Randomness - vol. IV

[Pol]

We introduced senior hours for shopping, between 7-9 AM the shops, with exception of pharmacies, are opened only for seniors. Our supreme epidemiolog (apponited by our prime minister, who is doing everything possible to make a PR from this and generally he's a huge hindrance and reason for many delays) just prolonged the expected time for quarantine.

As for nature, it's a blessing.

First artistic photos just with masks are appearing on the net.

Phantastic new era, where we almost catch up with islamic world in fashion style.

BTW it was the same the very first day, when they closed schools. All people went outside, to pubs and so on. So the other days they closed them too and declared national emergency. I can only guess that asian people with their sense for order have an enormous advantage here.

[Panda Tar]

Yes. It's like squishing a baloon with water. You close something, everything goes somewhere else. Squash somewhere else, they squirm and find somewhere else-ser. He it was comic beyond ludicrous, and obnoxious, watching so many people at beaches. Rather bizarre.

[Pol]

For illustration. Europe, March 2020, Slovakia government, Mrs President
Masks are everywhere here, in middle Europe. (This is neighborhood state, though we were once one state, decades ago.)

[Panda Tar]

Good god. Here masks and gloves are not being encouraged. Washing hands, avoiding touching face (because using masks actually make you touch your face to adjust it or when you are going to speak you might also remove it and place it again), having gloves makes viruses attach to it and linger more, because you are not really going to wash those gloves, besides they are going to be thrown off, which still does not eliminate virus, spreading it elsewhere.

Meanhile, the curve of infected here is going steady, but not growing exponentially. Also with not high death toll: 1604 x 25. But Government expects we'll have health system collapse by the end of the next month, mostly because of old people going sick.

Population is also getting aggravated towards China.

[Pol]

Silly them. When you are going to speak, you are not removing mask. Ever. Neither you are supposed to touching it, or your face, it should fit. And you are supposed to wear gloves and also glasses in ideal case.

You should have them twice, textile, mask is better with filter. And boil it or otherwise desinfect daily.

We have two deaths till now, will see what will happen till the end of this week. Our government is preparing "precise quarantine". So the emergency state could be dismissed. (They will use app to monitor people in quarantine and their contacts, including warnings. You will need Android or PC for that.)

As for wearing masks or using some barriers (in shops) it may be with us for a while, till the end of year? Maybe longer.

I love how they dealt with it in Taiwan (135 infected, 2 died). Everyone is having mask, everyone can be tested, no work or normal life is interrupted, all ppl arriving there are monitored. And they started immeadiately, in the moment when China was still not doing anything. Also, they have almost no problems.

No worry. In less educated part of the world, they started to accuse USA for the virus (because one photoshopped image went viral). Coincidically these parts of world have factories with china workers.

[wimfrits]

Seems like all countries a bit lazy in responses. Unwilling to take extreme measures immediately.
As a result, virus spreading quickly goes out of control
Measures like precise quarantine can help, but never as a sole measure. We're only seeing the top of the iceberg. For every known infected there probably are dozens of unknown infected with only mild symptoms.

In itself, that does not need to be a problem. We cannot stop it anyway so why not just let the wave go over us. But the main challenge at least in our country, is that we need to ensure the number of intensive care beds > number of serious infections.

[Pol]

Yeah, wimfrits, this is the same everywhere Slow it down, when you can. To save your healthcare and economy.

One more thing regarding the masks, they help you to stay out of virus load. Together with ban of meetings. Because our immune system can deal with virus in low concetration.

Majority of people, who were severely affected, got load of virus from some place. Where were more infected people at once.

[Panda Tar]

My state was the first in my country to enter full emergency quarantine. It is doing better than other states. São Paulo, which has the most cases and most deaths, declared quarantine only now. Our president, every now and then, talks a lot of rubbish, then goes back and do something less stupid. It's so strange, everything is surreal.

They are expecting the greatest loss in infection curve around September, which by them everywhere might be back to normal, because health system will be able to deal with any new infection by then. The main concern right now is having too many old people hospitalized and getting to choose who will live or die, when younger people spring up at hospitals too.

Not to mention hunger, homeless people, drug addicts, even pidgeons. A lot of other social/health problems brewing.

Meanwhile, São Paulo state will set criminals from jail to produce masks. It is planned having 320 k by the end of the month. Well, at least they are doing something useful rather than killing, robbering, raping...

Here, every gathering is not allowed, even birthday parties. You can be denounced by an emergency number and policemen will come. Still, masks are being discouraged least not to prejudice the use of it for other higher priority purposes and diseases. The heavy campaign is to keep your hands clean, wash them thoroughly, use 70% gel alcohol, have baths when you return home, avoid touching stuff unecessarily, etc. It is much more focused on basic hygiene over your own body, than using resources to clean or deinfect tools, gloves and masks; and plus your own body. This is a huge 210 million people country after all, with a lot of poverty.

[Pol]

Regarding wearing masks, here and around.
https://youtu.be/HhNo_IOPOtU
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... 3Masks4All

Need to say, that they don't wear them in Germany, France or Spain. But they do wear them in Vietnam, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Chinese - where they have the most experience. Any little bit helps.

A KEY ARGUMENT FOR USING HOMEMADE MASKS:
Homemade masks are partly effective in individual protection, but they are essential for slowing the spread of the virus in the population. The main outcome of our studies was that they stop around 95-100% of viruses that people emitting by your breath, sneezing, and coughing. People are the most contagious first days without symptoms, that's why we need masks for all.

We have successfully tested the hypothesis at two main technical universities and it is highly recommended by a team of experts COVID CZECH under the coordination of the president of Czech Technical University in Prague. The team consists of a virologist, epidemiologist, doctors with specialization in population protection, chemists, and physicist with specialization if filtration. This group is an advisory expert group for the Czech government in Prague. Now it is obligatory to wear masks in the whole country.

Please share and help to spread the key message that can save lives and slow the pandemic.
#Masks4All: "I protect you, you protect me."

1) OUR LATEST RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PUBLIC: https://masks4all.org/
2) The first video "Masks and Critical Thinking ": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_8ho...
3) A list of 33 studies confirming the effect of masks (many thanks to @Jeremy Howard ): http://tiny.cc/maskswork + Jeremy's amazing video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoDwX...
4) The whole story of how we changed one country, Czechia, in 3 just days: https://tiny.cc/masks4all

---
Useful links:
- Tutorial how to do a homemade mask: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNjpH...
- Another tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qpcn...

---
Scientific Studie
- "We conclude that population-wide use of face masks could make an important contribution in delaying an influenza pandemic. Mask use also reduces the reproduction number, possibly even to levels sufficient for containing an influenza outbreak." Brienen, Nicole CJ, et al. "The effect of mask use on the spread of influenza during a pandemic." Risk Analysis: An International Journal 30.8 (2010): 1210-1218."
- "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, personal respirators providing most protection." - van der Sande, M., Teunis, P., & Sabel, R. (2008). Professional and home-made face masks reduce exposure to respiratory infections among the general population. PLoS One, 3(7).
- Effectiveness of masks compared to respirators: Davies, A., Thompson, K. A., Giri, K., Kafatos, G., Walker, J., & Bennett, A. (2013). Testing the efficacy of homemade masks: would they protect in an influenza pandemic?. Disaster medicine and public health preparedness, 7(4), 413-418. PDF: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/...
- "However, during a severe pandemic when use of face masks might be greater, pandemic transmission in households could be reduced." MacIntyre, C. R., Cauchemez, S., Dwyer, D. E., Seale, H., Cheung, P., Browne, G., ... & Ferguson, N. (2009). Face mask use and control of respiratory virus transmission in households. Emerging infectious diseases, 15(2), 233.
- https://www.researchgate.net/figure/F...

[hellegennes]

Greece here. The government took measures almost immediately. They closed down schools a few days after the first case appeared, then closed down all businessess apart from food, service and pharmacies when the first death was announced. They closed down all beaches and last week they enforced a restriction on movement.

It seems that taking measures early is key, because at least up until now we steered away from exponential death increase. We currently have 46 dead. Italy at that point of their curve had 148 and Britain had 281.

[Panda Tar]

UK took too long to start closing stuff.

Here in Brazil we are paying for São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro's lack of policy to close down stuff. My state was the first to close down everything when we had 4 cases. Now, the curve is ascending fast in the country, but the greatest majority of all deaths are in SP and RJ, both states with most inhabitants.

[Pol]

Here it's half good. And poor Boris.

[Pol]

CZ current COVID19 stats: Infected: 5905 - Cured: 422 - Died: 132

[Pol]

https://www.pcgamer.com/we-got-stabbed- ... -in-years/

That's about Rune II. and it's brutal. So you can release game and on first day disappear as a dev and move as a whole company under another studio. Without letting actual producer know, leaving them just with support promise and keeping them out of source code. And, of course, never come to any scheduled twitch or another platform PR. Puff.

Kinda cool is that producer survived such launch, get the source code and fixed the game anyway.

[Panda Tar]

That was foul play!

[Panda Tar]

So, here I was looking at some old thread and found Ethric there, our fluffy lichy. I wondered when he stopped coming? Then, went to check and ... he was logged here around 10 days ago! Why didn't he come to have me give him a fluffy hug?

[Kalah]

I'm still in touch with him regularly, but as he doesn't play M&M/Heroes games anymore, I suppose he doesn't stop by very often. Nor do I for that matter.

[Panda Tar]

Now, you get your own hug!

[ThunderTitan]

I'm still in touch with him regularly, but as he doesn't play M&M/Heroes games anymore, I suppose he doesn't stop by very often.

He's always playing Crusader Kings 3 on Steam nowadays...

[Panda Tar]

Kudoes, TT, how have you been?