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šŸ¤® Coronavirus (Community Thread)

yesā€¦thatā€™s worseā€¦and certainly an idiotā€™s delight.

WTFery :face_vomiting:

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None of this looks good, a volatile financial market which got punched in the gut on this one. The numbers drop based on an unpredictable worldwide pandemic, and a panicked world. And even lowering the interest rate from the Federal Reserve to zero seemed to spook the markets as well, and another infusion of 700 billion to feed the bond market.

I do not begin to know beyond that it looks like another deep decline, and probable recession. Buckle upā€¦and wash your hands is the creed I suppose. :bathtub:

Take a look at Drudge report for a full scale upsetting headline (I took it down from here)

Okā€¦well, looks rocky out there.

In an emergency move Sunday, the Federal Reserve announced it is dropping its benchmark interest rate to zero and launching a new round of quantitative easing.

The QE program will entail $700 billion worth of asset purchases entailing Treasurys and mortgage-backed securities.

Markets responded negatively, with Dow futures pointing to a drop of 900 points when the market opens Monday morning.

The Federal Reserve, saying ā€œthe coronavirus outbreak has harmed communities and disrupted economic activity in many countries, including the United States,ā€ cut interest rates to essentially zero on Sunday and launched a massive $700 billion quantitative easing program to shelter the economy from the effects of the virus.

The new fed funds rate, used as a benchmark both for short-term lending for financial institutions and as a peg to many consumer rates, will now be targeted at 0% to 0.25% down from a previous target range of 1% to 1.25%.

Facing highly disrupted financial markets, the Fed also slashed the rate of emergency lending at the discount window for banks by 125 basis points to 0.25%, and lengthened the term of loans to 90 days.

Despite the aggressive move, the marketā€™s initial response was negative. Dow futures pointed to a decline of some 1,000 points at the Wall Street open Monday morning.

An explainer on that a stocks ā€œLimit Downā€ means :point_down:

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DisneyWorld and all the other Disney properties are closing down as of today 3/15/20 and because of Coronavirus. These patrons must not :hear_no_evil::see_no_evil:

ORLANDO, Fla. ā€“ Walt Disney World announced that its Florida parks will shut down after the close of business on Sunday, March 15, due to the spread of the coronavirus.

It takes a lot for the company to decide to close the parks, and this isnā€™t the first time theyā€™ve decided to do it, but this will be the longest stretch of time.

This will mark the seventh time Walt Disney World has closed.

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Can a Face Mask Stop Coronavirus? Covid-19 Facts Checked

The truth about how easy it is to catch coronavirus, who is most vulnerable and what you can do to avoid infection.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/can-a-face-mask-stop-coronavirus-covid-19-facts-checked?utm_source=pocket-newtab

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U.S. Health Agency Suffers Cyber-Attack During Covid-19 Outbreak

https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2020-03-16/u-s-health-agency-suffers-cyber-attack-during-covid-9-response

The attack appears to have been intended to slow the agencyā€™s systems down, but didnā€™t do so in any meaningful way, said the people, who asked for anonymity to discuss an incident that was not public.

The National Security Council tweeted just before midnight: ā€œText message rumors of a national #quarantine are FAKE. There is no national lockdown. @CDCgov has and will continue to post the latest guidance on #COVID19.ā€

The NSC tweet was related to the hacking and the release of disinformation, according to one of the people. The government realized Sunday that there had been a cyber intrusion and false information was circulating.

The hacking involved multiple incidents.

The tweet was in part meant to address the hacking, which involved multiple incidents. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and other Trump administration officials are aware of the incident, one of the people said.

It doesnā€™t appear that the hackers took any data from the systems, one of the people said. Administration officials assume that it was a hostile foreign actor, but there is no definitive proof at this time.

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My day so far, after one of our birds died yesterday:

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Why are immigration courts still open?


https://twitter.com/NewSanctuaryNYC/status/1239538520655568896


https://twitter.com/idriselba/status/1239617034901524481




This is gross negligence by Mitch McConnell, a partisan act that could cost hundreds, even thousands, of American lives!

McConnell pushing coronavirus vote to later in week over GOP opposition to House bill: report


BBC News - Coronavirus: How to protect your mental health

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Good grief! A least Trump has the ā€˜excuseā€™ that he does not understand what he does, but McConnell is fully aware.

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Mel Brooks and his son Max Brooks are the heroes we need:

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Azar another case where if you are a hammer everything is a nail or any drug found to help in working to cure, prevent or improve survival from the virus is a profit center opportunityā€¦

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From todayā€™s press conference

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The words - dire stands outā€¦as does 2.2 million (deaths)ā€¦as does drastic actionsā€¦and 18 months

#IneffectualIneptSlowUntruthfulResponse is where we are.

#PredictedTsunami (msnbc)

WTF WTF WTF

Read with cautionā€¦but read. Weā€™ve always wanted the truth, testing, and a plan.

White House Takes New Line After Dire Report on Death Toll - The New York Times

Federal guidelines warned against gatherings of more than 10 people as a London report predicted high fatalities in the U.S. without drastic action.

Sweeping new federal recommendations announced on Monday for Americans to sharply limit their activities appeared to draw on a dire scientific report warning that, without action by the government and individuals to slow the spread of coronavirus and suppress new cases, 2.2 million people in the United States could die.

To curb the epidemic, there would need to be drastic restrictions on work, school and social gatherings for periods of time until a vaccine was available, which could take 18 months

, according to the report, compiled by British researchers. They cautioned that such steps carried enormous costs that could also affect peopleā€™s health, but concluded they were ā€œthe only viable strategy at the current time.ā€

The White House guidelines urged Americans to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people. That is a more restrictive stance than recommendations released on Sunday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which said that gatherings should be limited to 50.

The White House also recommended that Americans work from home, avoid unnecessary shopping trips and refrain from eating in restaurants. Some states and cities have already imposed stricter measures, including lockdowns and business closings. Different steps, intended to drive down transmission by isolating patients, quarantining those in contact with them and keeping the most vulnerable apart from others for three months, could cut the predicted death toll by half, the new report said.

More - charts etc.

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Before Trumpā€™s inauguration, a warning: ā€˜The worst influenza pandemic since 1918ā€™

In a tabletop exercise days before an untested new president took power, officials briefed the incoming administration on a scenario remarkably like the one he faces now.





https://twitter.com/ChrisLu44/status/1239693282462117896


https://twitter.com/MaraGay/status/1239603785275670529


https://twitter.com/tizzywoman/status/1239640658463293440


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f4J07tGTo0


Chronically Awesome, a site for those with chronic illnesses, offers printable posters you can put up to help protect yourself or loved ones who have compromised immune systems, not just during the coronavirus pandemic but in general!
https://twitter.com/DrDonnaDemocrat/status/1239937132246032385
https://chronicallyawesome.org.uk/posters-for-those-who-are-self-isolating-as-a-preventative-measure/

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I donā€™t feel comforted.

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This is sobering.

From this article:

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Dr. Deborah Birx has succumbed to the most contagious virus of all in GOP circles: the ETTD virus.


https://twitter.com/AdamParkhomenko/status/1239951901942337538
https://twitter.com/waltshaub/status/1239952256113532929
https://twitter.com/dwright100/status/1239965835071877125

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This:

Iā€™ve asked around and I am not imagining it: the Democrats wanted paid leave. Trump had that blocked in the Senate by Mitch and company and stymied in negotiations with Mnuchin, and now Steven Mnuchin comes rolling in ready to cut checks so Trump looks like the savior.

So itā€™s bribery. Something Trump understands. Incredible.

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Some St. Pattyā€™s Day humor from Conan Oā€™Brien in the Coronavirus pandemic.

Silly and well a little stupid, but heh, who couldnā€™t use a laugh?
Watch :point_down:

https://twitter.com/ConanOBrien/status/1240014663426822144?s=20

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Coronavirusā€™s exponential growith can be explained here. So many undetected cases can infect others when symptoms go undetected. Where someone might just feel a mild cold, and then act as the Coronavirus vector to others.

Scientists are saying ā€œUndocumented infections were the source for 79% of the documented cases.ā€


From MSNBC

Substantial undocumented infection facilitates the rapid dissemination of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV2)

Abstract

Estimation of the prevalence and contagiousness of undocumented novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV2) infections is critical for understanding the overall prevalence and pandemic potential of this disease. Here we use observations of reported infection within China, in conjunction with mobility data, a networked dynamic metapopulation model and Bayesian inference, to infer critical epidemiological characteristics associated with SARS-CoV2, including the fraction of undocumented infections and their contagiousness. We estimate 86% of all infections were undocumented (95% CI: [82%ā€“90%]) prior to 23 January 2020 travel restrictions. Per person, the transmission rate of undocumented infections was 55% of documented infections ([46%ā€“62%]), yet, due to their greater numbers, undocumented infections were the infection source for 79% of documented cases. These findings explain the rapid geographic spread of SARS-CoV2 and indicate containment of this virus will be particularly challenging.

The novel coronavirus that emerged in Wuhan, China (SARS-CoV2) at the end of 2019 quickly spread to all Chinese provinces and, as of 1 March 2020, to 58 other countries ( 1 , 2 ). Efforts to contain the virus are ongoing; however, given the many uncertainties regarding pathogen transmissibility and virulence, the effectiveness of these efforts is unknown.

The fraction of undocumented but infectious cases is a critical epidemiological characteristic that modulates the pandemic potential of an emergent respiratory virus ( 3 ā€“ 6 ). These undocumented infections often experience mild, limited or no symptoms and hence go unrecognized, and, depending on their contagiousness and numbers, can expose a far greater portion of the population to virus than would otherwise occur. Here, to assess the full epidemic potential of SARS-CoV2, we use a model-inference framework to estimate the contagiousness and proportion of undocumented infections in China during the weeks before and after the shutdown of travel in and out of Wuhan.

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