Wuhan Coronavirus: Megathread - Got too big

Status
Not open for further replies.
Tempura Wizard said:
I’m gonna just say that I’m glad I listened to the forums and took the chance to buy things early. I prepared slowly, starting in February and now I am only shopping for non-essentials.
Click to expand...
And you didn't have to come up with a wad of extra cash suddenly.
This almost makes me want to go find those posts of people making fun of preppers around pages 50 and 100.
 
  • Like
  • Agree
  • Winner
Reactions: Autistic lurker, GloJojo, seizure-san and 13 others
Dysnomia said:
My 85 year old aunt goes to mass every morning and she cooks for all the parish functions. There are a lot of older people who go to church several times a week. So people of the highest risk congregating together is a recipe for disaster.

Even if your church is still open just don't go. Although it's hard to get some people to understand. They will still go.

So my doctor did tell me to go to the ER. He would not see me in office and I let the hospital staff know that. I went yesterday and was there for almost seven hours. It was a madhouse. Everyone wearing masks and panicking. There was an older woman in a wheelchair who was screaming "Mama! Mama!" and throwing up. She looked really really bad and they took her right back. I don't think she was crazy. Some guy had an 104 fever. There was a four year old with the flu. And the nurses could not find a pulse oximeter for him at first because they were all tied up with people who thought they had wuflu but were fine.

In the waating room there was a couple munching away on chips and soda. She had to be about three hundy with cottage cheese ass visable through her thin, light grey leggings. He was a good five hundred and couldn't even fit in the chair right. The bigger chairs were all occupied by normal sized people and women with kids. So he had to sit sideways. It must have really hurt.

So the guy gets on his phone and asks someone "you outside?". Then the lady goes out and comes back in with fast food. I don't even... :cringe:

It was like a scene out of My 600 lb Life. How sick could you be if you are ordering fast food from the ER? Go home. You are fine. :mad:

There was some manic white trash lady having an argument with someone on the phone about how she did not pull a gun on her boyfriend and she was sleeping in her own bed that night no matter what. She was definitely on meth and kept obsessively going to the hand sanitizer dispenser.

Some ghetto trash was making fun of a exceptional guy who was really sick and throwing up. They called him a "crazy ass cracka" and said he didn't need a wheelchair because he walked in.

When I got into the back finally some guy was searched by security because they suspected he was doing drugs in the bathroom and tried to flush the needle.

Anyway, they did an EKG because they have to when you have chest pain of any kind. I also got a chest xray. And they made me wear a mask. Since most of the time I am only coughing when I move around I wasn't hacking up much.

They took five vials of blood and told me I had a respiratory virus. I wasn't swabbed for the flu because I didn't have a fever.

I had a bad respiratory infection two years ago and thought I was gonna die. I ended up with a small amount of collapsed lung tissue. This isn't as bad so far.

I would highly advise you to stay away from the ER unless you absolutely have to go or the doctor tells you to go there instead of the office. It is insane. Everyone thinks they are gonna die right now. The doctor at the ER told me that ther resources are being spread thin because of all the people panicking and coming in. God help you if you have a non-wuflu related emergency and they have to check someone with sniffles because they convinced themselves that they have the virus.

They aren't going to admit you unless you have a fever and need oxygen.

I am gonna pick up my prescription soon. I needed it last night but there was no way in hell I was gonna wait in that Walgreens. Everyone is panic buying. All the toilet paper and rubbing alcohol is gone. Almost all the water is gone.
Click to expand...
I'm assuming youre American because everything you said reads American.
This.. is why I am somewhat skeptical of the recent drama over (lack of) testing and feel it is a distraction.
So, people get tested. Then what? All the people with confirmed coronavirus that are otherwise fine are going to go to the ER and take up everybody's time. They're not going to get let in, and then the complaint is "I have coronavirus and the government won't help me! They're leaving me to die!"
I don't envy the government. Which is better? Don't test people, and have people complain they can't get tested? Or test them and have them complain their government is abandoning them to die while they panic in a hospital, shooting up and recieving fast food deliveries?
Would fewer people be coming in if they were all tested because they were confirmed not to have it? Or would it be worse because almost everyone confirmed would go, which is actually a ton of people?
Would people be more likely to self quarantine if they were tested? Maybe, but it might be too late anyway. And we all know some people would get tested and spread it on purpose. We've already seen that happen.

Americans are uniquely unprepared for this crisis in a lot of ways. Everyone keeps talking about how Italy is different because of all the old people. What about all the obese people? People with chronic conditions? What about all the homeless people and the junkies that might go into withdrawal? Not to mention all the boomers who don't take this seriously in the first place. Too many people depend on the government to come in and rescue them. They FREAK OUT when it doesn't happen. Because of entitlement.
They are going to be livid when triage happens and someone young gets care over the 600lb landwhale and her husband still trying to grift opiates while they're both hacking their lungs out over everyone. These people already think it's a human rights violation that the government only gives them enough money for junk food and iphones, instead of a new TV and a sports car every year.

It's going to be like Katrina, except everywhere, at roughly the same time. The only advantage the US has over Italy is large geographical spread.
The scene you described is pretty much what I said to my boyfriend would be happening last night. He disagreed and I said give it one week.
I'm not knocking you btw, I know you went for a reason. What freaks me out are all the people you encountered.
 
  • Like
  • Agree
  • Thunk-Provoking
Reactions: Godzilla1984, BlackBallz, GloJojo and 20 others
It’s so interesting to see the way people are responding to this. Watching the internet over the last 24 hours, the way people act is like it’s a big snowstorm coming this weekend, like somehow there is a risk that is heightened during a specific period of time like it would be with a major weather event. In reality, what makes this weekend any more dangerous than, say, last Tuesday? A bunch of places around here are closing for arbitrary amounts of time. The zoo is closing til April 10, the aquarium til March 29th. My gym is closing for one week but they aren’t even starting the closure until Monday. They will be open all weekend and no members or anyone else affiliated with the gym have tested positive for the virus. What’s going to be so different on Monday? At this point it honestly feels like...performative, like places are doing it because they don’t want to look bad or like they don’t “care enough”.
 
  • Agree
  • Like
  • Thunk-Provoking
Reactions: not william stenchever, GloJojo, seizure-san and 14 others
Some related info

news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/03/14/20/meet-the-filipino-scientist-who-invented-the-low-cost-covid-19-testing-kits?fbclid=IwAR2y6aqX5izYO1MI8m2Hb4TWNfbTh9nxzpYyrcGPzV4voG-XMKooauy7PdQ

raul1.jpg


Meet the Filipino scientist who invented the low-cost COVID-19 testing kits
Amid our panic and terror brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Raul Destura and his team of UP scientists are giving the Filipinos and the rest of world a reason to hope.
Rhia Diomampo-Grana | Mar 14 2020
facebook twitter
As soon as news on the novel coronavirus or COVID-19 broke, microbiology and biotechnology expert Dr. Raul Destura knew he was confronted with a tough but important mission for his fellow Filipinos.

“He already knew that this day will happen,” UP Manila Chancellor Dr. Carmencita Padilla reveals at the media briefing on UP’s reponse to COVID-19 held at the Philippine Genome Center in UP Diliman. As early as February, Padilla was taking note of the rising number of COVID-19 cases around the world. “So when UP was summoned at the Senate and was asked what the UP-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) and UP Manila-National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH) can do, our executive director Dr. Eva Maria C. Cutiongco-dela Paz and our scientist Dr. Raul Destura already informed the Senate that we shall ready the testing kit.”

You may also like:
Coronaviruses could live on our phones for 9 days. Here’s how to use it without worrying about infection
What is ‘social distancing’ and why experts say it can help protect us from COVID-19
One concern about Covid 19—should we be swimming in swimming pools?
More employers and workers embrace flexible work arrangements in the time of COVID-19
The SARS-CoV-2 PCR detection kit was developed through the funding from the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD). It took over two weeks of sleepless nights for Dr. Destura and his team of 15 UP scientists to develop it.

As the Deputy Executive Director of the Philippine Genome Center, Destura likens himself to being the conductor of a symphony. “Kailangan meron kang idea, meron kang experimental design. Bawat proseso, may team of scientists. This is the part you will do, this is the part he will do. And then we convene—umaga tanghali, gabi, madaling-araw—kasi we lack time!” he says.

Like any scientific study, Dr. Destura says the whole process of developing the kit was very tedious. One simple test clearly was not enough; they had to keep repeating every step of the way, 40 to 60 times, to prove the technology’s sensitivity and specificity. Dr. Destura’s role to the team is to validate their findings, challenge the results, and “give solutions when they’re hitting a wall.”

In the process of developing the kit, putting the acid together was the biggest challenge. “Yung nanduon na lahat ng components. Titimplahin mo kasi lahat ng conditions isa-isa. Aside from that, gagawan mo ngayon ng perturbations yung mga conditions mo. Maapektuhan ba sya pag tumaas ito? Maaapektuhan ba sya pag binawasan mo nito? Lahat yun kailangan mong gawin. Nakakaubos sya ng buhok,” says the doctor, eliciting some laughter from the audience. In the media briefing, Dr. Destura seems to be a mild mannered man, has a cheerful disposition, is well-loved by those around him, and yes, there’s not very much hair on that head anymore.

raul2.jpg


The GenAmplify COVID-19 rRT-PCR Detection Kit will help in the early detection and effective treatment of COVID-19.
Filipino technology
At the same media briefing attended by scientists, academicians, and health experts from UP, PGC, DOST, and UP-PGH, Dr. Destura presented the result of his and his team’s hard work: the GenAmplify COVID-19 rRT-PCR Detection Kit, which will help in the early detection and effective treatment of COVID-19.

The testing can be done in two ways—via nasopharyngeal brush and throat swab, wherein samples are taken from inside the nose and from the back of the throat. The specimen is placed in a sealed container and sent to the laboratory where it will be examined by the medical technologist.

Dr. Destura explains that like the existing COVID-19 kits, the GenAmplify COVID-19 rRT-PCR Detection Kit uses the same PCR (polymerase chain reaction) technology. But unlike the others that require the test to be done thrice (for a total of about six hours), this version employs a single step multiple detection system, which has a turnaround time of 1 to 2 hours. “Pag tech developer ka, iisipin mo ang sitwasyon ng lugar na mag-aadopt ng tech—kulang sa tao, kapos sa oras,” says the doctor, describing our local healthcare system under the challenge of the COVID-19 outbreak. “Yung ibang platform, kailangan mong gawin yung test ng tatlong beses. Ito, ginawa nating isang beses.”

Known for developing low-cost, low-technology driven diagnostic platforms for the control of infectious diseases in the Philippines, Destura made the local GenAmplify as affordable as he can: it will cost only around P1,320 per test, in contrast to the foreign kit which costs around P8,500 per test.

Around 200 GenAmplify kits can be produced in a week, and enough kits are in stock now for around 6,000 tests, with more orders for around 20,000 tests already expected. These are being manufactured and stockpiled by the Manila HealthTek Inc. (MTek Inc.), a private Research & Development company with a robust diagnostic technology pipeline.

But the scientist is asking for a little more patience until they have completed the standard protocols needed in developing the technology. “Hindi puwedeng bara-bara, hindi pwedeng shortcut. Our intention is to protect the public by developing technology. Ano ba ang mga criteria na kailangang sundin? Una, sensitivity at specificity—lahat yan kailangan paulit-ulit mong gagawin,” he stresses.

The Food and Drug Administration has already greenlighted the field validation testing for the kit, which will be done on selected centers representing Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. He says it will probably take about 2 to 3 weeks to complete the needed sample size to calculate the diagnostic clinical sensibility. “Ito na yung final phase para maging commercialized version na sya,” he says.

The scientist is happy to note that many clinician-infectious disease specialists have volunteered to become side validators of the technology, which will help monitor its behavior in the field. Meanwhile, the genome sequencing technology, which is done at the PGC, can verify the findings of the test. “Pag nakumpleto natin ang data na yan, masasabi nating dumaan ito sa proseso na tinatanggap ng buong mundo,” he notes. “I know we need the testing kit very badly, but we have the moral responsibility to make sure that the technology we’re putting out there is of excellent quality. Pag gawa ng Pinoy, para sa lahat, para sa buong mundo ang kalidad. Kailangan lang natin ng kaunti pang pasensya para lang matapos itong validation. At the end of the day, our main intention is public safety and service to the community.”

raul3.jpg


According to Dr. Destura, the UP scientists are also currently developing the technology for leptospirosis, schistosomiasis, salmonella, African swine fever, chikungunya, and the Zika virus testing.
More inventions underway
The COVID-19 testing kit is only one in Dr. Destura’s long list of inventions. One of his pioneering works, the “Lab in a Mug” Project, a portable multi-infectious disease device about the size of a mug, generated its first ever spin-off company for the University of the Philippines, the MTek Inc. This technology is being rolled out to 100 primary and secondary hospitals all over the country and was given recognition in the inter-academy medical panel during the World Health Summit in Berlin as Top 20 Young Physician Leader.

Currently, the UP scientists are also developing the technology for leptospirosis, schistosomiasis, and salmonella testing, which hopefully will be finished by end of the year. They are finishing the African swine fever test for veterinary medicine. Also in the pipeline are the tests for chikungunya and the Zika virus, which will likely be completed next year.

Dr. Destura is aware of the importance of his profession, helping to nurture young, innovative, and hardworking scientists. “For me, a good mentor inspires and steers his team to the right direction. Nothing beats a very inspired team. The best part of being the leader is you get to see young minds unfold right in front of you. I believe in my team, kasi kung hindi ako naniniwala sa kanila, bakit pa kami nagki-create ng ganito,” he quips.

Asked if our local scientists are bound to develop a vaccine for COVID-19, he says he’s leaving it to the European teams and that he’s praying for their success. “Hopefully in the future, the Philippines will also have its own vaccine development capacity. The investment for that is humongous—in the billions of dollars. We rely on rich countries to develop those vaccines. But I’m still hoping and praying that someday, we’ll get there,” he says with optimism.



*****



Dr. Mediadora Saniel, an infectious diseases specialist and former head of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), and Dr. June Lopez, a psychiatrist at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center and the president of the Balik Kalipay Psychosocial Response Inc., have started a fundraising campaign for the soon-to-be deployed COVID-19 local test kits developed by Dr. Destura and his team. The fund will be used to provide the Protective Personnel Equipment (PPE) for PGH personnel who will be collecting samples, and for poor patients who need financial assistance to avail of the test. Those who wish to help may send their donations to:

The U.P. Medical Foundation, Inc

Bank: BDO, Bocobo-Pedro Gil Branch
Click to expand...
 
  • Informative
  • Winner
  • Like
Reactions: Bob's Fuckass Head, ConfederateIrishman, ditto and 5 others
  • Like
Reactions: Caecia, not william stenchever, Toolbox and 3 others
Lee Harvey Walsh said:
All right so does someone want to tell me why even some people on the right are pissed about Trump's response to the virus? Is this just another case of REEE ORANGE MAN BAD!!!! or is he actually doing something stupid?
Click to expand...
Basically he didn't order testing for the virus soon enough which was somewhat of a fuck up on his part, but imo he should only get about 25% of the blame for that since we were acting on really bad information coming out of China. Now things are being handled pretty well for the most part. The only thing that really is going to need to be cracked down on are the hoarders.

Edit:
By hoarders I don't mean people just stocking up with what they need, I'm talking about the cunts going and buying up a full shelf's worth of toilet paper.
 
  • Like
  • Winner
  • Agree
Reactions: not william stenchever, Coal Burner Account, Saturnalia-1918 and 17 others
  • Like
Reactions: GloJojo, spiritofamermaid, Noideawhattopick and 3 others
melty said:
I'm assuming youre American because everything you said reads American.
This.. is why I am somewhat skeptical of the recent drama over (lack of) testing and feel it is a distraction.
So, people get tested. Then what? All the people with confirmed coronavirus that are otherwise fine are going to go to the ER and take up everybody's time. They're not going to get let in, and then the complaint is "I have coronavirus and the government won't help me! They're leaving me to die!"
I don't envy the government. Which is better? Don't test people, and have people complain they can't get tested? Or test them and have them complain their government is abandoning them to die while they panic in a hospital, shooting up and recieving fast food deliveries?
Would fewer people be coming in if they were all tested because they were confirmed not to have it? Or would it be worse because almost everyone confirmed would go, which is actually a ton of people?
Would people be more likely to self quarantine if they were tested? Maybe, but it might be too late anyway. And we all know some people would get tested and spread it on purpose. We've already seen that happen.

Americans are uniquely unprepared for this crisis in a lot of ways. Everyone keeps talking about how Italy is different because of all the old people. What about all the obese people? People with chronic conditions? What about all the homeless people and the junkies that might go into withdrawal? Not to mention all the boomers who don't take this seriously in the first place. Too many people depend on the government to come in and rescue them. They FREAK OUT when it doesn't happen. Because of entitlement.
They are going to be livid when triage happens and someone young gets care over the 600lb landwhale and her husband still trying to grift opiates while they're both hacking their lungs out over everyone. These people already think it's a human rights violation that the government only gives them enough money for junk food and iphones, instead of a new TV and a sports car every year.

It's going to be like Katrina, except everywhere, at roughly the same time. The only advantage the US has over Italy is large geographical spread.
The scene you described is pretty much what I said to my boyfriend would be happening last night. He disagreed and I said give it one week.
I'm not knocking you btw, I know you went for a reason. What freaks me out are all the people you encountered.
Click to expand...
You bring up some interesting points. I've been thinking about tests vs. human nature/stupidity. I suspect that a negative test would give many people a false sense of security or even immunity, people are so used to testing for things like aids or TB which are relatively statistically rare and can be avoided to a certain extent. A negative test for one of those generally sticks as long as you stay away from risky behaviour. This is much different and there are plenty of cases that tested negative until they tested positive.

The false sense of immunity via race is very interesting, but scary too. Combined with some of the other paranoias being ginned up, this could be a problem if we seriously get to shut downs and quarantines in the US:

web.archive.org

Coronavirus conspiracy video spreads on Instagram among black celebrities

Instagram and Facebook have made a concentrated effort to rid their platforms of false information, but some conspiracy theories have proven hard to stop.
web.archive.org web.archive.org
 
  • Like
  • Agree
Reactions: Bob's Fuckass Head, spiritofamermaid, Marchesa of the Vast and 5 others
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back