Cottage Country Reflections: COVID-19

Dec. 31, 2019, there were 27 reported cases in China.

Feb. 11th, W.H.O. renamed this virus COVID 19., formerly it was called novel corona virus (nCoV 2019).

Canada has 7 cases, the USA 15. Both countries have citizens stuck on the Diamond Princess ship, in Japan, which they classify as 'other'...

The Princess has 255 Canadians on it, and 400 Americans.

Ottawa said it has chartered a plane to bring home many of the 255 Canadians on the Diamond Princess, where some 3,500 passengers have been stuck for 10 days amid an outbreak of the novel coronavirus. So far, 355 people have been infected, including 15 from Canada.

The doctor who reported this to his peers died of the virus. He was castigated by the Chinese government.

After death of “whistleblower doctor,” angry Chinese speak out: “A system that won’t allow truth finally kills an honest, brave, and hard-working citizen. We should be not only angered but also ashamed! Why can’t people have freedom of speech?” https://t.co/C6AwJJgfe3
— David Ignatius (@IgnatiusPost) February 7, 2020

Feb. 16

Feb. 15

Feb. 14

Feb. 13 – a big jump in cases, China redefined how it ID'd cases (X-rays).

"It is our current understanding that the new case definition widens the net, and includes not only lab-confirmed cases but also clinically diagnosed cases based on symptoms and exposure," WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic told Reuters. He said the Geneva-based United Nations health agency was seeking "further clarity" from China about recent updates to its case definition and reporting protocol for the coronavirus disease outbreak.

Feb. 12

Fluwatch reports:

For comparison: Influenza has killed 38 Canadians and led to 129 Intensive Care Unit hospital admissions, according to reporting by Canadian doctors up to Feb. 1.

There are thoughts that other governments are reluctant to report cases, for various reasons. Some don't want to get China upset, and wouldn't close borders to visitors.

Health experts have questioned why Indonesia has not yet reported a single case of novel coronavirus, even though officials were slow to halt nonstop flights from China https://t.co/dPZLCZ1KC1
— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) February 11, 2020

Feb.11

Feb. 10 - it's slowing down some

Feb. 9

Feb. 8

Quieter Response to Coronavirus in Countries Where China Holds Sway

Top officials in Southeast Asia have played down the threat of the virus and shied away from travel bans. Some have even pushed supposed remedies not supported by science.

Feb. 7

#2019nCoV: Very important data released by @WHO's @mvankerkhove just now: Based on data from 17,000 cases, 82% of cases are mild, 15% are severe and 3% are critical.
First time I've seen that estimate of mild cases.
— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) February 7, 2020

At 6:30 a.m. the plane touched down in CFB Trenton. Another 50 people were dropped off by the US, in YVR. They will be transported to this CFB hotel ASAP.

Yukon Lodge where the evacuees will be staying during the 14-day quarantine on the base pic.twitter.com/kqYZpcgP9A
— Ellen Mauro (@EMauroCBC) February 6, 2020

Feb. 6

Two Canadians aboard a cruise ship off Japan test positive for new coronavirus https://t.co/rYplXuQehJ
— The Canadian Press News (@CdnPressNews) February 6, 2020

Why children aren’t getting sick from the new coronavirus https://t.co/zPI7MHyT9E
— Judy Trinh (@judyatrinh) February 6, 2020

“The median age of patients is between 49 and 56 years,” according to a report published on Wednesday in JAMA. “Cases in children have been rare.”

6:30 a.

Feb. 5

Two hundred and fifty one Canadians are onboard a quarantined cruise ship where there's been a confirmed outbreak of coronavirus off the coast of Japan. https://t.co/3rJcEL5W62
— CBC British Columbia (@cbcnewsbc) February 5, 2020

7:30 a.m.

8:30 p.m.

Cruise ships that have visited China, #HongKong / Macau in the last 14 days will be prohibited from entering Taiwanese ports. Cruise ships which have carried passengers confirmed/suspected of suffering from #coronavirus in the last 28 days will likewise be refused entry. #Taiwan

A cruise ship anchored off Yokohama has 11 people on board, confirmed cases of #2019nCoV 1st case was a passenger from Hong Kong, subsequent 10 cases appear to have been acquired at sea on the ship. Tests of further crew & passengers underway in Japan.

Feb. 4

Feb. 3

From a.m. to p.m.

Feb 2nd

"Do you have Chinese disease?" That's just one example of the racism that Amy Go's friends and family members have witnessed as stereotypes about the coronavirus run rampant in Canada.

I wrote about the spread of that xenophobia here:https://t.co/hTLxIEo1ZJ
— Shanifa Nasser (@shanifanasser) February 2, 2020

“Photographs taken at the Wuhan market before it was closed at the end of last year show cages packed with snakes, porcupines and foxes. Media said about 50 types of wild animal were on sale at the market, including endangered pangolins.” https://t.co/IYHLnp3xRe
— Dr Kevin Purcell (@kevinpurcell) February 2, 2020