Entry point in Europe is likely connected to the first cases in Munich apparently.
Either way by now it is spreading, also considering the fact that additional studies are showing how it has been around since early January around Europe.

Quarantine measures now are the only thing which can work in delaying the spread, not removing it completely. This will help a lot to ensure a lower flux of patients needing ICU (since those beds are limited and will be filled for quite some time since it usually takes a few weeks to deal with coronavirus)

 

What certainly did not help in slowing the spread of the Corona virus internationally, was the amount of international flights to and from China as a result of families traveling for the Chinese New Year. It's really the phenomenon of cheaper and more widely available air travel which is why we are seeing outbreaks of this sort of problem worldwide more frequently.

You can't really blame people for wanting to celebrate their traditioins, but the timing of the Chinese New Year (with celebrations beginning on January 25th, and ending on February 4th) could almost have been designed to assist in the international spread of a virus originating in China, if indeed it did originate there. And that seems likely, with the W.H.O. citing a zoonotic transfer event the Huanan seafood market in Hubei Province as the most likely origin point for the COVID-19 strain of the corona virus.

There are a lot of traditions in the celebrations for the Chinese New Year, but one of them is strangely coincidental with the COVID-19 event and was probably fundamental in assisting with the spread of it: There is an evil spirit named Sui who is one of the myths which form part of the Chinese New Year celebrations. According to the myth, Sui appears on New Year’s Eve and pats the heads of sleeping children three times. Those whom Sui visits in this way awake with a fever. If they recover from the fever, they are never the same again. To guard against Sui, parents leave coins placed on red paper on the pillows of their sleeping children, so that the shiny flash of the coins will scare Sui away.

Great fun for the kids, but ironically, that is probably one of the worst things a parent could have done if they wanted to prevent their kids from getting ill. Far from protecting children from illness, the bacteria found on coins and to a slightly lesser extent notes, is known to be one of the main ways viruses spread worldwide, since money changes hands frequently and travels rapidly. And you know kids, they'll put anything in their mouth, especially a shiny coin. The corona virus (and indeed many other things such as bacteria for Staphylococcus Epidermitis, Bacillus, Steptococcus and E-coli) can survive on a hard surface, such as a coin, for well over 24 hours. And what, if not coins and notes, would have been handed all around a market place which was ground zero for the start of COVID-19?

Years ago, these sort of things would be fairly easy to contain locally, since you couldn't get on a jetliner in China and be in London a few hours later. The advent of air travel being commonplace and affordable has meant that a coin someone sneezed on in Huanan, can be on the other side of the world ten hours later. So the moral of the story is, and not just for the Corona virus, wash your hands frequently, because there is pretty much no practical way that the spread of the corona virus can be contained, odds are, it's already in your country, because it didn't even need a human host to take it there.

Edited March 6, 20206 yr by Chock

I don’t know about that. The money goes inside the little red envelopes. The kids will have to unseal and open the envelopes to pull out the money to lick. And the shiny coins are now the coin shaped and foil wrapped little milk chocolates.

The Olympics are under threat in Japan, they may not want to cancel but if competitors are blocked from some parts of the world and spectators do not come what's the point.

E3 could also suffer with people pulling out.   

20 hours ago, G-RFRY said:

Looks like MSFS could well be delayed judging by this weeks update, and with Italy just across the border going into lockdown it`s not looking good.

All the update says is that development updates will be scaled back for the near future. Let's not jump to conclusions.

8 hours ago, Chock said:

What certainly did not help in slowing the spread of the Corona virus internationally, was the amount of international flights to and from China as a result of families traveling for the Chinese New Year.

Quite true.  But in many epidemics and pandemics, there's some sort of human behavior - individually or in groups - that serves as a driver.  In the spring of 1918, it was huge troop concentrations (and the less-than-great conditions many of them were living in) that helped the flu get a major foothold.  In the winter of 1918-1919, it was the waves of troops returning home that helped spread the virus all around the world.  No question that limiting or shutting down New Year's celebrations might have helped slow down COVID-19.  But the way we live, it's hard to get a handle on things like that before it's too late.

9 hours ago, G-RFRY said:

The Olympics are under threat in Japan, they may not want to cancel but if competitors are blocked from some parts of the world and spectators do not come what's the point.

 

I saw an article about that by Dick Pound (yeah that’s his real name 😂😂) regarding either moving or postponing the Olympics due to the virus. I think they said as of Feb 25th, they had about a 3 month window to decide the fate of the games. It will be interesting to see what they do.

I think people need to remember that when you hear alarmist news reports that COVID-19 presently has a 4.6 percent mortality rate, they are neglecting to mention this evidently means it presently also has a 95.6 percent survivability rate.

The media are in large part responsible for people panic buying stuff with the slant they are putting on things, for example, the UK news reported today that there were now two deaths from COVID-19 in the UK and they made much of this whilst skimming over the fact that one was a woman of 75 who was already ill and the other was an 80 year old bloke who also had a pre-existing condition.

I suspect there's probably more chance of most people being run over by a bus whilst simultaneously being struck by lightning at the moment, than there is of COVID-19 doing for them. More to the point, what were all these people who are suddenly rushing out to buy hand wash, soap and toilet rolls doing previously? These are things which people who actually like being clean buy on a regular basis.

Edited March 7, 20206 yr by Chock

I don’t think the fear driving people to raid the stores is about dying from it as much as it is the fear of facing empty shelves if you need something.

11 minutes ago, KevinAu said:

I don’t think the fear driving people to raid the stores is about dying from it as much as it is the fear of facing empty shelves if you need something.

It's about stupidity then, otherwise why would people who presumably buy that stuff regularly anyway, be suddenly concerned about it running out if it is normally available when they go to purchase it? Especially at a time when with people allegedly soon to be dropping like flies, if we are to believe the media's preposterous scare mongering, then that'd also mean the shelves would be even more plentiful thanks to their rival shoppers having been conveniently culled. Last time I checked, dead people don't tend to go to supermarkets, except possibly whenever Rick Grimes and Daryl Dixon would nip into one to pick up some post-apocalyptic Twinkies, a couple of boxes of .44 ammo and some crossbow bolts.

Which reminds me, I think it's about time we came up with an equivalent nickname for people with the bug. Walking Dead has its 'Walkers', so I'm thinking we might call people with COVID-19 'Snotters' or maybe 'Coughers'.

Edited March 7, 20206 yr by Chock

Chock, you're cracking me up. 🤣  You should go back to journalism.

After all, if you're gonna be holed up in your bunker fending off an infected Mrs Johnson from number 43, it'll help to dehumanise her a bit by being able to say 'I took out a Snotter' if you have to slot her in the head with a crossbow. 🤣

Well, I think we all have seen what happened in china. The quarantined areas faced food and other shortages because of the restrictions on transportation. Even if you are not in a quarantined area, supply disruptions from shuttered supplies also create shortages. The fear is of the business disruptions that may occur from government imposed restrictions causing shortages of vital goods.

My wife was in shanghai when this began. She ended up trapped in the hotel for a few days before managing to get a seat on a plane out of the country. If she had been there much longer, she would have faced starvation because most restaurants were closed. Lots of practical aspects of normal life that we take for granted and never think about just are not there anymore when there is a quarantine. Try fedexing or ups’ing some supplies to family there. They don’t ship there anymore. Can’t even send food or masks to people there. That’s why it is definitely smarter to keep a stock of what you need to last a few weeks in case you get cutoff, until military aid gets mobilised.

Her family is in wuhan and I believe her brother was one of those who died of this virus, before it was recognized. Do you have a funny name for those who die from it? I’m sure it would crack her up.

3 minutes ago, KevinAu said:

Do you have a funny name for those who die from it?

Nope, but I do have one for people who can't appreciate a bit of gallows humour. Mind you don't fall off that high horse of yours.

Edited March 7, 20206 yr by Chock

The company organizing E3 this year has pulled out yesterday.