The Koonzt/Camus Thread (for writerly solidarity during a time of plague)

[Leonora]

Schools, creches, any gathering closed. ShoIps are empty (even though there have been repeated confirmation that supplies are there and it's simply that they don't have the man-power to put them on the shelves). People are going completely mad, like it's the end of the world. They imagine we are in an Italy-situation, even though our numbers are low, they are containing it well and the self-isolation should halt the spread.

The fear mongering is just extraordinary: one of our builders yesterday was saying he was in the supermarket, and two elderly women were crying saying they may never see each other again, and that this was the end. That kind of fear is just bloody unfair. Kids are terrorised (blame the crazy parents).

Parents, by and large, are NUTS, wondering what will they do with these children (their own). It's like they can't make any kind of rational decisions without being told. I've never seen anything like it.

My family Whatsapp was alive this morning with all sorts of insane stats: all untrue, but enough to make my parents nearly lose their mind. My mother has been constantly disinfecting the house, her skin will be destroyed.

I have to switch off from FB etc, because my hands are so itchy at how many people are thriving on the fear-mongering. It's AWFUL and terrifying, but being proactive like Taiwan or Japan shows, with the extra effort, it can be managed.
Getting people to actually stay the heck away from each other is going to be the biggest problem. Once the hysteria calms down and people get bored, I fear they will start gathering again...

I've decided to come off Twitter and Facebook for the same reason, and the way they politicise medical decisions, as though intelligent people in power are either stupid or venal. Thank goodness for Litopia and books!

 

[KateESal]

ou can buy the second-hand stuff on eBay I believe.

Used or unused?

This isn't an extinction level virus. Healthy people under the age of 60 will probably barely notice that they've had it. Acting like it's the end if the world is just stupid.

Actually, it can be pretty nasty, even for the under-60s. But not everyone will catch it, fortunately.

And no, it's not the end of the world. But the problem is the public health systems are getting hopelessly overwhelmed, because once an outbreak takes hold, an awful lot of people are getting seriously sick all at the same time. And that has knock-on effects for people with other health concerns too, the hospitals can't cope. One of my personal worries is if one of my family gets an injury that needs hospital treatment, but there aren't enough resources, causing (in the best-case scenario) very long waits while in pain and I don't want to think about the worst-case scenario. Also, it's a serious danger to health workers, because although most of them are in the "healthy people under the age of 60" category, they are getting a much higher exposure to the virus, which is resulting in more serious cases and some deaths.

Anyway, don't want to be alarmist, but that's why governments are doing their best to slow and limit the spread wherever possible. And the Chinese and South Korean models suggest the more draconian, social distancing measures are reasonably effective at doing this. In time, there will be a vaccine for CORVID-19 and it won't cause such a widespread problem. But in the meantime, it seems sensible to try and put the brakes on it, in order to give the scientists the time they need to find a long-term solution.

 

[RK Wallis]

Healthy people under the age of 60

Actually the average age is 56... that's the average, which means some younger victims have been affected. One of the deaths was a 29-year-old nurse in Wuhan (yes, she was in Wuhan, yes, she was a nurse treating victims but goes to show being under 60 and healthy doesn't exclude you; it's likely people will survive but there's no guarantee, that's why people are freaking - there's no cure and the virus is erratic - sorry for the doom and gloom, just keeping it real): Two Women Fell Sick From the Coronavirus. One Survived..

 

[KateESal]

It's getting the balance, isn't it?

Neither panic nor complacency are helpful (although not always easy to avoid!)

Meanwhile, we do what we can to mitigate the effects.

And help each other. Not least, once the economic consequences start to bite. And these, I fear, will be severe.

 

[RK Wallis]

Slight fever here, writing session cut short

 

[Steve C]

 

[E G Logan]

I don't know why I should be surprised by anything here -- I've been first travelling to and then living in Italy for a long time now. BUT I was knocked sideways last night by the contradictory OFFICIAL messages being put out. And the time and resources devoted to doing it.

Necessary explanation here: Italy has four main levels of bureaucracy: national (obviously); regional, in my case Liguria; provincial, which is La Spezia; then the town, or comune.

I finally thought I should check the town/comune website (picturesque but idiosyncratic and difficult to navigate), to see if I'd missed anything. Amid the slew of official verbiage (national), including the application form to download to request permission for necessary travel, there was a local radio interview with the mayor discussing the virus, and a local/town statement from Friday about what to do.

This said that it was permissible to go out "to meet pets' needs" (i.e. walk the dog), and also "take part in sport" provided sufficient distance of 2m is maintained. I had to read that last one twice. What??

This is at the very same time that ambulances from La Spezia health authority (province) are (see above) touring the streets hunting people with loaded shopping bags back inside their houses...

 

[Eva Ulian]

Lovely to see your face @Steve C - far better than staring emptily at those half-filled bottles of gin.

 

[Rich.]

And... my wife, our household's principle earner, is a flight attendant. She's away right now (stuck in a hotel in Chile until the flight returns, hopefully tomorrow). On a personal level we're wondering for how much longer she'll have a job.

Any news, @Rich. ?

She's on her way home (Yay!). But still programmed to fly to San Francisco in the coming days. Air crews are exempt from the US travel ban, but... but... but...

Confusion reigns

 

[Eva Ulian]

This isn't an extinction level virus. Healthy people under the age of 60 will probably barely notice that they've had it. Acting like it's the end if the world is just stupid.

I live in the Veneto area and until Feb 26 it was free of any virus, certainly was not a red zone area. Then a guy in Padova, feeling sick went to First Aid, they sent him home, saying he only had flu. Then he went to his doctor in the surgery. Two days later he went back to first aid and they put him in intensive care under an artificial respiratory machine, practically at the point of death. He is only 38 years old. Yes, he has survived but only just. However, that one person infected so many people that within days the whole Veneto area was placed in the red zone, lock down area.

Sometimes it is wise to look reality in the face and not wonder what the fuss is all about. However, I can understand why others feel less worried about it, because it hasn't happened to them- yet.

 

[Rich.]

Sometimes it is wise to look reality in the face and not wonder what the fuss is all about.

I would like to see this on billboards and T-shirts. Thanks for these words, Eva. This is the best thing I've read all week.

 

[Eva Ulian]

I would like to see this on billboards and T-shirts. Thanks for these words, Eva. This is the best thing I've read all week.

Thank you so much @Rich. Hope your wife comes home soon, safe and sound.

 

[Rich.]

Thanks. I'm sure she will.

 

[Rich.]

So, as I'm sure you're all aware, we in Spain are confined to our homes for all but essential travel, although our prime minister, in his address to the nation yesterday, mentioned that taking your dog out for a walk was allowed.

I just received this (translation below):



All the neighbours in the block have taken me out for a walk.

Who the f*@k is this Covib?

 

[Rich.]

And, following on from the one above (translation below):



"Daddy, I'm hot---"
"Shut up, we're going out!"

 

[KateESal]

Italians keeping themselves amused while in quarantine...

 

[Rich.]

That one turned up in one of my whatsapp groups too!

 

[Rich.]

And one more for now (keep in mind we're all stuck in our houses):



I'm thinking of those mums who've got caught up in this in the middle of weaning, and they've said to their little ones, "You can only have the breast at home!"

 

[Barbara]

@Rich. Keep 'em coming. They're entertaining.

In that spirit: someone once told me that if I give a spider a name, it becomes less scary. And it works. I now call every spider 'Dolly' (blame @Geoff for that choice). So I dare you all to come up with a name for this virus. I shall make a start: Dorothea Coughmeier.

Over to you.

 

[Ancora Imparo]

There was still a reasonable amount of food and provisions in our local supermarkets, in Gata and Jávea yesterday, but I also heard there were long queues waiting outside the Mercadona as soon as it opened on Friday and Saturday and people were piling things into the big trolleys.

My worst problem is I had a bad reaction to some medicine recently, my breathing got bad and my right leg and ankle swelled up. I cough when my breathing gets tight (though I tried hard not to do it in public). I went from not having to see a doctor for years, to two visits in three days. Right now, I'm very happy to stay home. I feel most sorry for people, like many on here – Rich, Barbara, KateE and others – whose livelihoods will be badly affected. The economy is going to take a very bad hit and that'll affect us all too. I think it'll get worse before it gets better and then it'll blow over and we'll pick up the pieces – as we always do. And yes, Rich, at least we aren't being asked to go to war. Staying home is easy. I love that quote.

I do get angry at some people's stupidity though. I hear of people in the UK who want to carry on with their shows, and meetings and marathons as if nothing's going on (Bath marathon went ahead), because "it'll be all right, we're not that affected". That kind of arrogance kills people. Someone said, "But it's only the over 60s with underlying health problems who are really affected..." as if that makes it okay to take a chance on spreading it. Breath-taking selfishness.

But it's also lovely to see the community spirit that blossoms at times like this. Lots of people offering to help their elderly neighbours. As ever, events don't shape people – they reveal them.

 

[Ancora Imparo]

In that spirit: someone once told me that if I give a spider a name, it becomes less scary. And it works. I now call every spider 'Dolly' (blame @Geoff for that choice). So I dare you all to come up with a name for this virus. I shall make a start: Dorothea Coughoviz.

Fred (with apologies to all Freds)

 

[Eva Ulian]

Italians keeping themselves amused while in quarantine...

I've seen (on TV) Italians on the terraces of multi-storey buildings with their guitars, bands, instruments of all kinds, singing, dancing and making bedlam in general in a most vigorous way, they are obviously enjoying the quarantine- ah well, they seem to have taken this motto to heart: if someone gives you a lemon, make a lemonade.

 

[Eva Ulian]

For a bit I wondered why they keep broadcasting to never ever touch your eyes, nose and mouth with your hands... then I found out. The virus is everywhere and lives for hours and days where it falls. So when you go out and touch something, you may be touching the virus, it can cling to your clothes and so on.

Today someone told me to make sure I never use the shoes I wear outdoors, inside the house because the virus can stay alive on the pavements for even nine days. "Ok, understood, but even if I do get a virus on my floor it still has to get inside my body in order to infect me... So unless I lick the floor, I am relatively safe, don't you think?" I said.

 

[Hannah F]

We will normalise the Coronavirus and life will carry on. Our ancestors once lived with Scarlet Fever, Diphtheria, Mumps, Measles etc around and society continued to function because people just accepted they were facts of life. Social events will take time to recover to ease the spread, but we just need to catch it and get on with it. We're the human race; we've survived a hell of a lot worse.
[/QUOTE]
Do any of you remember being a kid and going to a measles party so you'd get it while you were young and it wouldn't be so bad? I am old enough to have been and still young enough to remember. I did get measles and I'm fine.

 

[Eva Ulian]

The Mayor of our village has just put out a notice to say there are now three people infected- and we are only a tiny village. He asks with great determination for everyone to stay home.

 

[Eva Ulian]

I did get measles and I'm fine.

We all had measles Hannah and none of us died of it, and yes, we're all fine now... I can't say the same thing for the 6,469 Coronavirus Update (Live): 169,113 Cases and 6,494 Deaths from COVID-19 Virus Outbreak - Worldometer who have died from coronavirus, now, old and young, in just a few weeks. Nor would I be confident to say that if any of us or our children caught the virus we would survive it as we so brilliantly did with measles- Or at least, I have no desire to test it out to see if it is not so.

 

[Barbara]

We all had measles Hannah and none of us died of it,

Well, I guess we're here. so we're the lucky ones. But acccording to WHO, more than 140,000 (worldwide) did sadly die of measles in 2018.

Let's hope this virus stops sooner.

 

[Eva Ulian]

more than 140,000 did die of measles in 2018.

Yes, I noted that. But the article also states that is because many have not been vaccinated, or at least not with the 2nd dose. Note also

In 2018, the most affected countries - the countries with the highest incidence rate of the disease - were Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Liberia, Madagascar, Somalia and Ukraine.

These are underdeveloped countries- I'd hate to think what would happen if the coronavirus becomes diffused in such countries. However, measles is something that has been conquered and if we take the necessary precautions no one should end up dead. Those who now die of measles is mainly because of negligence and there really is no need for it.

This clearly is not the case with the coronavirus, we did not get infected because of negligence, and no one yet can say for certain how "deadly" or not it is. So I think it's pointless comparing this epidemic to those of the past, each is unique and each society has to cope with it with the means available at that particular time. I do think however, it has been much underestimated and that is partly why we are in such a pickle.

 

[Rich.]

A light interlude...

El Mundo Today is a satirical Spanish newspaper. Here's a recent article which some of you may be able to read in full. For the rest, I'll translate the first few paragraphs:

ÚLTIMA HORA: Los españoles ya se han comido la mitad de la comida que han comprado esta mañana | El Mundo Today

www.elmundotoday.com

BREAKING NEWS: Spaniards have already eaten half of the food they bought this morning

CITIZENS HAD SHOPPED FOR 10 OR 15 DAYS

They say that worrying makes you hungry. Spaniards have already eaten half -- in the best of cases -- if not all they compulsively bought in the last few hours that, following their initial calculations, should have allowed them to last the 15 day quarantine without another visit to the supermarket.

"I don't know what happened, but I'm bored and to distract myself, I ate the 15 kilos of chicken breast I bought this morning, so on Monday I'll have to go to the supermarket for a new batch and fight with whomever gets in my way," explained José F of Salamanca.

"For my afternoon snack I ate the two trolley loads of crème caramel I bought yesterday. I couldn't resist. When I see such an abundance of food I get crazy anxious," said Marisa González, a resident of Alicante who by the end of the morning had eaten 23 pre-cooked pizzas straight from the freezer, 13 tubs of hummus and 93 pots of custard. Many citizens are using masks, or improvised plastic bags over the head, to stop the indiscriminate ingestion of foodstuffs.


And so it continues...

 

[Barbara]

I merely responded to your statement that no one died @Eva Ulian. I'm fully aware of vaccinations, or lack thereof in the third world. The corona virus will go the same way as the measles. We'll get a vaccine and cases will drop.

In 2018, the most affected countries - the countries with the highest incidence rate of the disease - were Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Liberia, Madagascar, Somalia and Ukraine.

This actually brings the death rate percentage up. If the highest incident rate of the 140k cases was in just a few countries, it means more of their population died percentage wise (or is my logic not working today?). Imagine the 2018 measel death numbers if the world hadn't been vaccinated at all. We're currently fighting the Covid without vaccination like they once did the measles. Pre vaccine the measle rates were proably massive. But I can't be bothered doing the maths to worknout the comparison ratio on a grander scale. I don't have my maths brain in gear. In the end, one death of any virus is one too many.

You say it's pointless to compare. I beg to differ. Humanity has to compare viruses, bugs, diseases, pandemics. (Humanity has learnt a lot from the measles i.e. how imortant vaccination is.) Comparing is part of a healthy strategy to understand them and see how they happen, evolve, can be controlled, etc, so that when the next one comes along the world won't be quite so floored.