NON_POLITICAL China Coronavirus THREAD

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H T C

Senior member
Nov 7, 2018
549
395
136
Well, countries are probably pretty bad at developing vaccines. Private labs are on the case.

I've heard there is a great deal of collaboration. It's also advantageous to try several new experimental approaches due to the urgency of the situation.

Government beaureaucracy forcing all labs to work on the same dead-end could be a colossal mistake.

For all we know, several labs in different countries could be working on a particular kind of vaccine: what if said vaccine turns out bad and doesn't work? All that time wasted in several labs ...

If they worked out in a World Wide centralized fashion so that they could work on different vaccines WITHOUT any "duplicates" so that, if one of them fails, only one lab if affected and all others are informed of what DOESN'T WORK.
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
110,512
29,099
146
Hey past self see below

See below, I am suspicious that at least some weren’t drinking it


Hard core drinking problem people do really hardcore weird things because of defective thinking.


Seems like they’re drinking it, from a CNN breaking news story. No link because the link will change soon.

I commonly make a dig in life, and certainly around these pages, at people that behave/say/post incredibly stupid things, asking them if they've been drinking Sterno.

I've said it at least a dozen times because yes, it's a real thing and a real problem. It's kinda sad, sure, but I mean....

the MetOH through the skin thing. It can be used in lab as a type of tissue fixative, in my experience for certain types of antibody staining (binding protein structures together), which is also the common function of your formaldehydes. So, yeah, I can see now that direct, certainly prolonged skin contact could be an issue. ....I actually didn't consider the fact that now as people are using this stuff to the degree that they are using it, it probably could be a problem when using adulterated hand sanitizers.
 

local

Golden Member
Jun 28, 2011
1,850
511
136
For all we know, several labs in different countries could be working on a particular kind of vaccine: what if said vaccine turns out bad and doesn't work? All that time wasted in several labs ...

If they worked out in a World Wide centralized fashion so that they could work on different vaccines WITHOUT any "duplicates" so that, if one of them fails, only one lab if affected and all others are informed of what DOESN'T WORK.

To be fair though creating a vaccine candidate does not appear to actually take that much time. It is the trials that due to biology have a minimum timeline that are slowing everything down. Pooling lab resources would probably make close to zero difference in total time to market unless they were on the wrong track.
 
Feb 4, 2009
34,506
15,737
136
I commonly make a dig in life, and certainly around these pages, at people that behave/say/post incredibly stupid things, asking them if they've been drinking Sterno.

I've said it at least a dozen times because yes, it's a real thing and a real problem. It's kinda sad, sure, but I mean....

the MetOH through the skin thing. It can be used in lab as a type of tissue fixative, in my experience for certain types of antibody staining (binding protein structures together), which is also the common function of your formaldehydes. So, yeah, I can see now that direct, certainly prolonged skin contact could be an issue. ....I actually didn't consider the fact that now as people are using this stuff to the degree that they are using it, it probably could be a problem when using adulterated hand sanitizers.

I’m sticking with they were likely drinking it or doing something weird like coating their utensils with it immediately before eating.
 

ultimatebob

Lifer
Jul 1, 2001
25,135
2,445
126
I'm curious what the "CoronaBucks 2.0" stimulus package is going to look like. I'd imagine that we'll all get our $1,200 checks again (unless you're a rich dude), but they aren't going to be giving out $600 weekly unemployment bonuses anymore. It's kinda hard to convince people to go back to work to minimum wage jobs when they can get over $15 a hour sitting at home.
 
Nov 8, 2012
20,828
4,777
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I'm curious what the "CoronaBucks 2.0" stimulus package is going to look like. I'd imagine that we'll all get our $1,200 checks again (unless you're a rich dude), but they aren't going to be giving out $600 weekly unemployment bonuses anymore. It's kinda hard to convince people to go back to work to minimum wage jobs when they can get over $15 a hour sitting at home.

I've been paying attention to the daily updates. Majority of things I've heard have been agreed on... including the $1,200 checks.

Remaining items:

Democrats are pushing to keep unemployment @ $600/week. They are apparently going hard on this.
Not sure if this is still being negotiated, but companies being immune to lawsuits related to COVID was also a topic that wasn't easily agreed on.
 

thestrangebrew1

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2011
3,430
382
126
Rumor going around the office a guy on our floor has symptoms and called out yesterday. His wife works in a nursing home that had an outbreak last week and she's pending results but also had symptoms late last week. This guy has been at work Monday and Tuesday, using the employee restrooms and coming into our breakroom to use the microwave. Everyone is freaking out here.

It's crazy that people who have been exposed continue to come to work until they themselves have symptoms. If there was an outbreak at my wife's employer, then she has symptoms, I don't think I'd come in knowing I'd most likely been exposed, most likely contracted, and could potentially expose my entire workplace. The problem is I'd have to use my time, and unless I get tested and results came back quickly who knows how many hours I'd burn. Lose lose situation I guess.
 

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
45,896
32,696
136
I've been paying attention to the daily updates. Majority of things I've heard have been agreed on... including the $1,200 checks.

Remaining items:

Democrats are pushing to keep unemployment @ $600/week. They are apparently going hard on this.
Not sure if this is still being negotiated, but companies being immune to lawsuits related to COVID was also a topic that wasn't easily agreed on.

More checks seems to be the easiest area of agreement.

Republicans really want the liability shield and the Dems really want the UI boost to continue through the end of the year. There is likely still a deal to be made in the issue of how extensive both of those things are.

Secondarily both sides want PPP 2.0. Dems pushing hard for about $1T in state/city money which they're not going to get all of, though the GOP won't admit it they need it just as much given the tax revenue collapse is just as real.
 

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
45,896
32,696
136
Rumor going around the office a guy on our floor has symptoms and called out yesterday. His wife works in a nursing home that had an outbreak last week and she's pending results but also had symptoms late last week. This guy has been at work Monday and Tuesday, using the employee restrooms and coming into our breakroom to use the microwave. Everyone is freaking out here.

It's crazy that people who have been exposed continue to come to work until they themselves have symptoms. If there was an outbreak at my wife's employer, then she has symptoms, I don't think I'd come in knowing I'd most likely been exposed, most likely contracted, and could potentially expose my entire workplace. The problem is I'd have to use my time, and unless I get tested and results came back quickly who knows how many hours I'd burn. Lose lose situation I guess.

yikes
 

PingSpike

Lifer
Feb 25, 2004
21,729
559
126
It's crazy that people who have been exposed continue to come to work until they themselves have symptoms. If there was an outbreak at my wife's employer, then she has symptoms, I don't think I'd come in knowing I'd most likely been exposed, most likely contracted, and could potentially expose my entire workplace. The problem is I'd have to use my time, and unless I get tested and results came back quickly who knows how many hours I'd burn. Lose lose situation I guess.

Now imagine you have no time to use (you'd have to take it unpaid) and you're living paycheck to paycheck. These perverse incentives existed before this mess, its just the stakes are way higher now so people are actually complaining.

Right around when we all fled to work from home the guy I work next to (in cubicles) got sick in mid March. Apparently it was the flu, but he was back at work after only being out a couple days, said the doctor said he was no longer contagious. I fled in a rage at the time, packing up my crap quickly and running home for wfh. I was afraid of getting the flu, giving it to my kids and then being forced to take one of them to the plague overrun hospital. But who is going to use a vacation day in this country for anything less than being to sick to stand?
 

thestrangebrew1

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2011
3,430
382
126
Now imagine you have no time to use (you'd have to take it unpaid) and you're living paycheck to paycheck. These perverse incentives existed before this mess, its just the stakes are way higher now so people are actually complaining.

Right around when we all fled to work from home the guy I work next to (in cubicles) got sick in mid March. Apparently it was the flu, but he was back at work after only being out a couple days, said the doctor said he was no longer contagious. I fled in a rage at the time, packing up my crap quickly and running home for wfh. I was afraid of getting the flu, giving it to my kids and then being forced to take one of them to the plague overrun hospital. But who is going to use a vacation day in this country for anything less than being to sick to stand?


Yea it's f'ed up for sure. My employer said we can go negative with sick time -80 hrs if something were to happen. Can't remember what the criteria was for doing it.

Pretty sure somewhere in this thread I said we did things backwards here, closing up the building AND WFH, but then re-opening the building and not allowing us to WFH. Stupidest thing ever. Now we're all in on staying open to the public and local leaders have no desire to let us WFH again. Except now outbreaks are popping up with some agencies, so WFH for them is a temporary option. Completely reactive and not pro-active. Completely ass-backwards.
 

Grey_Beard

Golden Member
Sep 23, 2014
1,825
2,007
136
I'm curious what the "CoronaBucks 2.0" stimulus package is going to look like. I'd imagine that we'll all get our $1,200 checks again (unless you're a rich dude), but they aren't going to be giving out $600 weekly unemployment bonuses anymore. It's kinda hard to convince people to go back to work to minimum wage jobs when they can get over $15 a hour sitting at home.

This position is a fallacy. A couple of studies have been done that say the additional monies allow folks to look for jobs. They compared the application activity of the folks who got the additional $$$ to those with exhausted benefits. Guess what, those who got additional $$$ applied for many more jobs than those with exhausted benefits. Can you think of a more motivated position than when you have exhausted your benefits? I cannot, as I would be applying to everything, even stocking grocery shelves. But they found these folks are spent and have totally regressed mentally. They accepted the position that they will never be employed again. Sucks. When you no longer have the worry of how you pay your rent and put food on your table, you are much more energetic in applying for positions. I bet they interview better too.
 
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MrSquished

Lifer
Jan 14, 2013
21,004
19,444
136
I'm curious what the "CoronaBucks 2.0" stimulus package is going to look like. I'd imagine that we'll all get our $1,200 checks again (unless you're a rich dude), but they aren't going to be giving out $600 weekly unemployment bonuses anymore. It's kinda hard to convince people to go back to work to minimum wage jobs when they can get over $15 a hour sitting at home.
Depends where in the country you are. 600 bucks a week ain't much. Besides the fact that if 600 bucks a week unemployment is 'too much' to some folks that's more a testament that wages are too low.
 
Nov 8, 2012
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Depends where in the country you are. 600 bucks a week ain't much. Besides the fact that if 600 bucks a week unemployment is 'too much' to some folks that's more a testament that wages are too low.

Yes, but there's also plenty that won't qualify just because they didn't have a job to be unemployed from before the COVID ordeal... Or people that still technically had a job, but didn't want to take the risk of getting it from being old, weakened immune system, etc...

Unemployment was sincerely the dumbest route to have gone.
 

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
45,896
32,696
136
Yes, but there's also plenty that won't qualify just because they didn't have a job to be unemployed from before the COVID ordeal... Or people that still technically had a job, but didn't want to take the risk of getting it from being old, weakened immune system, etc...

Unemployment was sincerely the dumbest route to have gone.

In some states a ton of people never got to file for any benefits either because the state UI systems got overwhelmed.
 
Nov 8, 2012
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In some states a ton of people never got to file for any benefits either because the state UI systems got overwhelmed.

That as well.

And like I said, after the initial closing of things - After a restaurant opens back up and asks for their workers to come back, unemployment would often stop because they are now deemed to no longer being unemployed.
 

ponyo

Lifer
Feb 14, 2002
19,689
2,811
126
Depends where in the country you are. 600 bucks a week ain't much. Besides the fact that if 600 bucks a week unemployment is 'too much' to some folks that's more a testament that wages are too low.
$600 was in addition to the state benefit. So say if state unemployment benefit was $400 a week. That's $1,000 per week or about $4,000 a month. Times that by 2 if's two working household with both unemployed and you're talking $2,000 a week or $8,000 a month. That's pretty decent in most of the country.
 
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