far more deaths, yet less people on the icu. Last week there was a report that three quarters of the deaths never went to the icu. Quality of life is big point of discussion before putting An 80 year old on a ventilator for 3 weeks (between doctors, patients and family. Eta, was replying to psychonout Verstuurd vanaf mijn moto g(6) met Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1721 "2020-03-30T13:43:25Z")
> [@polar\_bear](#): > > Quality of life is big point of discussion before putting An 80 year old on a ventilator for 3 weeks (between doctors, patients and family. That’s interesting. This isn’t like a terminal disease where we’re trying to buy someone an extra 6 months of a life via painful and intrusive interventions. It’s an infection that will pass if treated, an 80 year old could live another 10-15 years if they pull through. I’ve talked a lot with my parents (in their 70s) about end-of-life care, but I wouldn’t think to apply it in this circumstance. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1722 "2020-03-30T13:49:02Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > The bill giving Orbán emergency dictatorial powers has been voted down (as it required a 4/5 supermajority to pass). However, the Hungarian parliament gets a second crack at it next week, this time with the bar lowered to a 2/3 majority. As luck would have it, Orbán’s coalition currently enjoys a 2/3 majority in Parliament, so unless anyone defects, the bill should pass next week. Breaking news from Hungary: The bill has now passed on its second reading, with 138 of 199 MPs voting in favour. Prime minister Viktor Orbán is now ruling by decree, and parliament is no longer required to sit. Elections are suspended and anyone deemed by the prime minister to be spreading “false information” is subject to summary arrest and imprisonment. Despite last-minute calls by opposition parties for the dictatorship to at least be limited to 90 days, the law says that Orbán retains his new powers indefinitely (i.e., until he himself deems the emergency to be over). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758.md?page=85) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758.md?page=87)