Because we are a global community, I would like to create a thread for talking about the COVID-19 how this has impacted you. 

I work for a smaller, Chinese-owned tool company. Our workforce after CNY and the extended break was only running at about 40%, of which this is actually on the higher side compared to what I've heard about other, much larger tech companies. While we haven't felt much of the impact here in the US, I am sure we will soon. The way that some companies flow in goods from overseas will really have an impact on store shelves; Stores like Walmart that have large DC's and reroute the flow and quantity of goods so that the shelves don't look as bare. Target specifically doesn't keep extra inventory outside of what it knows will sell in a specific amount of shelf-time and therefore bases reordering on that known formula. Given that orders from China are typically 30 days on a Boat just to arrive on the West Coast, and then separate amount of Customs and transport times to other places in the US, the effects will start to be apparent really soon.

Not trying to start a fear-mongering thread, but a place where we can talk about this like educated adults.

- Nathan

4 hours ago, $20 on joe vs dan said:

fair point..but you can't tell me there would be a shortage in test kits if private sector was involved earlier

Guess where the test kits are manufactured.................... Northern Italy

The reagent chemicals for the test kits come from.................. China

Private enterprise and Government both outsource their manufacturing to where it is cheapest. Because the public wants / demands the cheapest T-shirts, shoes, whatever.

16 minutes ago, whoisbiggles said:

Guess where the test kits are manufactured.................... Northern Italy

The reagent chemicals for the test kits come from.................. China

Private enterprise and Government both outsource their manufacturing to where it is cheapest. Because the public wants / demands the cheapest T-shirts, shoes, whatever.

Exactly. The private sector only moves where there is profit to be made. There’s no profit to be made having well stocked supplies for a once in a century crisis unless governments willing to pay taxpayer money to prepare pay up. And taxpayers generally don’t want “big government” spending money on theoretical threats if it means their taxes go up. This will require the brains of people who can think beyond profit margins to solve. It’s common good time and that’s a foreign concept to private sector balance sheets. 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8130479/99-patients-killed-coronavirus-Italy-existing-illnesses-study-finds.html

Interesting

25 minutes ago, Alpinemaps said:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8130479/99-patients-killed-coronavirus-Italy-existing-illnesses-study-finds.html

Interesting

Yet that's pretty much what we've known all along and shouldn't come as a surprise.  Someone early in this thread even mentioned how old the population of Italy is.

Edit: I guess I shouldn't say we've known, but could have guessed based on it's MO.

Edited March 19, 20205 yr by NIevo

21 minutes ago, NIevo said:

how old the population of Italy is.

If only it was that simple. There are a combination of factors currently at play in Italy, age is only one of them.  For anyone else who read the article and still not convinced, We as a country should be most concerned with these conclusions, which I found very interesting with our current obesity/diabetes rates. 

‘Some 76.1 percent of the patients who died of Covid-19 previously had problems with high arterial blood pressure, the study found. 

More than a third - 35.5 per cent - had diabetes, while 33.0 per cent had suffered from ischemic heart disease. 
Scientist have not yes established why people with high blood pressure are more vulnerable to Coronavirus’

This should be of concern knowing our country’s high obesity & diabetes rates. I keep having a bad feeling Florida is the slowest to react and are just waiting to repeat Italy.

there are still people on vacation fishing in the Everglades. Think about where they will lie on the response curve. 

Edited March 19, 20205 yr by BricksBrotha
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18 minutes ago, NIevo said:

Yet that's pretty much what we've known all along and shouldn't come as a surprise.  

Well, I'm not exactly sure it's the same as what we've heard before. Before, it was pre-existing heath issue. Problems in the past. This seems to show people with existing health conditions. Big difference, isn't it? 

18 minutes ago, BricksBrotha said:

If only it was that simple. There are a combination of factors currently at play in Italy, age is only one of them.  For anyone else who read the article and still not convinced, We as a country should be most concerned with these conclusions, which I found very interesting with our current obesity/diabetes rates. 

‘Some 76.1 percent of the patients who died of Covid-19 previously had problems with high arterial blood pressure, the study found. 

More than a third - 35.5 per cent - had diabetes, while 33.0 per cent had suffered from ischemic heart disease. 
Scientist have not yes established why people with high blood pressure are more vulnerable to Coronavirus’

This should be of concern knowing our country’s high obesity & diabetes rates. I keep having a bad feeling Florida is the slowest to react and are just waiting to repeat Italy.

there are still people on vacation fishing in the Everglades. Think about where they will lie on the response curve. 

US population is already in too deep with big sugar, big corn syrup, big fast food, & big processed food companies. It may be too late to change.

PA is on shut down as of tonight : https://www.inquirer.com/health/coronavirus/spl/pennsylvania-shutdown-lifesustaining-businesses-tom-wolf-shut-down-20200319.html

31 minutes ago, iahawks550 said:

Well, I'm not exactly sure it's the same as what we've heard before. Before, it was pre-existing heath issue. Problems in the past. This seems to show people with existing health conditions. Big difference, isn't it? 

Pre-existing as far as I've always understood is just a health condition you already had when the new issue whatever it might be comes up.  If you look at Health Care Plans a pre-existing condition is something you had before the plan starts, doesn't mean you don't still have it.

 

1 hour ago, BricksBrotha said:

If only it was that simple. There are a combination of factors currently at play in Italy, age is only one of them.  For anyone else who read the article and still not convinced, We as a country should be most concerned with these conclusions, which I found very interesting with our current obesity/diabetes rates. 

‘Some 76.1 percent of the patients who died of Covid-19 previously had problems with high arterial blood pressure, the study found. 

More than a third - 35.5 per cent - had diabetes, while 33.0 per cent had suffered from ischemic heart disease. 
Scientist have not yes established why people with high blood pressure are more vulnerable to Coronavirus’

I dont exactly know where I read it. But if I correctly remember: people with heart problems or high blood pressure cannot deal with the higher pace the heart has to pump for a long period of time -it is a lot of stress for the organism (because of the lower amount of oxygen the blood contains due to the malfunction of the lungs caused by covid19).

6 minutes ago, benjamin4172 said:

I dont exactly know where I read it. But if I correctly remember: people with heart problems or high blood pressure cannot deal with the higher pace the heart has to pump for a long period of time -it is a lot of stress for the organism (because of the lower amount of oxygen the blood contains due to the malfunction of the lungs caused by covid19).

It actually explains the theory in the article:

"According to a study in the journal Immunology Research, high blood pressure causes low-level damage to the insides of blood vessels and the damage stimulates a response from the immune system meaning that, when it has to respond to a real threat like a viral infection, there is a greater risk of it overreacting.

Immune overreaction can lead to sepsis or organ failure, which are often fatal, and are known to be a cause of death among coronavirus patients."

6 minutes ago, NIevo said:

It actually explains the theory in the article:

"According to a study in the journal Immunology Research, high blood pressure causes low-level damage to the insides of blood vessels and the damage stimulates a response from the immune system meaning that, when it has to respond to a real threat like a viral infection, there is a greater risk of it overreacting.

Immune overreaction can lead to sepsis or organ failure, which are often fatal, and are known to be a cause of death among coronavirus patients."

Then I guess it was just the explanation for people with other heart failures...

3 hours ago, jeff_14 said:

Exactly. The private sector only moves where there is profit to be made. There’s no profit to be made having well stocked supplies for a once in a century crisis unless governments willing to pay taxpayer money to prepare pay up. And taxpayers generally don’t want “big government” spending money on theoretical threats if it means their taxes go up. This will require the brains of people who can think beyond profit margins to solve. It’s common good time and that’s a foreign concept to private sector balance sheets. 

The US government, like most governments, is like a train: capable of moving vast resources with overwhelming force...but like a train, can only go where tracks are already in place.

The brightest minds have not stopped thinking because of supply train issues (This is the CDC and the WHO)...the brightest would be thinking of alternative ways to test for the virus that does not need scarce resources.

More than likely they work for private industry which is also capable of fast and new action which governments cannot do.

Billions are invested by pharmaceuticals for possible cures that never make it to market...so saying private industry will only go after sure things is not accurate. The mere fact that there are already anti-virals along the research chain is proof that private sector is where the cure will come from and not the government. 

If the recent relief bill is any indication.. "this once in a century crisis" (which is not accurate) will cost taxpayers $1 trillion give or take $500 billion...so yeah...for the "common good" or whatever that's supposed to mean...the government f'd up...had 2 months to prepare and laid all it's eggs in the wishful thinking basket of containment... pretty sure the breaking point for civilized society will be when the utilities start to waver...but knowing this slow thinking administration...it will only be considered a problem when the White House actual lights go out. 

Edited March 20, 20205 yr by $20 on joe vs dan

Italy's population is the second-oldest in the world, after Japan's, and the country has suffered the worst outbreak in Europe by far.

 

So what is Japan doing that's right?

5 minutes ago, $20 on joe vs dan said:

Italy's population is the second-oldest in the world, after Japan's, and the country has suffered the worst outbreak in Europe by far.

 

So what is Japan doing that's right?

Not a bunch of fat, unhealthy, lazy slobs??

All joking aside, it is odd that Italy is supposedly such a healthy country yet has so many people with health issues?  Especially heart problems when supposedly their diet is "heart healthy".

Edited March 20, 20205 yr by NIevo

5 minutes ago, $20 on joe vs dan said:

 

So what is Japan doing that's right?

Testing less and prepping for the Olympics 

One thing I have heard from people that have traveled to Italy is the lack of cleanliness.  Especially in restaurants and such.  Japan is known for being clean so maybe that's a factor?

Entire California shelter in place now

CA under safe at home order. I went to drop my shipment [emoji403] and Vegas full of ppl everywhere!!! I am not even stopped to get food. Cmon stay home please fight this MF [emoji3083] virus!

1 hour ago, NIevo said:

One thing I have heard from people that have traveled to Italy is the lack of cleanliness.  Especially in restaurants and such.  Japan is known for being clean so maybe that's a factor?

Sorry, it's been over a decade since I was last in Italy, but... what now? That was not my experience.

All jokes and speculation aside, I'm steeling myself to hunker down for weeks-months. My dad has heart disease and diabetes and I'd like him to live past 70, heck, I don't want to get this thing. A bit of irony for me is my wife is on sabbatical this semester, so we've basically already just been home together with our kid since December, and now we don't get playgrounds or church! At least she doesn't have to shift her college classes to online like her colleagues. Hang in there, everyone, it's a long road.

Coming soon...summer 2020

13 hours ago, whoisbiggles said:

Guess where the test kits are manufactured.................... Northern Italy

The reagent chemicals for the test kits come from.................. China

Private enterprise and Government both outsource their manufacturing to where it is cheapest.

The reagents contain trace amount of the virus, either it be live or treated. That would be highly prohibited in the country by USDA & FDA guidelines.  A similar example would be the test kit for Mad cow disease or BSE-scrapie. That test kit needs to be finalized in the UK because we the US have strict policies(forbidden!)when it comes to handling live virus’ (prions in the case of BSE) required to manufacture the critical reagents.

13 hours ago, jeff_14 said:

Exactly. The private sector only moves where there is profit to be made.

You both touched on the point of outsourcing. Most people assume it’s because of cheap labor. Labor would only be one obvious example however,  the reasons maybe underlying rather than direct. Most countries do not operate under the same umberella of strict guidelines our private sector is forced to adhere to, especially companies that fall under the USDA or FDA.  Most company’s bring that part of their product development to a subsidiary or purchased entity outside the US to a country where there is less guidelines to follow to conclude a specific part of product validation or launch.  This cuts down on the amount of hurdles to jump, ie. federal requirements, safety protocols just to mention a few of the thousands that exist. 

What we DONT need are existing Pills(chloroquine) that only dampen the symptoms and line the pockets of Pharma.

What we NEED is to loosen the restrictions on the development of plasma treatments and work on optimizing the system, which I think $20Joe mentioned. This has the bigggest potential impact on the entire global community, not to mention our current scenario. Yet, the economics are unknown so most investors are more comfortable with the knowns. That’s reality. 

Here is a pretty decent read from a fellow who helped eradicate Small Pox. He has a very interesting perspective since this has all started. Great last name too, should work for Guinness!

https://www.wired.com/story/coronavirus-interview-larry-brilliant-smallpox-epidemiologist/

 

ps. I do apologize to those here for cheap laughs, just trying to keep this thread informative to fellow BP’rs since there is a lot of misinformation and ignorant people out there. It is a serious time tho most would not like to admit it.

if that’s what your looking for this thread maybe more appropriate.

 

 

Edited March 20, 20205 yr by BricksBrotha
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