# Unanticipated aspects of a pandemic **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [March 8, 2020, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanticipated-aspects-of-a-pandemic/849094 "2020-03-08T10:26:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanticipated-aspects-of-a-pandemic/849094/41 "2020-03-12T21:08:22Z")
[The whole store got the flu](https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/ce43605a-ccbe-4471-bba7-4fc04db0d4ec) ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanticipated-aspects-of-a-pandemic/849094/42 "2020-03-12T23:09:56Z")
> [@OldOlds](#): > > Just regarding the pharmaceutical supply chain: I wouldn’t worry too much. Just a little. There is still a fairly robust pharma supply chain in the US, and additional capacity in the EU (are we and the EU likely to cooperate or compete in a crisis? I don’t know). There has been a significant move towards China and India, but I’d expect we could gather up the resources to maintain the supply of critical stuff. > > That said, converting a facility from making one thing to another (say, from one kind of tablet to another) takes significant time. And changing from one class to another (say, from tablets to parenteral biologics) is effectively impossible without rebuilding the facility > > FWIW, I’ve been in pharma development and manufacturing for 25 years, though like most of us as my career has progressed it’s been into a specialized area, so I wouldn’t call myself an expert outside that area, but there is overlap so I’m not ignorant either. It’s fortunate that Wuhan is the major supplier of only a few drugs, most of which are not important in the USA, or are retail drugs with a vast supply chain. Because Wuhan was out of action long enough that people noticed. Oh, also, it looks like this time the wet markets in China will never reopen. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanticipated-aspects-of-a-pandemic/849094/43 "2020-03-13T04:41:07Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Oh, also, it looks like this time the wet markets in China will never reopen. They’ve been illegal awhile already, right? Why expect good behavior now? Are enough un-bribed cops and officials in the vicinity? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanticipated-aspects-of-a-pandemic/849094/44 "2020-03-13T11:08:45Z")
I look forward to being Legend. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanticipated-aspects-of-a-pandemic/849094/45 "2020-03-13T11:24:20Z")
> [@RioRico](#): > > They’ve been illegal awhile already, right? Why expect good behavior now? Are enough un-bribed cops and officials in the vicinity? They were closed during SARS, but only temporarily. The Hubai wet market at the epicentre wasn’t illegal. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanticipated-aspects-of-a-pandemic/849094/46 "2020-03-13T12:29:39Z")
[Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v9VwC3sWdc) is an unanticipated consequence I don’t think was mentioned previously and which I saw on a late-night chat show; monkeys in Thailand stampeding. The explanation was that normally they’re fed bananas by tourists, but with no tourists, there are no free bananas. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanticipated-aspects-of-a-pandemic/849094/47 "2020-03-13T12:45:08Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > They were closed during SARS, but only temporarily. The Hubai wet market at the epicentre wasn’t illegal. Some of the wild species being sold however are illegal. In answer to **RioRico** ’s question though, there’s illegal and there’s illegal in China. While most people know there are certain rules they can bend, or even flout, once the government says “Thou shalt not…” people get in line, fast. It’s still the same government as Tiananmen, and an individual’s life means nothing. And in terms of coronavirus, there have been a lot of these triple-underlined decrees. Or at least: I would feel as comfortable selling pangolin skins now as cocaine. Maybe to some people the risk will be worth it, but not to most. The history of the wet markets, and why trading in wild meat has been tolerated up to now, is interesting though. Wild meat became popular following the famine of the early 60s for obvious reasons. In the modern era though, as downmarket as they may look, apparently most of the customers are wealthy members of the ruling class buying the meat for its supposed medicinal benefits (ironically). This time though for sure the consequences have been so severe that it will all but disappear. ---
**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 13, 2020, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanticipated-aspects-of-a-pandemic/849094/48 "2020-03-13T12:57:57Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Renewed interest in spirit-rapping. Isn’t that how they keep getting new Tupak albums? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanticipated-aspects-of-a-pandemic/849094/49 "2020-03-13T13:09:01Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > The history of the wet markets, and why trading in wild meat has been tolerated up to now, is interesting though. Wild meat became popular following the famine of the early 60s for obvious reasons. In the modern era though, as downmarket as they may look, apparently most of the customers are wealthy members of the ruling class buying the meat for its supposed medicinal benefits (ironically). This time though for sure the consequences have been so severe that it will all but disappear. Perhaps that’s a good thing for the endangered species that have been trafficked? ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanticipated-aspects-of-a-pandemic/849094/50 "2020-03-13T13:24:22Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Perhaps that’s a good thing for the endangered species that have been trafficked? Hell yeah. Good for animal welfare too (and by “good” I just mean: one very cruel practice may become less common but may be replaced by something only marginally less cruel :() ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanticipated-aspects-of-a-pandemic/849094/51 "2020-03-13T21:10:59Z")
Net streaming services will get a boost in membership. We’ll leave bats the fuck alone. As travel and production diminish air quality in large cities will improve. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanticipated-aspects-of-a-pandemic/849094/52 "2020-03-14T17:51:00Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Even at the worst, it doesn’t look like any more than a few thousand elderly people could die in America from Covid-19. That won’t even make a dent in Social Security funding. At its worst 200 million people catch the virus and a million+ people die. That will make a dent in the social security liability. If our health care system gets overwhelmed, that death toll could be 10 times that. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanticipated-aspects-of-a-pandemic/849094/53 "2020-03-14T17:57:40Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > At its worst 200 million people catch the virus and a million+ people die. That will make a dent in the social security liability. > > If our health care system gets overwhelmed, that death toll could be 10 times that. This is also assuming that our health care system doesn’t get overwhelmed. if hospitals get swamped because we fail to flatten the curve, then the death toll could be several times higher. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanticipated-aspects-of-a-pandemic/849094/54 "2020-03-14T18:44:31Z")
I see many suggestions of anticipated consequences but few of those unanticipated. The rise of the frogs. Psychotic crop circles. Antidotes sprayed from helicopters over populated areas causing clothing to dissolve. Artistic beauty created by intelligent fungi. A trumpet fad. Disappearance of marshmallows from marketplaces. Squirrel shortage. C’mon, let’s have some brainstorming. What’s the next unlikely teenage craze? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanticipated-aspects-of-a-pandemic/849094/55 "2020-03-14T23:08:55Z")
> [@RioRico](#): > > I see many suggestions of anticipated consequences but few of those unanticipated. The rise of the frogs. Psychotic crop circles. Antidotes sprayed from helicopters over populated areas causing clothing to dissolve. Artistic beauty created by intelligent fungi. A trumpet fad. Disappearance of marshmallows from marketplaces. Squirrel shortage. > > C’mon, let’s have some brainstorming. What’s the next unlikely teenage craze? [The tourist-fed monkeys in Thailand](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/13/fighting-monkeys-highlight-effect-of-coronavirus-on-thailand-tourism) will rise up in revolt. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanticipated-aspects-of-a-pandemic/849094/56 "2020-03-14T23:17:28Z")
Already mentioned by me. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > [Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v9VwC3sWdc) is an unanticipated consequence I don’t think was mentioned previously and which I saw on a late-night chat show; monkeys in Thailand stampeding. The explanation was that normally they’re fed bananas by tourists, but with no tourists, there are no free bananas. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanticipated-aspects-of-a-pandemic/849094/57 "2020-03-14T23:25:33Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > - I recently read about how a police chief of a one man police department quit- I can’t even figure out the reason for these tiny police departments. After all, it takes 21 8 hour shifts to have a single officer on duty 24/7 - if there are only one or two officers, it’s seems like the police department is already not functioning for much of the time It didn’t happen to be the police chief that was forced to walk homein his underwear? [https://www.newsweek.com/fired-police-chief-walked-home-underwear-1488313](https://www.newsweek.com/fired-police-chief-walked-home-underwear-1488313) ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanticipated-aspects-of-a-pandemic/849094/58 "2020-03-14T23:34:59Z")
I just hope it blows in a month or two and there aren’t continued buying panics and shortages. And sure hope people don’t start panic buying fuel leading to gas shortages because that would truly suck. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanticipated-aspects-of-a-pandemic/849094/59 "2020-03-15T00:17:49Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Already mentioned by me. well I knew I read it somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanticipated-aspects-of-a-pandemic/849094/60 "2020-03-15T00:18:49Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > I just hope it blows in a month or two and there aren’t continued buying panics and shortages. And sure hope people don’t start panic buying fuel leading to gas shortages because that would truly suck. the Saudi’s are dumping oil on the market. Panic all you want. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanticipated-aspects-of-a-pandemic/849094.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanticipated-aspects-of-a-pandemic/849094.md?page=4)