NON_POLITICAL China Coronavirus THREAD

[MrSquished]

Perfect. Goes along with what I was reading in the NYC subreddit. Vacancy rates back down to around 2%. Many people will have to start coming back to the office soon in some capacity - whether it's just two days a week, or for some it will be more.

There will be a shift in how the city functions due to the hybrid work changes but NYC will adjust. There's just nothing else like it on the planet.

 

[K1052]

I never saw anything that made me think NYC is done for, in fact most of the time it's fucking inspiring. Yes seeing homeless people can be depressing. The empty retail spots are a bit of a downer. That part I hate.

Whenever I see somebody saying that NYC is dead they're talking about Midtown. Same with Chicago and the loop. A lot of stores and restaurants that serviced almost exclusively commuters went out over the past couple years. Go into the neighborhoods and cities are booming. I have to work Resy and Opentable like a hacking montage from a 90s movie weeks before visiting.

What makes people want to live in cities is still very much intact.

 

[MrSquished]

Whenever I see somebody saying that NYC is dead they're talking about Midtown. Same with Chicago and the loop. A lot of stores and restaurants that serviced almost exclusively commuters went out over the past couple years. Go into the neighborhoods and cities are booming. I have to work Resy and Opentable like a hacking montage from a 90s movie weeks before visiting.

What makes people want to live in cities is still very much intact.

Midtown during the week is definitely slower than usual due to offices mostly still being 100% WFH, but yesterday in Midtown it still wasn't dead - we have Bryant Park there, then walked to the MoMa, which means you pass Rockefeller Center and other landmarks. It was quite busy, we commented once how we wish there were less people at the crosswalks, though definitely there were less than pre-Covid. Plus Broadway is going on. Times Square is there, which I avoid, but the tourists are coming back.

 

[pmv]

It's all good, as I see it.
Jabbing children under five? Hard to believe anyone is pushing that narrative anymore.

What is it with conservatives and their obsession with certain words?

How does the word "narrative" make any sense in that context?

It's not a "narrative" it's a proposal or a suggestion or an idea. Maybe even a plan.

 

[gill77]

"The Science" changed when I wasn't looking.

We can all now seek early treatment.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/201...ion/print-resources/Test-Soon-Treat-Early.pdf

 

[pmv]

So this thing is now in deer and in hamsters

Hamsters can transmit Covid to humans, data suggests

Research confirms a pet shop was the likely source of the recent Delta variant outbreak in Hong Kong

www.theguardian.com

How serious is the presence of the Covid virus in deer for humans?

Scientists think surveillance is urgent as deer could act as large reservoirs for the virus, and serve as a source for new variants

www.theguardian.com

Makes me wonder how something that can jump species so readily managed to stay confined to bats in Chinese caves (?) for so long till now. But it's presumably here for good now.

 

[gill77]

So this thing is now in deer and in hamsters

Hamsters can transmit Covid to humans, data suggests

Research confirms a pet shop was the likely source of the recent Delta variant outbreak in Hong Kong

www.theguardian.com

How serious is the presence of the Covid virus in deer for humans?

Scientists think surveillance is urgent as deer could act as large reservoirs for the virus, and serve as a source for new variants

www.theguardian.com

Makes me wonder how something that can jump species so readily managed to stay confined to bats in Chinese caves (?) for so long till now. But it's presumably here for good now.

Not as hard to imagine if the virus has been participating in gain of function through several generations of rats / mice.

 

[Roger Wilco]

So this thing is now in deer and in hamsters

Hamsters can transmit Covid to humans, data suggests

Research confirms a pet shop was the likely source of the recent Delta variant outbreak in Hong Kong

www.theguardian.com

How serious is the presence of the Covid virus in deer for humans?

Scientists think surveillance is urgent as deer could act as large reservoirs for the virus, and serve as a source for new variants

www.theguardian.com

Makes me wonder how something that can jump species so readily managed to stay confined to bats in Chinese caves (?) for so long till now. But it's presumably here for good now.

Deer have been testing positive for a while now. Animals have been getting infected since covid began.

"In mid-April, right before his seventh birthday, Buddy began struggling to breathe. Six weeks later, he became the first dog in the United States to be confirmed positive for SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. On July 11, Buddy died."

 

[gill77]

Gorillas surprised me, not sure why.

USDA Confirmed Cases in animals

 

[gill77]

Those Danes and their misinformation.

https://en.ssi.dk/covid-19/typical-misinformation-regarding-danish-covid-numbers

 

[balloonshark]

I've heard that most of the anti-biotics produced on earth go to otherwise healthy farm animals to prevent disease. Since covid has been infecting animals for some time now what are the chances we see an anti-biotic resistant strain of covid?

 

[Brainonska511]

I've heard that most of the anti-biotics produced on earth go to otherwise healthy farm animals to prevent disease. Since covid has been infecting animals for some time now what are the chances we see an anti-biotic resistant strain of covid?

Since antibiotics are for bacteria and COVID is a virus, I'm going to go with: 100% chance that all current and future COVID strains are/will be completely resistant to antibiotics.

 

[balloonshark]

Since antibiotics are for bacteria and COVID is a virus, I'm going to go with: 100% chance that all current and future COVID strains are/will be completely resistant to antibiotics.

<face palm + Doh!> Thanks for the clarification. I don't know what I was thinking.

 

[manly]

Really looks to me as if the transition from 'pandemic' to 'endemic' is not a scientific question at all, it's just a matter of when poliiticians choose to arbitrarily declare that it's now 'endemic'. I mean there's still about 170 COVID deaths a day on average, but the government seems to have decided they can now formally surrender to the virus.
I wonder if there will be a formal ceremony, where papers are signed and we all bow to our new microscopic overlords?

It's a scientific question without a clear answer (apologies for the paywall, use private browsing):

https://twitter.com/x/status/1488611154524094466

Personally I don't believe it possible to avoid being infected by covid at some point, unless you do some extreme isolation. You can however minimize the risk of serious effects if you as an adult get vaccinated. You could argue that vaccination of kids would lessen the imidiate stress on health care, and I don't know how bad the situation is in the US, but over here we have very few on intensive care, so there is no stress to relieve. Currently it is no more dangerous than the common flu in a well vaccinated adult population. (Again based on the situation in Denmark)

The Atlantic writes about what strategy the U.S. should use on vaccinations, and why there is so much more mortality in the U.S. in the omicron surge. It specifically compares the boostering rates for U.S. vis a vis the UK and Denmark to illustrate why the U.S. is probably the wealthy country least-prepared to be pivoting to a "living with COVID" phase.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1493447030945030145

 

[Captante]

Finally received 4x Covid quick-tests courtesy of the "Gub-nint" today .... they're on the shelf next to my extra N95 masks hopefully never to be needed.

 

[Muse]

Finally received 4x Covid quick-tests courtesy of the "Gub-nint" today .... they're on the shelf next to my extra N95 masks hopefully never to be needed.

I put mine in my covid-19 drawer (set up in mid-2020), which has blood oxygen sensor and a variety of medications and devices in case I come down with covid.

The N-95 masks are elsewhere, some in car, some in backpacks, others elsewhere. I do use them all the time. I wear a vented one skating, my skating is better masked up. My sinuses stay calm without the cold air in them. Besides, I look fashionable masked.

 

[Torn Mind]

So this thing is now in deer and in hamsters

Hamsters can transmit Covid to humans, data suggests

Research confirms a pet shop was the likely source of the recent Delta variant outbreak in Hong Kong

www.theguardian.com

How serious is the presence of the Covid virus in deer for humans?

Scientists think surveillance is urgent as deer could act as large reservoirs for the virus, and serve as a source for new variants

www.theguardian.com

Makes me wonder how something that can jump species so readily managed to stay confined to bats in Chinese caves (?) for so long till now. But it's presumably here for good now.

I'd love to know the viral load of those animals but I doubt such a study will come about.

 

[pmv]

Deer have been testing positive for a while now. Animals have been getting infected since covid began.

"In mid-April, right before his seventh birthday, Buddy began struggling to breathe. Six weeks later, he became the first dog in the United States to be confirmed positive for SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. On July 11, Buddy died."

Yeah, true, I've noticed odd reports along the way of COVID in lions or hippos and zoo animals, but, firstly, the hamster case seems to demonstrate it can then cross back into people, and secondly, deer represent quite a large reservoir of potential infection, as there are a lot of them and they aren't far from human populations.

The ease with which this seems to jump species, and the fact it's never done it till now does make me curious again about its origin. Even if it's just a case of humans going to places humans hadn't previously gone and boldly encountering pathogens no one had before (to paraphrase Captain Kirk).

 

[Brainonska511]

Finally received 4x Covid quick-tests courtesy of the "Gub-nint" today .... they're on the shelf next to my extra N95 masks hopefully never to be needed.

I got my 4 USPS tests last week; and another 8 courtesy of my pharmacy benefits provider through Optum. I think I could get another 8 this month in my wife's name, but we don't need that many tests on hand.

 

[gill77]

Clinical evidence that the pandemic from 1889 to 1891 commonly called the Russian flu might have been an earlier coronavirus pandemic

Contemporary medical reports from Britain and Germany on patients suffering from a pandemic infection between 1889 and 1891, which was historically referred to as the Russian flu, share a number of characteristics with COVID-19. Most notable are aspects of multisystem affections comprising respiratory, gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms including loss of taste and smell perception; a protracted recovery resembling long covid and pathology observations of thrombosis in multiple organs, inflammation and rheumatic affections. As in COVID-19 and unlike in influenza, mortality was seen in elderly subjects while children were only weakly affected. Contemporary reports noted trans-species infection between pet animals or horses and humans, which would concur with a cross-infection by a broad host range bovine coronavirus dated by molecular clock arguments to an about 1890 cross-species infection event.

 

[jpiniero]

Whenever I see somebody saying that NYC is dead they're talking about Midtown.

Midtown is NYC though. Very likely their job is there, and if it's not it's very close in Lower Manhattan. When people talk about "wanting NYC for the city experience", Midtown is the reason. They're not talking about Queens or the Bronx.

Kind of wondering if you would see some push by pols to get employers back into the offices... if only because of the taxes. Maybe even a short term tax break. Course the mandates and restrictions would have to be long gone by then.

 

[K1052]

Midtown is NYC though. Very likely their job is there, and if it's not it's very close in Lower Manhattan. When people talk about "wanting NYC for the city experience", Midtown is the reason. They're not talking about Queens or the Bronx.

NYC experience for who? Tourists who want to go to the M&M store in times square? Really they should have repositioned midtown like they did lower Manhattan after 9/11 as a more complete neighborhood where people live and work. Even pre pandemic Midtown emptied out on the weekends and weeknights except TS and the theater district and was often dead as hell.

Kind of wondering if you would see some push by pols to get employers back into the offices... if only because of the taxes. Maybe even a short term tax break. Course the mandates and restrictions would have to be long gone by then.

Likely to be some public nudging coming up but not a ton they can really do. Available metrics like keycard access and MTA subway stats do indicate an upward trend of return.

 

[uclaLabrat]

Literally had that experience shopping for our nieces' Christmas presents. Walking to M&M store and some guy selling comedy tickets stops us like "where you guys from?"

Morningside.

"What? Why the fuck you down here?"

Was amusing.

 

[MrSquished]

Midtown is NYC though. Very likely their job is there, and if it's not it's very close in Lower Manhattan. When people talk about "wanting NYC for the city experience", Midtown is the reason. They're not talking about Queens or the Bronx.

That is totally not true. You don't know New York City very well.

Even if you want to not consider boroughs like Queens, and say Brooklyn, not the real New York, which is insane, and talk about just people that live in Manhattan - most New Yorkers that live in Manhattan don't consider midtown the area to live in, all the trendy neighborhoods to live in Manhattan, and hang out in, are anything BUT in midtown actually. A lot of New Yorkers do things in the boroughs like BK and Queens. Yes, Staten Island and the Bronx are basically not visited much by New Yorkers from the 'main' three boroughs. But Manhattan, BK and Queens are considered the core NYC.

Out of dozens of dates last year none I had were in midtown. The Village, East Village, West Village, Chelsea, LES, Hell's Kitchen, Union Square, Gramercy Park, Upper East, Upper West, even FiDi. Not one in midtown. It's where few New Yorkers hang.

As far as midtown goes, weekends it's pretty busy from what I read on the forums, and from my experience including last weekend. Folks on the NYC forums that work in midtown say Tuesday through Thursday are getting pretty busy again and happy hours are pretty packed. Mondays and Fridays are still quite slow, presumably hybrid workers are choosing to keep those days at home. Overall still slower than before covid but not dead.

There are still things in midtown that are busy for both New Yorkers and tourists like Broadway and the MoMa and there are some restaurants on the higher end that locals go to as well. Other things are just for tourists.

 

[gill77]