Sport Events Cancelled due to Coronavirus Outbreak

[up and down 82]

6 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

 

So you would avoid the USA, Thailand, South Korea, Australia, Canada, Germany, France etc as well?

Not really.

[heywoodu 15,135]

Just now, up and down said:

Not really.

There have been multiple cases there though. Why not have - say - a speed skating event in Ürümqi, with 18 cases in it's entire (huge) state, but no problem with going to Germany or something? 

 

To be fair, most of the other countries with cases do seem to have a much better grip on it, but still. I'd mostly avoid going to Hubei province itself for now..

[up and down 82]

36 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

There have been multiple cases there though. Why not have - say - a speed skating event in Ürümqi, with 18 cases in it's entire (huge) state, but no problem with going to Germany or something? 

 

To be fair, most of the other countries with cases do seem to have a much better grip on it, but still. I'd mostly avoid going to Hubei province itself for now..

Agreed.

[up and down 82]

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/01/30/national/three-japanese-wuhan-coronavirus/

 

Three Japanese returnees from Wuhan test positive for new coronavirus

Three Japanese who returned from Wuhan on a government-chartered flight have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the health ministry said Thursday as more Japanese evacuees from the Chinese city arrived in Tokyo.

 

The three — one in stable condition and two without symptoms — were among 206 people brought back Wednesday from Wuhan amid a deadly outbreak started by the pneumonia-causing virus.

 

It is the first time that a person outside of China without symptoms has been confirmed to be infected with the virus, according to Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases.

 

A further 210 Japanese were flown back home Thursday on a second government-chartered flight, with some displaying symptoms such as coughs, according to the health ministry.

 

In the first group of returnees, all but two people agreed to tests for the virus. All passengers other than the three tested negative for the virus, the ministry said.

 

The latest group who came back Thursday is expected to be similarly screened.

 

“We will put top priority on protecting the lives and health of the people, and we will decide on what needs to be done without hesitation,” said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a Diet session Thursday, adding it was “extremely regrettable” that two people on the first flight refused to be screened.

 

Abe said authorities “spent a long time trying to convince them following their return” but could not force them to undergo testing as it is not mandatory by law.

 

Abe also stressed the importance of Taiwan joining the World Health Organization, saying “it will be difficult to stop the spread” if Taiwan is excluded for political reasons.

 

The government is planning to send a third flight. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said there are still some 300 Japanese who wish to return from Wuhan, which has been under a virtual lockdown since last week.

 

Suga said the government is also considering using public facilities, including the National Police Academy, to house the returnees.

 

While returnees praised the government’s effort to bring them home quickly, there has been criticism of Japan’s decision to let them “self-quarantine,” including the two people on the first flight who refused to be tested.

 

Those two were asked to avoid public transport, and quarantine officers will follow up on their health, officials said.

Japan’s approach sits in stark contrast with other countries that are isolating repatriated nationals for between 72 hours and 14 days. Regulations make similar measures difficult, and the law allows people to refuse testing, said Kazuo Kobayashi, head of the public hygiene department at the Osaka Institute of Public Health.

 

“(The authorities) can only make a request but it doesn’t have binding power,” he said, declining to comment on the public safety implications.

 

The government has decided to classify the new virus a “designated infectious disease,” meaning it will be able to forcibly hospitalize those who test positive. But the rules on testing people with no symptoms will not be affected.

 

The total number of people infected with the virus in Japan, including foreign nationals, rose to 14 on Thursday, including the two people showing no symptoms.

 

On Wednesday, authorities reported a second case involving someone who had not traveled to China.

 

The woman was a tour guide who worked on the same bus as a driver who had contracted the virus despite not traveling to China. The bus was carrying a group of Chinese tourists from Wuhan earlier this month.

 

“The tour guide’s case is the second suspected incident of human-to-human transmission in Japan,” Kato said. “We are in a truly new situation.”

 

The tour guide, who is in her 40s, is a foreign national living in Osaka and was hospitalized on Jan. 23 with pneumonia, the health ministry said. Neither the guide nor the driver has ever been to Wuhan.

 

The government said Tuesday the driver in his 60s from neighboring Nara Prefecture became the first Japanese to be infected with the virus in the country.

 

He is believed to have had close contact with a total of 22 people both in and outside Nara after infection, including the tour guide, according to the prefectural government.

 

In mainland China, confirmed cases of infection have exceeded 7,700 and the death toll has reached 170, including over 120 in Wuhan, according to state media.

 

Aside from China and Japan, cases of infection have been confirmed in 14 countries including Thailand, Australia, Singapore and the United States as of Wednesday, according to a World Health Organization report.

[up and down 82]

As can be seen from many news reported, Coronavirus spread very fast. Now even people who have not been to Wuhan also can get infected with Coronavirus. Due to this, all the various different countries are on high alert over the spread of Coronavirus.

[heywoodu 15,135]

It's about time they give this thing a better, easier name than just 2019-nCoV.

[Vic Liu 1,682]

2 hours ago, up and down said:

 

Thank you very much for your explanation. I really pitied those citizens in China especially those living in Wuhan. Imagine living in the city where the deadly virus is spread and then being able to leave the city waiting for their death. My heart broken reading so many news about people dying nonstop in Wuhan and also differentb parts of China. Man this is so sad. I certainly hope this coronavirus will stop spreading. 

 

Thank you for your prayer for Wuhan people, we all hope this outbreak will end soon. Still as a Chinese currently live in rest part of China outside Wuhan, I have something to clarify about the lockdown in Wuhan, especially it is not letting people there waiting to death and dying nonstop.

 

First, the lockdown is to stop the speedy spread of the virus to the whole China and the whole world as the virus seems quite easy to infect people. After several days lockdown, the daily reported new patients in other parts of China start to decrease as well as the other countries. If the lockdown is not implemented, I can't imagine how many people are infected right now thorough China and the whole world due to the lunar new year migration. 

 

Second, the best medical resource, equipment and manpower from all over the rest of China are continuously flooding into Hubei province for assistance, doctors and nurses are working days and nights with almost no rest. No one want to or willing to see patients in Wuhan dead desperately, regardless of the the government, doctors or the ordinary people. Everybody is helping in their own ways. But medical resources especially masks, goggles, protective clothing for doctors and inpatient beds for patients are still in shortage. Society donation plays a major role to deal with it.

 

Third, the mortality of the coronavirus is currently between 2.2%-2.5% and no patients dead outside China until now (around 100 patients). Most dead cases are elderly and those with other disease. According to CNN, the mortality of seasoning influenza is around 1.6%-2.6% with no significant deference with the coronavirus. Maybe it's too early to draw the conclusion of the newly virus, but it's definitely not as fatal as SARS, MERS or Ebola. 80% of patients are with slight symptoms just as flu and will recover in a couple of days. It's true that 20% patients with heavy symptoms is still a huge numbers and worth 100% medical treatment, but at least it means Wuhan people in a lockdown is not hopeless to die. Most patients will recover after treatment. The lockdown is to contain the spread of the virus but not a lockdown from medical resource into Wuhan and letting people sink or swim themselves.

 

Lastly and unpolitical correctly (even lots my friends don't agree with), I think people all over the world including Chinese and foreigners overreact towards this outbreak. If this virus outbreak took place in some African or Latin American country with 2.5% mortality and around 200-500 dead in number, will any mainstream media make it headline news for a whole week and evacuation and so on?

Edited February 1, 2020 by Vic Liu

[up and down 82]

3 minutes ago, Vic Liu said:

 

Thank you for your prayer for Wuhan people, we all hope this outbreak will end soon. Still as a Chinese currently live in rest part of China outside Wuhan, I have something to clarify about the lockdown in Wuhan, especially it is not letting people there waiting to death and dying nonstop.

 

First, the lockdown is to stop the speedy spread of the virus to the whole China and the whole world as the virus seems quite easy to infect people. After several days lockdown, the daily reported new patients in other parts of China start to decrease as well as the other countries. If the lockdown is not implemented, I can't imagine how many people are infected right now thorough China and the whole world due to the lunar new year migration. 

 

Second, the best medical resource, equipment and manpower from all over the rest of China are continuously flooding into Hubei province for assistance, doctors and nurses are working days and nights with almost no rest. No one want to or willing to see patients in Wuhan dead desperately, regardless of the the government, doctors or the ordinary people. Everybody is helping in their own ways. But medical resources especially masks, goggles, protective clothing for doctors and inpatient beds for patients are still in shortage. Society donation plays a major role to deal with it.

 

Third, the mortality of the coronavirus is currently between 2.2%-2.5% and no patients dead outside China until now (around 100 patients). Most dead cases are elderly and those with other disease. According to CNN, the mortality of seasoning influenza is around 1.6%-2.6% with no significant deference with the coronavirus. Maybe it's too early to draw the conclusion of the newly virus, but it's definitely not as fatal as SARS, MERS or Ebola. 80% of patients are with slight symptoms just as flu and will recover in a couple of days. It's true that 20% patients with heavy symptoms is still a huge numbers and worth 100% medical treatment, but at least it means Wuhan people in a lockdown is not hopeless to die. Most patients will recover after treatment. The lockdown is to contain the spread of the virus but not a lockdown from medical resource into Wuhan and letting people sink or swim themselves.

 

Lastly and unpolitical correctly (even lots my friends don't agree with), I think people all over the world including Chinese and foreigners overreact towards this outbreak. If this virus outbreak took place in some African or Latin American country with 2.5% mortality and around 200-500 dead in number, will any mainstream media make it headline news for a whole week and evacuation and so on?

 

Thank you very much for your constant updates.

[heywoodu 15,135]

43 minutes ago, Vic Liu said:

 

Thank you for your prayer for Wuhan people, we all hope this outbreak will end soon. Still as a Chinese currently live in rest part of China outside Wuhan, I have something to clarify about the lockdown in Wuhan, especially it is not letting people there waiting to death and dying nonstop.

 

First, the lockdown is to stop the speedy spread of the virus to the whole China and the whole world as the virus seems quite easy to infect people. After several days lockdown, the daily reported new patients in other parts of China start to decrease as well as the other countries. If the lockdown is not implemented, I can't imagine how many people are infected right now thorough China and the whole world due to the lunar new year migration. 

 

Second, the best medical resource, equipment and manpower from all over the rest of China are continuously flooding into Hubei province for assistance, doctors and nurses are working days and nights with almost no rest. No one want to or willing to see patients in Wuhan dead desperately, regardless of the the government, doctors or the ordinary people. Everybody is helping in their own ways. But medical resources especially masks, goggles, protective clothing for doctors and inpatient beds for patients are still in shortage. Society donation plays a major role to deal with it.

 

Third, the mortality of the coronavirus is currently between 2.2%-2.5% and no patients dead outside China until now (around 100 patients). Most dead cases are elderly and those with other disease. According to CNN, the mortality of seasoning influenza is around 1.6%-2.6% with no significant deference with the coronavirus. Maybe it's too early to draw the conclusion of the newly virus, but it's definitely not as fatal as SARS, MERS or Ebola. 80% of patients are with slight symptoms just as flu and will recover in a couple of days. It's true that 20% patients with heavy symptoms is still a huge numbers and worth 100% medical treatment, but at least it means Wuhan people in a lockdown is not hopeless to die. Most patients will recover after treatment. The lockdown is to contain the spread of the virus but not a lockdown from medical resource into Wuhan and letting people sink or swim themselves.

 

Lastly and unpolitical correctly (even lots my friends don't agree with), I think people all over the world including Chinese and foreigners overreact towards this outbreak. If this virus outbreak took place in some African or Latin American country with 2.5% mortality and around 200-500 dead in number, will any mainstream media make it headline news for a whole week and evacuation and so on?

 

I do remember it was already in the news every day when ebola (definitely in some African countries we generally hear literally nothing but misery about) had a couple of hundred infected people. That has a higher mortality rate, sure, but at least here people don't specifically find China more or less interesting than other parts of the world. Also: there's just a whole lot less 'connection' with Liberia or Sierra Leone or something, a ton of countries have thousands of people in China and so evacuations are a bigger deal.

 

I'm curious where you read the daily reported new patients in other parts outside Hubei is decreasing now, since the numbers those other regions publish to the outside world show an increase, not a decrease.

[Vic Liu 1,682]

43 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

 

I do remember it was already in the news every day when ebola (definitely in some African countries we generally hear literally nothing but misery about) had a couple of hundred infected people. That has a higher mortality rate, sure, but at least here people don't specifically find China more or less interesting than other parts of the world. Also: there's just a whole lot less 'connection' with Liberia or Sierra Leone or something, a ton of countries have thousands of people in China and so evacuations are a bigger deal.

 

I'm curious where you read the daily reported new patients in other parts outside Hubei is decreasing now, since the numbers those other regions publish to the outside world show an increase, not a decrease.

 

I understand big country always draw more attention and those international reaction. It's quite normal, and most Chinese can appreciate the travel bans for Chinese and evacuation. Fear is a normally universal emotion. But I just personally think it goes too far. 17 years ago, when the SARS outbreak in China with heavier mortality and lower medical technology, people in China were calmer than now and no such travel bans around the world. I just think media magnify the terror emotion. When I browse Weibo( Chinese version twitter) about the virus outbreak, I feel the world is hopeless and I am gonna have a heart attack. 

 

about the daily reported new patients number, I mainly refer to my hometown province in China named Guangxi, I can give u the exact officially published number of daily new patients in Guangxi according Guangxi Daily, a provincial state-owned media:

 

1 21 2 person

1 22 3

1 23 8

1 24 10

1 25 10

1 26 13

1 27 5

1 28 7

1 29 20

1 30 9

1 31 13

 

The accumulated patients are still growing for sure, just daily new patients start to decrease (excluded Hubei). Almost the whole country is experiencing the self quarantine at home during lunar new year holiday thus all mega cities seem to be ghost towns right now. Based on this and my optimism, I think the severity will start to decrease in mid February, and will ends in March or April.