Coronavirus thread

[Irons]

Just read this about problems in England in terms of people being able to get rid of their trash.  https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-52490195

What is it like in your area?  In my town, they cut out one day in terms of being able to haul your own trash to the dump.  They also have restricted the number of cars able to go in at one time to I think five and have a police officer there too to direct traffic.  And, of course, there's the required social distancing.  You can bring in your recyclables too; stores, however, are not currently taking in returnable recyclables (you're charged 5 cents per bottle for these), so those are piling up in people's basements/homes for the time being.  Note:  in my town, you can pay a company to pick up your trash, but I prefer to purchase a dump sticker and take it myself (you also need to purchase special bags to put household trash into too).  No extra charge for recycling.

Here's the article:  https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-52490195

Sad to hear that it's lead to an increase in 'fly-tipping'.

PD

No excuse whatsoever for fly-tipping. Our bin collections have remained regular without interruption during the crises. It gave me great pleasure to hear this week that a fly-tipper on an industrial scale received a two year prison sentence. It is true that recycling centres have been closed - I believe they are reopening this week, but this is no excuse. Unscrupulous "entrepreneurs" out to make a few bob.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

No excuse whatsoever for fly-tipping. Our bin collections have remained regular without interruption during the crises. It gave me great pleasure to hear this week that a fly-tipper on an industrial scale received a two year prison sentence. It is true that recycling centres have been closed - I believe they are reopening this week, but this is no excuse. Unscrupulous "entrepreneurs" out to make a few bob.

How does it work where you live Irons?  Do you have to pay an independent company to pick up your trash?  Or do you pay the town? Do they charge much?  Or is it included in your local taxes?  I haven't heard of any waste centers closed around here...some of the smaller towns do have very limited hours and/or days.

Agree with you that it isn't an excuse for fly-tipping!  Just surprised that they would close them at all.  What do you do if you live in a small apartment with a family to *get rid of your recyclables during these times?  Just curious here.  I also read that they might be limiting more of what kind of recyclables that they allow too (see article).
*or temporarily store them

And pleased to hear that that person received actual jail time for doing that!

PD

[JBS]

Those protesters in Michigan are at it again.  This time they didn't stay outside.
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/05/01/849017021/protestors-swarm-michigan-capitol-amid-showdown-over-governors-emergency-powers

BTW, according to the CNN reporter covering this, open carry of firearms is allowed inside the building, but signs aren't. 

[Todd]

FDA grants remdesivir emergency use authorization for COVID-19

Good news, but two questions:

1.) How long until the first lawsuits are filed against Gilead (any legislated immunity notwithstanding)?

2.) How many billable hours will be racked up in said lawsuits?

[Carlo Gesualdo]

Thee best thing one can do in this fade and real ''Crade et morne'' state we live in is Trought Gregorian, This is what I'm listening to chase pestillence out , the demons of illness not from china just a bad flu, reality speak out, but this poisonous aire , we may star a trend feebreze the air of poisonois air and poisonois people for the same facts, just kidding folk thee boy such a comedian, anyway  state of the art Im beyond this demon of illness and I choose when I die and I die not that easily, beat it Lucifer, whit you're darn pestilence of death, no warning shot we christian kjnow how to defend our self of poisonous air are poisonous peoples, utter snakes, bles our lord Jesus , bless Melchizedek the Holy one...

No ascendence no descendence  only god doing a cameo in the bible old testament  this was a short paranthesis on Theology.

[SimonNZ]

Chinese eat all kind of shit. This is a fact. Then shit happens. This is also a fact.

Go ahead, sue me for racism, I can't wait for it --- I know precisely whom I'm going to call as my witnesses.

Does your attitude to the origin of the virus and "accountability" depend on the specific country, and their political system? If it had started in specific other places would you now be saying "don't politicize the tragedy" and talking of "freak occurrence" and "act of god"?

[SimonNZ]

Those protesters in Michigan are at it again.  This time they didn't stay outside.
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/05/01/849017021/protestors-swarm-michigan-capitol-amid-showdown-over-governors-emergency-powers

BTW, according to the CNN reporter covering this, open carry of firearms is allowed inside the building, but signs aren't. 

Now imagine if the people in that photo were identified as "Antifa".

(have I said that already to a similar photo? I feel like I might have)

[SimonNZ]

'You think we care about masks?': anger and poverty grip Lebanese city
Tripoli, a hub of peaceful protest last October, is at the centre of a struggle to survive amid coranavirus

[Daverz]

Those protesters in Michigan are at it again.  This time they didn't stay outside.
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/05/01/849017021/protestors-swarm-michigan-capitol-amid-showdown-over-governors-emergency-powers

BTW, according to the CNN reporter covering this, open carry of firearms is allowed inside the building, but signs aren't. 

I think that guy with the Mohawk has seen Taxi Driver too many times and still doesn't understand it.

[Que]

Those protesters in Michigan are at it again.  This time they didn't stay outside.
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/05/01/849017021/protestors-swarm-michigan-capitol-amid-showdown-over-governors-emergency-powers

BTW, according to the CNN reporter covering this, open carry of firearms is allowed inside the building, but signs aren't. 

You live in a scary country....

Q

[Que]

New data on the development of daily  (official) mortality in various contries.
Note the steady rise in Brazil! The curve of US is in (a slow) decline.

[Florestan]

Does your attitude to the origin of the virus and "accountability" depend on the specific country, and their political system? If it had started in specific other places would you now be saying "don't politicize the tragedy" and talking of "freak occurrence" and "act of god"?

If the virus had originated in Romania and the Romanian government had tried to cover up the whole mess I'd have been equally indignant.

[ritter]

Very clever reply, Andrei. You're actually saying  that the Chinese government has made a coverup. But, TBH, we don't know, and probably cannot know (as much as many wish this to be the truth).

Good day to you, my friend.

[BasilValentine]

New data on the development of daily  (official) mortality in various contries.
Note the steady rise in Brazil! The curve of US is in (a slow) decline.

USA! USA! USA! We're number one! I resent that the logarithmic scale used in the graph obscures how far we are ahead of any other country! More than twice the death rate of the next contender. In fact, we're probably the reason they had to use a logarithmic scale to begin with, otherwise there would be a page of blank space between the US and the next most incompetent nation. USA! USA! We are truly exceptional.

[Todd]

USA! USA! USA! We're number one! I resent that the logarithmic scale used in the graph obscures how far we are ahead of any other country! More than twice the death rate of the next contender. In fact, we're probably the reason they had to use a logarithmic scale to begin with, otherwise there would be a page of blank space between the US and the next most incompetent nation. USA! USA! We are truly exceptional.

This post explains rather a lot.

Back in the real world, as lockdowns start being lifted a bit in various locales, it is time to revisit some meaningful numbers. 

The observed case fatality ratio of the ten most affected countries, per Johns Hopkins:

Belgium - 15.7%
UK - 15.4%
France - 14.7%
Italy - 13.6%
Netherlands - 12.3%
Spain - 11.5%
Brazil - 7.0%
Iran - 6.4%
US - 5.9%
Germany - 4.1%


The deaths per 100K population are:

Belgium - 67.44
Spain - 52.53
Italy - 46.72
UK - 41.49
France - 36.77
Netherlands - 28.49
US - 19.85
Germany - 8.12
Iran - 7.45
Brazil - 3.06

As the world moves into a nervous summer and probable drops in reported cases and deaths, a few things seem clear before the second wave hits in October/November:

1.) Public health officials from developed nations should consult with Germans.  They did something right.

2.) Belgians have trouble counting.

3.) With the notable exception of Germany, Europe as whole failed.  This is unsurprising.  This should and will have appropriate long-term geopolitical consequences.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

No excuse whatsoever for fly-tipping. Our bin collections have remained regular without interruption during the crises. It gave me great pleasure to hear this week that a fly-tipper on an industrial scale received a two year prison sentence. It is true that recycling centres have been closed - I believe they are reopening this week, but this is no excuse. Unscrupulous "entrepreneurs" out to make a few bob.

Irons,

I should add (to clarify matters), that by recyclables in my earlier comment/question, that I was thinking more of everyday stuff like paper, cans and bottles, juice cartons...stuff like that...which can add up quite quickly.  I think, if I'm remembering correctly, that a mutual British friend mentioned that where he lives at least, that your everyday household waste gets sorted (by the owner) into bins which then gets picked up and that was, I'm guessing, what you were referring to?  Here, we have three different areas/stations:  one is for brush and leaves and grass (open seasonally); second one has various bins for things like metal (like stoves and misc. scrap metal), misc. scraps/debris from house projects, old and unusable furniture...they also take in tires, some hazardous waste, etc., refrigerators, etc.  Various charges for things like this.  These two station/locations have been closed for some time.  The third location is open (with slightly reduced hours) for bags of household trash, there's a compost area (for dropping off), a big metal compactor for paper/cardboard, a big dumpster for recyclables like juice cartons, empty food cans, plastic food packaging, etc. and another dumpster for smallish metal items (no big things like stoves!).

What I was wondering about earlier (particularly after reading that BBC article) was how folks were coping re trash and regular household recyclables (not things like tires and mattresses and so on....though those things can add up particularly if one doesn't live in a very big place).

Perhaps I initially misunderstood that article.  It sounded to me like there could be issues with trash (including bottles, paper, etc.) not getting picked up?  https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-52490195

In any event, glad that all is well chez vous.

Speaking of trash, I need to gather up mine and get it ready to take to the transfer station.   

Best wishes,

PD

[pjme]

https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-belgium-carehomes/belgium-records-half-of-coronavirus-deaths-in-nursing-homes-idUSL3N2C22UY

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/coronavirus-belgium-death-toll-lockdown-trump-who-uk-spain-italy-a9494186.html

[André]

https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-belgium-carehomes/belgium-records-half-of-coronavirus-deaths-in-nursing-homes-idUSL3N2C22UY

It's the same in Quebec. All deaths suspected to be caused by coronavirus, even indirectly, are reported in our statistics. And most of them are from nursing homes. Other countries have different methods of calculation. Charts comparing countries' coronavirus deaths are totally unreliable and misleading.

[Todd]

https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-belgium-carehomes/belgium-records-half-of-coronavirus-deaths-in-nursing-homes-idUSL3N2C22UY

Along similar lines: 'Our patients are dropping like flies': 16,000 dead from COVID-19 in U.S. nursing homes


I guess it took this pandemic to make conditions in nursing homes a news story.  One of the byproducts of having a goodly number of family members working in health care is that one learns about these things first hand.  Back in the 90s, my wife spent half a decade doing administrative work in two nursing homes.  Every flu season, between 20-25% of patients died.  The worst year saw 40% die, and the facility had to lay off staff.  The high-end nursing home, which shared a parking lot with the more humdrum one my wife worked at, had lower fatality rates, but not by much.  The elderly are put in nursing homes to die.

[milk]

I haven't looked through everything here. This has probably come up. But the effect of no publics events on the concert work, especially if it goes for 2 or three years...coupled with the decline of the recording industry. That goes for sports, ballet, etc.
But as classical music is the topic...I just wonder how truly awful it'll be for musicians.