[OFF TOPIC] Coronavirus Pandemic

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We have more troubles coming in from Cruise Ships. Find it so bizarre that in the midst of pandemic there are still ignorant people going on holiday in cruise ship. What are they thinking? Thousands of people in the cruise ship is a good way for the virus to spread.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/03/coronavirus-stricken-cruise-ships-dock-florida-zaandam-rotterdam-fort-lauderdale-more-ships-wait-at-sea

 

Accoring to the article above, among the 1,200 passengers were 305 Americans, 295 Canadians, 229 from the UK and 131 Australians.

 

Well looks like people in the European countries, American countries and Australia are still having the wrong mindset about holidaying in the midst of the pandemic. Worse still there are 4 people who died in the cruise ship itself. 

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1 hour ago, nitinsanker said:

The numbers are going up ........we were before going into the lockdown doing about a 100 cases a day ....... After one week of lockdown we are hitting 600 cases a day.... 

 

One good thing is number of tests have gone up as per ICMR our nodal body for testing we have done 50000 tests till March 31st ...      .. ( almost double the tests done by Japan) 

 

Our average testing is around 4000 tests per day currently with around 100 private test centers doing tests ........ ICMR believes we now have a capacity to do 12000 tests a day which half what South Korea is currently doing....... I think two manufacturers have been given the license to manufacture kits each is claiming they can develop 10000 kits per day, also we are attempting to import kits.......... Will keep the group posted.... 

One big cluster (Tableeghi Jamaat) has played a huge role in increased numbers. We are still not completely fucked. There is still hope. 
 

In a couple of days, we should start with antibodies testing as well. 

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Still Corona-free:

 

All very safe and super non-controversial countries.

 

+ a bunch from Oceania

[dcro 10,210]

Also, first cases in the Western Sahara apparently.

[Fly_like_a_don 1,142]

38 minutes ago, dcro said:

Still Corona-free:

 

All very safe and super non-controversial countries.

 

+ a bunch from Oceania

I don't think  is part of super non controversial countries or whatever you call. 

[dcro 10,210]

2 minutes ago, Fly_like_a_don said:

I don't think  is part of super non controversial countries or whatever you call. 

 

Yeah, they (and the Comoros I guess) are in this list solely due to being island nations, presumably.

 

Still, it's not a nice company to be in.

[Fly_like_a_don 1,142]

1 minute ago, dcro said:

 

Yeah, they (and the Comoros I guess) are in this list solely due to being island nations, presumably.

 

Still, it's not a nice company to be in.

Hm even Vanuatu got a positive case 

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2 minutes ago, Fly_like_a_don said:

Hm even Vanuatu got a positive case 

 

You are right. Basically the whole world has been badly infected with the virus. Even countries names which are not heard of before now become famous due to the virus.

[dcro 10,210]

4 minutes ago, Fly_like_a_don said:

Hm even Vanuatu got a positive case 

 

Not according to the Worldometers.

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Articles related to shortage of protective equipment.

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/isabeltogoh/2020/03/31/heres-how-some-of-the-countries-worst-hit-by-coronavirus-are-dealing-with-shortages-of-protective-equipment-for-healthcare-workers/#7eb5837a2c13

 

Excerpts from the article above.

 

The coronavirus pandemic has put unprecedented pressure on global healthcare systems, with the surge in medical needs exposing yawning gaps in inventory of personal protective equipment like face masks, lifesaving equipment like ventilators and basics like hospital beds. The shortage is putting healthcare professionals at increased risk of contracting the virus and forcing them to improvise with the next-best alternatives.

 

The U.S.: Healthcare workers on the front lines have, in some cases, taken to creating PPE using office supplies, or reusing existing supplies more times than the CDC recommends in order to stretch supply. Doctors, nurses and medical workers desperate for more protection are protesting, while the New England Journal of Medicine has warned that “no matter which estimate we use, there are not enough ventilators for patients with COVID-19 in the upcoming months” in the U.S. Donald Trump ordered General Motors to make ventilators, but this week suggested that they could also be sent to Europe.

 

Italy: Now the worst-hit country by number of deaths linked to COVID-19, healthcare workers accounted for more than 8% of national infections between March 11 and 17, 2020, according to one study. At least 61 Italian doctors have died after contracting the virus, with the threat to front-line staff caused in part because of a lack of PPE. “So far, the outbreak-related global PPE shortage has forced the use of lower-protection PPEs,” including masks for infection control procedures on hospital patients, one study found.  

 

Spain: Spain is the third-worst-affected country in terms of cases, and a severe PPE shortage has contributed to at least 12,000 healthcare professionals contracting the virus, or 14% of total infections, the New York Times reports. Some staff at Madrid’s La Paz hospital are left with little choice but to reuse gowns when treating different patients, and doubling up on flimsy masks in the absence of more sophisticated respirator masks. The shortage of PPE and its effect on the number of infections among medical professionals, is having a knock-on effect on the availability of medical staff.

 

France: Authorities have seized tens of thousands of face masks being hoarded by individuals seeking to profit from online price gouging. France’s health minister over the weekend said the government had ordered a billion masks from China, while 40 million are consumed there each week—around ten times precrisis levels, Reuters reported. French luxury brands Chanel and LVMH have pivoted their facilities to produce PPE and hand sanitizer.

 

India: Doctors are using raincoats and helmets in place of N95 masks, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the government is trying to get access to a bulk shipment of PPE from South Korea and China. Ambulance workers in one state are on strike, while one anonymous doctor told Reuters: “We won’t work at the cost of our lives.” India’s 1.3 billion residents are on lockdown, while there have been 1,250 confirmed cases to date.

 

The U.K.: The British Medical Association warned this week that NHS workers and their families are being put at risk from a lack of PPE. Doctors have in some cases been left to improvise, the BMA said, and buy sealed masks from garages and DIY stores, with one consultant using goggles taken from his daughter’s party bag. The U.K. government is under pressure from medical bodies to provide more, while the Royal College of Nursing warned that some nurses are treating patients without any equipment at all.