up and down

If you want to watch a clown speak out of its ass, tune into Trump’s daily press conference.

What you posted previously has summarized the main content. Some details to be add: this sparring partner didn't share the hotel room with Chinese Taipei players but share the same bus between hotel and the stadium. The whole team with 33 people have to be quarantined but no others tested positive yet.

Last weekend's Cheltenham Gold Cup had tens of thousands of people on the stands as well. Wonderful idea.

Korean head coach Ahn Jae Chang complained 3 spectators confirmed positive from Denmark cheerleader team without wearing face masks. All other spectators are also not wearing face masks nor tested temperature before entering stadium. He also complained it's hard to buy air tickets. They failed to buy direct flight so they transit in Doha back to Korea in 18th March. The whole team will undergo the quarantine and team member felt depressed.

I think they will only do the check up when they are back. They mustn't dare to go to anywhere except staying in the hotel without leaving the room one step. I can imagine the picture. Hahaha.

Chinese badminton NT still stay in England after All England Open. Media says they have to stay there until the end of March because they aren't able to buy air tickets back to China. All direct flight tickets sold out until April.

Spain and UK are way past "tracking people" I think we can say the same about almost all other countries. only China was able of tracking everybody.

The answer is here.
 
https://www.ft.com/content/c0755b30-69bb-11ea-800d-da70cff6e4d3
 
 
    Germany’s coronavirus anomaly: high infection rates but few deaths

Widespread testing may explain low fatality figures in country that is bucking trend in Europe
 
The coronavirus crisis has hit Germany with full force. Infections are increasing rapidly, schools, factories and bars have closed across the country, and government measures to slow the outbreak are becoming more draconian by the day.
 
In one crucial way, however, the country is proving remarkably resilient: relative to known infections, the number of deaths has so far been minuscule. 
 
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, there were 13,979 coronavirus infections in Germany on Thursday afternoon, more than in any other country except China, Italy, Iran and Spain.
 
At the same time, Germany had only registered 42 deaths. Neighbouring France, by contrast, reported 9,058 infections and 243 deaths. Spain had 17,395 infections and 803 deaths. The US, the UK, Italy and even South Korea all show case fatality rates significantly higher than Germany.
 
The apparent anomaly has sparked debate in Germany and beyond, though experts warn against drawing sweeping conclusions. They argue that the country’s low fatality rate most likely reflects the fact that the outbreak is still at a relatively early stage, and that the age profile of those affected has so far been younger than that in other countries. Younger patients without previous ailments have a much better chance of surviving Covid-19 than elderly patients. 
 
The capacity in Germany is very, very significant. We can conduct more than 160,000 tests per week, and that can be increased
Lothar Wieler, Koch institute
 
Another factor that may help explain the variance is the unusually high number of tests being carried out in Germany. According to Lothar Wieler, the president of the Robert Koch Institute, German laboratories are now conducting about 160,000 coronavirus tests every week — more than some European countries have carried out in total since the crisis started. Even South Korea, which is conducting 15,000 tests a day and has been held up by virologists as an example to follow, appears to be testing less than Germany. 

“This is about capacity. The capacity in Germany is very, very significant. We can conduct more than 160,000 tests per week, and that can be increased further,” Prof Wieler told journalists this week. Test capabilities would be boosted not least in part by switching laboratories that specialise in animal health towards coronavirus checks. There was no sign that test kits were running low, Prof Wieler added. 
 
In the short term at least, mass testing feeds through into a lower fatality rate because it allows authorities to detect cases of Covid-19 even in patients who suffer few or no symptoms, and who have a much better chance of survival. It also means that Germany is likely to have a lower number of undetected cases than countries where testing is less prevalent. Indeed, one notable feature of the coronavirus outbreak in Germany so far is the high number of relatively young patients: according to data from the Robert Koch Institute, more than 80 per cent of all people infected with the coronavirus are younger than 60. 
 
“Especially at the beginning of the outbreak in Germany we saw many cases connected to people returning from skiing trips and similar holidays,” said Matthias Stoll, a professor of medicine at the University of Hanover. “These are predominantly people who are younger than 80 and who are fit enough to ski or engage in similar activities. Their risk of dying is comparatively low.” 
 
Hans-Georg Kräusslich, a professor of medicine and the head of virology at the University Hospital in Heidelberg, said: “In most cases the illness is mild and shows few symptoms, and we assume that the detection of such mild cases varies from country to country. In statistical terms that leads to a difference in case fatality rates.” 
 
However, Prof Kräusslich cautioned that the picture in Germany was likely to change in the weeks and months ahead: “We are still at a relatively early stage in the outbreak in Germany. The overwhelming share of patients became infected only in the last week or two, and we will probably see more severe cases in the future as well as a change in the fatality rate.” 
 
That note of caution is echoed by virologists and epidemiologists across the country. Most expect the different national case fatality rates to converge as time passes and more countries uncover the true number of infections. But experts also point out that Germany has at least had the chance to prepare for a surge in serious infections, with hospitals across the country expanding intensive care capacity and boosting staff numbers and the government buying up as much critical equipment as it can.
 
Last week, the federal government ordered an extra 10,000 life-saving ventilators from a German manufacturer, on top of the 25,000 that are already in place in hospitals across the country. The city state of Berlin, which has so far recorded 391 cases of Covid-19, is converting parts of the local trade fair ground into a 1,000-bed hospital for future coronavirus patients. Similar steps have been taken across the country.
 
“We are at the beginning, so we can still implement all the measures that have been called for,” said Prof Wieler. “We can still ensure that severely ill people can get treatment in the hospital.” 

I think  Indian approach is 
 
 
1. Do a stringent control at entry points.... . 
 
We stopped entry of foreigners very fast . I think we introduced all visa entry stop as soon as possible : almalmost two weeks ago 
Testing at least temperature and quarantine of visitors also 
 
2. Test and check all contacts of any case as fast as possible 
 
3. Do social distancing to the best of ability 
 
-ves
 
There are some stupidos propagating cow urine etc.... But this is an aberration
 
Indians hate govt agencies so a few lied and tried to enter..... But luckily this is less now 
 
God knows what will happen

Even if the numbers are under-reported its still quite low given the population size and urban population density. Here, the pandemic is still at an early stage and we intend to keep the curve flat. Its not feasible to test everyone so only those who arrived from abroad or show symptoms are tested. We are trying to beat the pandemic by lockdown and most institutions like schools, colleges, banks and offices are closed. Our PM requested everyone to follow a virtual curfew on Sunday.
The roads of Bangalore, the Silicon Valley of India and has the worst traffic in the world, has sparse traffic nowadays and its surreal to see so few cars on the road

@Fly_like_a_don
 
We are all hoping that all the various different countries can do like what Korea is doing mass testing. This is tough to do.
 
South Korea's coronavirus lessons: Quick, easy tests; monitoring
South Korea appears to be bringing its coronavirus outbreak under control without resorting to draconian lockdowns.

More than 8,800 people around the world have now died from COVID-19, and countries are turning to draconian measures from sealing borders to stay-at-home orders to try and curb its spread.
 
But in South Korea, once the country with the worst outbreak outside China, life seems to be going on with some sense of normalcy. 
 
Dozens line up at pharmacies to buy their government-rationed face masks every week and many are working from home, but businesses carry on and cities have yet to be subjected to a government-instituted lockdown. 
 
Even better, South Korea has one of the lowest casualty rates from COVID-19 in the world, at just 1 percent.  
 
"South Korea really distinguished itself for being able to transparently disclose information and combat the virus," said Hwang Seung-sik, an epidemiologist and professor at Seoul National University. 
 
"We did our best to stockpile resources and we worked hard to mass-test people and conduct quarantines. But the coronavirus has been around for about three months now, and it's not very clear what preparations the US or other European countries have made."
 
Swift action
South Korea's coronavirus outbreak is a lesson in early action and swift containment. 
 
One month ago on February 18, South Korea diagnosed its 31st patient with COVID-19, and she soon became known as the country's "super-spreader."
 
A middle-aged woman who took part in mass congregations at a religious group called the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Patient 31 passed the virus onto other members of the faithful as well as other unsuspecting residents of the southeastern city of Daegu. 
 
Suddenly, South Korea's coronavirus cases multiplied 180-fold in a two-week span. At its peak, medical experts were diagnosing more than 900 new cases a day, making South Korea the second-largest outbreak in the world.
 
Blocking off certain areas and stopping movement was what people did in the Middle Ages when they were dealing with the Black Death.
 
Now, that growth rate has significantly slowed - and there is even talk that the outbreak might have peaked.
 
"We indeed succeeded in decreasing the rate of new confirmed cases to less than 100 per day. It's a big accomplishment, but we can't celebrate that just yet," Hwang said. "This could be an optical illusion that's fooling us into believing that the outbreak is over - an illusion caused by the previously skyrocketing numbers in Daegu."
 
More than 8,500 people have been diagnosed with coronavirus in South Korea as of mid-morning on March 19, and nearly three-quarters of those cases are concentrated in Daegu. 
 
Meanwhile, in the rest of the world, the virus rages on: nearly 3,000 people have died in Italy, along with 1,135 in Iran and 638 in Spain, according to Johns Hopkins University which is tracking the pandemic. US casualties have already outpaced those in South Korea. In China, where the virus was first detected late last year, more than 3,200 have died. 

Even so, medical experts caution about being over-confident.
 
"It's difficult to say that the Korean government has gained full control over coronavirus," said Roh Kyoung-ho, a doctor who works at the Department of Laboratory
 
Medicine at the National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital. "Since Korea is a country with a high population density, there is a big possibility that coronavirus can return with high propagation power and it may even appear as just a small group infection to start."
 
Last week, South Korea saw a new cluster of cases around a call centre in Seoul, reversing an 11-day trend of declining infection rates.
 
On Thursday, a new cluster emerged at a nursing home in Daegu, ending four days of daily cases below 100.
 
"We shouldn't be so conceited about our results just yet," Hwang agreed.
 
Widespread testing
 
Nevertheless, South Korea's success in controlling the epidemic has garnered praise from around the world. 
 
When Chinese scientists first published the COVID-19 virus' genetic sequence in January, at least four South Korean firms quietly began developing and stockpiling test kits alongside the government - well before the country had its first outbreak. 
 
By the time things got bad, the country had the ability to test more than 10,000 people per day, including at makeshift drive-through testing centres and newly added consultation phone booths at hospitals.
 
Anyone with a mobile phone in the country also received alerts about nearby infection paths so that citizens could avoid areas where the virus was known to be active.
 
South Korea
Passengers at a railway station in Daegu maintain at least one-metre distance from each other amid the COVID-19 outbreak [Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters] 
 
At the same time, the South Korean government created a GPS-enabled app to monitor those under quarantine and set off an alarm if they ventured outdoors.
 
Travellers entering the country are also being asked to record their symptoms on a state-sponsored app.
 
Unlike other countries, South Korea also managed to turn its outbreak around without locking down cities or banning travel. In fact, the term "social distancing" first originated with the South Korean president's campaign against the virus. 
 
However, that does not mean all other countries should follow suit. South Korea's mass-testing and early detection may have afforded it the luxury of being able to avoid declaring a total shutdown. 
 
"Because Korea has the ability to sample and test faster than in other countries, there was no reason to do what other countries are doing [and lock down]," Roh said.
 
"The method of blocking off certain areas and stopping movement was what people did in the Middle Ages when they were dealing with the Black Death. It was because they didn't know what was causing infections at the time and they didn't know where the disease was spreading."

At least 15 South Korean firms are racing to develop vaccines and other treatments for COVID-19. Some are attempting to develop a testing kit for people to use at home, while others are already in the middle of clinical trials.
 
Hwang estimates it will not be until around the second half of 2021 that a vaccine will become available to the public.
 
Until then some of the old methods of containment, supported by 21st-century technologies, may still prove most effective.
 
"We have to keep focusing on our fight against this crisis until then," he said.

Coronavirus killed Raimondo Balicco, the father of the mountain running in Italy and former DT

I think for a vast majority of countries, discrepancy in numbers is mostly due to the chaotic nature of the whole situation and not so much a matter of the big leader saying "Ok, 500 cases? Let's just say 348 instead." 
 
That might be the case somewhere, but I highly doubt that's the case everywhere.

I totally agree with this. India is hiding some 100 cases or so. From Wednesday I saw 195 cases even today government is like 195. Some channels say 209.However all state ministers are confirming cases every day at least 20-30. It's possible that recovered people are cut from the list but in the Total they are added again making active cases 170 or so.. At least 300+ I'm sure have corona and I'm not going to believe any website telling 190 or 200 even if the PM says.Also people asked to self quarantine aren't being tested, they're going out as if nothing exists. 
 
 

And potentially let it raise it's head back up once lockdown is lifted and the economy (and things like, you know, people's income) is totally destroyed. Let's hope the experts who predict that for countries that go on total lockdown are wrong.

The health and safety of athletes should always be given top priority. As long as there are areas where the epidemic has not been resolved, it is not suitable for hosting the Olympic Games. Once infected, it may ruin the entire career.

Thank you very much for your information.

A good news hopefully comfort the anxiety.
 
The joint vaccine development of a Chinese biotech company and the army made a breakthrough today. They received the permit to conduct clinical trials and begin to publicly recruit volunteers. Also they claimed ready for mass production.
 
The company is CanSino Biologists which is a Hong Kong listed company. It’s supposed to publish any breakthrough made to the public.

There is still such a high probability that 4 months from here we talk about like "Hey, you guys remember when half of Totallympics freaked out about Tokyo 2020 being cancelled? And everyone posted every single new case of corona in his country here in the corona thread with 60 pages?"

It's one of America's states, on the north-east coast (New England).

Rhode Island with the their first case.

The cover-up at the beginning is definitely wrong and the death of Dr. Li Wenliang triggered great anger of public. Lots things the government have to recall and improve after this outbreak. But I really don't think people should use this as a leverage to judge China's system, government, ideology again, at least not this very moment. No one could predict this virus so contagious at the beginning and since it's already happen, What we should do right now is making every effort to contain it and make people's life back to normal as soon as possible.
 
Actually Chinese people are not that innocent to be manipulated by government. Don't live in media and talk to your Chinese friend.

I really don’t get canceling any of these sports events (except in “epicenters” of the disease). This is so similar to the common flu, and yet we don’t go around cancelling events for that. Malaria kills more people yearly than either of those two, and yet events still take place in Africa in those areas.

@Vic Liu
 
The redraw for badminton Asia team championship will be held tomorrow.
 

@Vic Liu
 
https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/coronavirus-eu-to-restrict-entry-for-chinese-nationals/
 
Coronavirus: EU to Restrict Entry for Chinese Nationals 
 
Following the intensification of the Coronavirus outbreak, the European Union has moved on to take the necessary steps to prevent a possible spread of the virus in its territory.
 
Europe has taken measures at a time when eight cases of infected persons were detected within its territory, four of which in France and four others in Germany, by activating a mechanism that enables the member states to improve prevention, preparedness and response to disasters, both natural and man-made.
 
Within the frame of this mechanism’s activation, the EU may go to extra lengths to prevent the virus from further spreading into its territory.
Sources of SchengenVisaInfo.com within the European Union have confirmed that the block is preparing to tighten entry conditions for Chinese nationals and those who have traveled to China in recent months, in a bid to prevent the situation getting out of control.
 
“Immediately after the outbreak of the Coronavirus, representatives of the Member States have been summoned by France, where by the way, have already been detected at least two cases of Coronavirus infection. The block has already decided to activate the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, but if the virus keeps spreading at the current tempo, the EU may introduce entry restrictions by the end of the week to Chinese nationals and recent visitors to mainland China,” one of the sources said.
 
The source could not, however, give any assurance whether by “entry restrictions” the EU was planning to bar nationals of the affected countries from entering, or only by imposing more screening procedures.
 
“Suspension of visa issuance for the nationals of a few countries in addition to China, is also an option, if the situation does not improve for the better, of course,” the source confirms.
 
EU’s move comes immediately after three Asian countries restricted visa issuance to Chinese nationals. These countries are Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Kazakhstan. Immediately after them the Philippines and Singapore followed announcing visa restrictions for residents of the Hubei province.
 
EU Activates Civil Protection Mechanism
On Tuesday, January 28, the European Commission announced a decision of the block to activate the EU Civil Protection Mechanism following a request for assistance from France to provide consular support to EU citizens in Wuhan, China.
 
“As the Coronavirus outbreak intensifies, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated on request from France. Two planes will be mobilized to repatriate EU citizens from the Wuhan area to Europe,” the European Commission announced first through twitter.
 
EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič announced in a press release of the Commission that two aircraft will be mobilized through the EU Civil
Protection Mechanism to repatriate EU citizens from the Wuhan area to Europe.
 
“Our EU Emergency Response Coordination Centre is working 24/7 and is in constant contact with the Member States, the EU Delegations in the region and the Chinese embassy in Brussels. Further EU support can be mobilized if requested,” he said.
 
Whereas, the Commissioner responsible for Health and Food Security Stella Kyriakides said that the Commission stands ready to support the Member States and ensure a strong and coordinated EU response to the developing situation of the Coronavirus, outside and within the Union.
 
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and remain in close contact with our Member States,” she said.
 
The EU Civil Protection Mechanism is a tool that strengthens cooperation between the Member States and the Participating States in the field of civil protection, with a view to improving prevention, preparedness and response to disasters.
 
When the scale of an emergency overwhelms the response capabilities of a country, it can request assistance via the Mechanism. Once activated, the Mechanism coordinates assistance made available by its Member States/Participating States through spontaneous offers.
 
EU Airlines and Airports’ Response to Coronavirus Outbreak
British Airways has become the first airline to suspend all flights to mainland China, following a warning of the UK Foreign Office to its citizens on travel to China.
 
“We have suspended all flights to and from mainland China with immediate effect following advice from the Foreign Office against all but essential travel,” the company said in a statement.
 
Whereas, a senior press expert from the Stuttgart Airport told SchengenVisaInfo.com that currently there are no restraints due to the virus as the Stuttgart Airport has no direct flights to China, Japan or adjacent countries.
 
“So far, the authorities in charge do not have imposed any measures, nor do we know about upcoming requirements. In order to inform our passengers and visitors in the terminal building, posters in German, English, and Chinese give advice regarding hygiene,” the expert said.
 
The deadly Coronavirus has expanded to almost 20 countries, while the death toll had reached over 130 people and about 6000 cases have been reported.
 
The Chinese city of Wuhan, home to 11 million in residents, in the Hubei province is the epicenter of the disease, which as of January 23, 2020, has been shut down. Airports and railways in Wuhan have also shut down to prevent a further spread of the virus.