coronavirus discussion

[welfare]

Originally Posted by vitaminG

I will be interested to see if anyone tries to get reparations from China like they did from axis forces in ww2

I hope that, at the very least, democratic countries will rethink the level of power they've allowed, and even encouraged, China to gain.
If that doesn't change, and soon, they won't have the ability to reprimand. And that is a scary, but realistic view.

[stewie]

In response to Hondaracer - Wow. Never realized how many people were in such a small area there! That'll be a bit tough to contain..


On a happier note:
China's Shenzhen bans the eating of cats and dogs after coronavirus

See how long that lasts.

[MG1]

Originally Posted by Hondaracer

The red army lost more soldiers in 1 day (multiple times by some accounts) then this Corona virus will take over months.

Battle of Kursk?

When I was heavily into table top wargaming, this, along with other famous battles/campaigns throughout history, was one of my favourites. So many variables. One blunder and........... catastrophic chain of events.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kursk

Anyway, back to our usual scheduled programming.............

[twitchyzero]

Originally Posted by 68style

As much as this is a human disaster and its frightening to have an invisible enemy and no idea whether you are next or not despite whatever precautions you take.

One little thing that did bring me some peace/clarity with all these death toll numbers being flashed in our faces every day was to look at another massive destruction of human life... world war 2...

Think about this for a second -> world war 2 lasted 6 years... 6 long years from beginning to end and an estimated total of 70-85 million people died in 6 years.

That's 32,000-39,000 people dead on average EVERY SINGLE DAY for SIX YEARS.

This virus, horrible as it is, isn't even making a dent in comparison.

spanish flu killed more than ww1 casualties

ww2 was like 70-80 years ago...in most people's living memory esp in the developed world this is likely the worst disaster

[MG1]

Originally Posted by twitchyzero

spanish flu killed more than ww1 casualties

ww2 was like 70-80 years ago...in most people's living memory esp in the developed world this is likely the worst disaster

And this is just the beginning. Weeks, months will become years and decades.

Think of chicken pox and shingles.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-...s/syc-20353054

Except much, much worse. Time will only tell.

How's that for doom and gloom?

[MG1]

Originally Posted by stewie

In response to Hondaracer - Wow. Never realized how many people were in such a small area there! That'll be a bit tough to contain.

.

Well, it might be easier........... go all out Trump and build a wall. Level 10 force field?

On a happier note:
China's Shenzhen bans the eating of cats and dogs after coronavirus

See how long that lasts.

What will they eat instead?

[twitchyzero]

yep and why it was a headscratcher when the fatality rate was already being quoted around on the onset of the outbreak..dont think we're even at the peak yet of the first wave of who knows how many more until vaccine/antivirals are developed

also at the start of ww2, the great war was still in many living memories...whereas this is uncharted territory for the experts

[JSALES]

For anyone of you in here, if you’re a first responder. Chevron is offering $10 off your fill up, it’s legit

[sonick]

https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion...t-preposterous

Good article with research about effectiveness of wearing masks as a self preventative measure.

There is a vast volume of science supporting case that masks work. Dutch scientists, PLoS One: "Any type of general mask use is likely to decrease viral exposure and infection risk on a population level, in spite of imperfect fit and imperfect adherence" https://t.co/Xfv2LFJikT

[Great68]

So the more I read about the symptoms, the more I wonder if I actually had caught this back in December.

Right over the christmas period I got really sick, like I didn't want to so much as move out of bed. It all came on extremely suddenly, like the morning of monday Dec 23rd I was feeling fine, and by the evening I was shaking fever/chills in my bed. Coupled with lack of energy or desire to move was diarrhea, and bad pink eye (in both eyes) which showed up a couple days later on the 27th. I thought I just got hit with normal flu (I mean COVID wasn't really on the radar then), but the pink eye made no sense at the time until I just read now that it's symptom of COVID.

I don't remember having any breathing difficulties though.

Who knows.

[Jmac]

Originally Posted by Great68

So the more I read about the symptoms, the more I wonder if I actually had caught this back in December.

Right over the christmas period I got really sick, like I didn't want to so much as move out of bed. It all came on extremely suddenly, like the morning of monday Dec 23rd I was feeling fine, and by the evening I was shaking fever/chills in my bed. Coupled with lack of energy or desire to move was diarrhea, and bad pink eye (in both eyes) which showed up a couple days later on the 27th. I thought I just got hit with normal flu (I mean COVID wasn't really on the radar then), but the pink eye made no sense at the time until I just read now that it's symptom of COVID.

I don't remember having any breathing difficulties though.

Who knows.

It could’ve been a number of things. I’ve had those symptoms from a blood infection a few times in the past.

[Jmac]

Originally Posted by JSALES

For anyone of you in here, if you’re a first responder. Chevron is offering $10 off your fill up, it’s legit

On top of this,

McDonalds and Starbucks are offering free coffee to health care workers (HCW) and first responders.

A&W is offering free drinks to HCWs and first resonders.

London Drugs is offering exclusive access to HCWs and first responders for the last hour of operation each day.

[CivicBlues]

Originally Posted by Jmac

It could’ve been a number of things. I’ve had those symptoms from a blood infection a few times in the past.

Yup, TMI but it sounds like something I got when I burst a hemorrhoid. Not pleasant but it's just the way your body reacts sometimes.

[Mr.HappySilp]

Originally Posted by winson604

You guys getting the KN95 individually packaged ones or the KN95 that comes in packs of 5? They are different?

Package came. The mask are individual wrap. Come in two bag (I assume is 50 mask a pack). Quality seems decent. Will test it out in a bit.

[Mr.HappySilp]

Originally Posted by bcedhk

let's start a GB list for KN95 masks:

Provide name, area and quantity needed

1. ae101 (quantity?)
2 akira112 (quantity?)
3. beatdownvictim (100?)
4. bcedhk, Vancouver (30)

As mention the mask comes individual package.

[IMASA]

Originally Posted by JSALES

For anyone of you in here, if you’re a first responder. Chevron is offering $10 off your fill up, it’s legit

Yup it's legit. I've used it and a bunch of my coworkers have as well.

Originally Posted by Jmac

On top of this,

McDonalds and Starbucks are offering free coffee to health care workers (HCW) and first responders.

A&W is offering free drinks to HCWs and first resonders.

London Drugs is offering exclusive access to HCWs and first responders for the last hour of operation each day.

These are all the perks posted on our staff site

Chevron -All hospital workers, will receive $10 off their fill-up with a minimum 20-litre purchase at Chevron BC and Alberta Only. To redeem show your ID to the attendant before you pump. Offer available until April 17.

Filld is offering a $10 discount on every fill-up and no delivery fee, for 45 days from sign up.

Body Energy Club is offering free smoothies to paramedics, doctors and nurses working against the the spread of COVID-19 on the front line. Show ID or be in uniform.

Triple O's restaurants is now offering 15% off your entire order. Discount available for drive thru or walk-up ordering. Must be in uniform or present valid hospital ID to redeem.

London Drugs stores across B.C. will now host exclusive shopping hours during the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting March 25, all 82 stores will offer shopping hours from 8 to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and 7 to 8 p.m. Sunday to health care workers and first responders, including hospital staff, care home staff, medical centre employees and pharmacists. Workers will be asked to present their employer ID or credentials from their place of work.

Nando's: is bringing free hot catered meals to hospitals near every Nando's in North America, to provide comfort and sustenance to the nurses, doctors, and hospital workers struggling to keep us all safe and well. To redeem show up at a Nando's in uniform or with a valid healthcare ID, or calls to place a to-go order and presents ID at collection.

Starbucks: Free hot or cold coffee with each visit until May 3. Present ID to redeem.

A&W is offering healthcare professionals in BC's Lower Mainland free drinks in any size. This offer can only be redeemed for in-person take-out purchases, you will need to present your ID to redeem.

McDonalds- Free Coffee or tea available in drive-thru at participating restaurants. Present ID to redeem.

Afghan Kitchen South Surrey – is offering 30% discount on pick up orders. Present ID at pickup.

[underscore]

For fuck sake. I assume we can expect some kind of bear virus in a few years time?

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...-a9429116.html

The Chinese government is touting bile extracted from caged bears as a treatment for coronavirus, which experts have branded “hugely irresponsible”.

Scientists agree that China’s wildlife trade – notably markets where species are crammed closely together – was the most likely source of the coronavirus pandemic.

But in a list of recommended treatments for Covid-19, the country’s National Health Commission promotes injections of a “traditional medicine” treatment containing bear bile.

An estimated 12,000 bears are held in captivity on farms and “milked” regularly for their bile in China and Vietnam.

According to charity Animals Asia, the cages in China are sometimes so small that the bears are unable to turn around or stand on all fours. Some are put into cages as cubs and never leave them. They may grow too large to fit through the cage door or remain stunted.
Read more

“Bears may be kept caged like this for up to 30 years. This has a terrible effect on the physical and mental wellbeing,” the group says.

The animals’ bile – a digestive fluid produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder – is harvested through invasive surgery, which causes “severe suffering, pain and infection.”

Bear bile is an ingredient of “tan re qing”, injections of which are among recommended treatments for severe and critical coronavirus in a plan published three weeks ago, circulated by Chinese state media.

Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners typically use tan re qing to treat bronchitis but Clifford Steer, a professor at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, who has studied the subject, says there is no evidence that bear bile is an effective treatment for coronavirus, National Geographic reported.

Last month, the Chinese government banned the eating and transport for eating of wild animals as the coronavirus was spreading, but it did not cover use of wildlife products in Chinese medicine or as ornamental items.
Watch more

Aron White, a China specialist with the Environmental Investigation Agency, said: “Restricting the eating of wildlife while promoting medicines containing wildlife parts exemplifies the mixed messages being sent by Chinese authorities on wildlife trade.

“Aside from the irony of promoting a wildlife product for treatment of a disease which the scientific community has overwhelmingly concluded originated in wildlife, the continued promotion of the use of threatened wildlife in medicine is hugely irresponsible in an era of unprecedented biodiversity loss, including illegal and unsustainable trade.”

The investigative group said that even if bear bile and tiger bone are taken from captive animals, it does not relieve pressure on endangered wild populations, as such legal markets fuel demand for threatened wildlife.

“At this moment in history, as the world is crippled by the coronavirus pandemic, there could be no better time to end the use of the parts of threatened wildlife in medicine, especially as recent surveys conducted in China showed the vast majority of respondents were opposed to use of wildlife in medicine.”

At bear bile farms in China and across southeast Asia, neglect and disease are common, according to Animals Asia, which states: “Most farmed bears are starved, dehydrated and suffering from multiple diseases and malignant tumours that not only contaminate their bile but ultimately kill them.”

The group says it has also seen old or very sick bears – those that fail to produce bile – simply left to starve to death in their cages.

“Pathology reports have shown that bile from sick bears is often contaminated with blood, pus, faeces, urine, bacteria and cancer cells,” it says.

Earlier this year, illegal wildlife traders in China and Laos were found to be cashing in on fears over the coronavirus outbreak in China by peddling fake cures containing rhino horn and other endangered species products.

In 2016, Chinese law was amended to further legitimise the commercial use of wildlife, asserting that animals may be used for traditional Chinese medicine.

The bogus cures are even more confusing. If it doesn't work anyways why bother putting animal parts, let alone endangered ones, in it at all? Just make fancy looking sugar pills like normal con men.

[SkinnyPupp]

Originally Posted by underscore

For fuck sake. I assume we can expect some kind of bear virus in a few years time?

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...-a9429116.html



The bogus cures are even more confusing. If it doesn't work anyways why bother putting animal parts, let alone endangered ones, in it at all? Just make fancy looking sugar pills like normal con men.

I don't know about how it relates to Coronavirus, but I actually did quite a bit of research on bear bile right before the breakout, coincidentally, for my wife who was in the hospital with liver problems. She had her gall bladder removed about 20 years ago, and this issue comes up on occasion.

As it turns out, bear gall contains bile salts that are useful in treating her exact symptoms. Of course we're not going to use TCM that tortures animals to get it.

Thankfully, a real medication was developed from it - Ursodiol or UDCA (recognize the latin for "bear" in there?). It is the exact same ingredient as bear bile salts, but in synthesized form.

The medicine cured her completely, it was super effective. It would also be good for anyone with liver problems due to alcohol or steroid abuse, by the way. Also available in another form with conjugated taurine added - TUDCA. This is not a pharmaceutical, you can buy it as a supplement, and is said to be even more absorbable.

Anyway, my main point is that there are definitely some TCM that are efficacious and call for more research and development. But there is often NO NEED to keep extracting it from animals when a synthetic form is just as good if not better. It just kills me that their government promotes that type of thing, in order to "gain face" right when this whole shit was caused by it in the first place.

And banning eating cats and dogs is just an image thing. Expect to see more bans looking like this in the future, as long as it doesn't affect TCM.

[SkinnyPupp]

Oh by the way, how insane in Hong Kong now?

They've been trying to shut down RTHK for months now, since they insist on showing stories from all sides. They also satire public officials and police officers. This is INSANE.

Twitter

[beatdownvictim]

Originally Posted by Mr.HappySilp

Package came. The mask are individual wrap. Come in two bag (I assume is 50 mask a pack). Quality seems decent. Will test it out in a bit.

Any brokerage fees from fedex?

[Hondaracer]

With the ban on cats and dogs the amount of bats being consumed will most certainly rise!

[UnknownJinX]

Originally Posted by SkinnyPupp

I don't know about how it relates to Coronavirus, but I actually did quite a bit of research on bear bile right before the breakout, coincidentally, for my wife who was in the hospital with liver problems. She had her gall bladder removed about 20 years ago, and this issue comes up on occasion.

As it turns out, bear gall contains bile salts that are useful in treating her exact symptoms. Of course we're not going to use TCM that tortures animals to get it.

Thankfully, a real medication was developed from it - Ursodiol or UDCA (recognize the latin for "bear" in there?). It is the exact same ingredient as bear bile salts, but in synthesized form.

The medicine cured her completely, it was super effective. It would also be good for anyone with liver problems due to alcohol or steroid abuse, by the way. Also available in another form with conjugated taurine added - TUDCA. This is not a pharmaceutical, you can buy it as a supplement, and is said to be even more absorbable.

Anyway, my main point is that there are definitely some TCM that are efficacious and call for more research and development. But there is often NO NEED to keep extracting it from animals when a synthetic form is just as good if not better. It just kills me that their government promotes that type of thing, in order to "gain face" right when this whole shit was caused by it in the first place.

And banning eating cats and dogs is just an image thing. Expect to see more bans looking like this in the future, as long as it doesn't affect TCM.

Yeah the bear bile is unethical and disgusting.

I am all fine with TCM but I think some of the stuff needs to be modernized. Some of the stuff is bogus, some of them for sure work but if we want to do it in a sustainable and safe manner, we can just find ways to synthesize it.

[Hondaracer]

With the ban on cats and dogs the amount of bats being consumed will most certainly rise!

[mikemhg]

Sal y Limon is offering 50% off all food for first responders as well.

We're grabbing some tonight

[Mr.HappySilp]

Originally Posted by beatdownvictim

Any brokerage fees from fedex?

No brokerage fees just the shipping fee. They fit really well. Like a really smug and tight fit. https://photos.app.goo.gl/fKfqDowkeXx7dqQa8
https://photos.app.goo.gl/cWrfo1SCRt3zAEWX8
Can someone repost the pic? Also saw some Chinese supermarket selling $55 for 10 kn95 mask
https://photos.app.goo.gl/GKrkHaUJU9SzK1br6