Coronavirus Response in SL Communities

[Marigold Devin]

1 minute ago, Selene Gregoire said:

I wish I could stockpile. I can't afford to and don't have room to store it any way.

Don't waste a wish on this. You only get three!

This version of stockpiling that I have obviously found myself into is borderline hoarding. Sea Kelp, Marigold!!!!

[Selene Gregoire]

19 minutes ago, Beth Macbain said:

My mother was an child during WWII in England and the rationing never, ever left her. We never had less than a full case of toilet paper growing up. 

My mom always did try to keep the pantry well stocked. She even made my dad build cabinets in the laundry room for canned goods and such. It wasn't rationing so much as hurricane country.

[Selene Gregoire]

1 minute ago, Marigold Devin said:

Don't waste a wish on this. You only get three!

This version of stockpiling that I have obviously found myself into is borderline hoarding. Sea Kelp, Marigold!!!!

Pfft. I don't get any wishes.

I get real tired of having to go to the store all the time. There's nothing wrong with stocking up on staple foods and other necessities in case of week long (or longer) power outages. It's a good idea to keep enough on hand to last a month. You never know what our mother, the Earth, is going to throw at us next. At least I do have some dried peas and beans for protein that will get us through 3 or 4 days.

[LittleMe Jewell]

2 hours ago, Selene Gregoire said:

This is not the time to be making jokes to people you associate/communicate with who may die from it.

I guess it depends on how you handle stress and some handle it with humor - lots of it. 

My brother lives in Oregon and is very much high risk.  He was joking about it before he tested positive and is still joking about it, even though he is now sick.  He has always used jokes though to get through every rough situation thrown at him, even being darn near blown to bits in the Army.

Different strokes for different folks.  

 

[Selene Gregoire]

4 minutes ago, LittleMe Jewell said:

I guess it depends on how you handle stress and some handle it with humor - lots of it. 

My brother lives in Oregon and is very much high risk.  He was joking about it before he tested positive and is still joking about it, even though he is now sick.  He has always used jokes though to get through every rough situation thrown at him, even being darn near blown to bits in the Army.

Different strokes for different folks.  

 

It's a bit different when the patient is the one making the jokes and not everyone else that isn't at high risk.

I know I would feel horrible if I made jokes about it and one of you died from it. Then again, I'm not like everyone else.

[Storm Clarence]

9 minutes ago, Selene Gregoire said:

 

I know I would feel horrible if I made jokes about it and one of you died from it. Then again, I'm not like everyone else.

What are you going to die from?  Do you know?  I am asking because I will, in your presence, only address the drama aspects of death, then.  We are all going to die sooner or later.  I am high risk with this Chinese virus. My will is complete whether I die from 'this' virus or from the absolute boredom on this forum.

PS It is humor NOT jokes.

Three coronavirus patients walk into a bar. . .

Edited March 12, 2020 by Storm Clarence
humor

[sternerregnix]

5 hours ago, Bree Giffen said:

Members of the Furry community are debating if the virus even affects non-human species.

It's zoonotic, so you can thank fur-brains for spreading it. 

5 hours ago, Bree Giffen said:

Gorean slave girls must now have N95 rated silks. (N95 blocks 95% of 0.3 micron or larger particles)

Yeah, having to explain the joke usually means it isn't funny.

[Marigold Devin]

I am so fond of all of you, and your funny little ways, how we can offend each other without meaning too, because our intonation is misunderstood (or understood) in text format. 

And I hope all of you get through these times of crises, with humor, humour, willpower, medication, weapon of choice. 

Because, as Stormee rightly points out, none of us are getting out of here alive!

[Marigold Devin]

.

Edited March 12, 2020 by Marigold Devin
I've gone past the point of no return. G'night all.

[Selene Gregoire]

12 minutes ago, Storm Clarence said:

What are you going to die from?  Do you know?  I am asking because I will, in your presence, only address the drama aspects of death, then.  We are all going to die sooner or later.  I am high risk with this Chinese virus. My will is complete whether I die from 'this' virus or from the absolute boredom on this forum.

PS It is humor NOT jokes.

Three coronavirus patients walk into a bar. . .

Yes, I do know. I have been diagnosed. I've also been denied treatment by Medicaid. I don't have the $350 - $1500 it costs to have a will drawn up in Oregon.

A joke is a display of humor.

Covid-19 is not Chinese. Viruses do not have nationality.

[Storm Clarence]

19 minutes ago, Selene Gregoire said:

...

A joke is a display of humor.

Covid-19 is not Chinese.

Ya see, you just wrote a joke.  Go figure.

[Selene Gregoire]

1 minute ago, Storm Clarence said:

Ya see, you just wrote a joke.  Go figure.

I was not joking.

[Storm Clarence]

6 minutes ago, Selene Gregoire said:

I was not joking.

Sometimes the best humor is not intentional.  I laughed. 

[Drayke Newall]

28 minutes ago, Chaser Zaks said:

Remember swine flu(that 2010 thing no one seems to remember)? Or hell, just the regular flu? They still have caused more deaths(each, not together) than Covid-19. Here is a source comparing other outbreaks: https://about.futurelearn.com/blog/covid-19-how-does-coronavirus-compare-to-other-outbreaks (I am providing this as a source, regarding any other information on the site I do not endorse it and have not verified any other information on their site)

It's these kind of comments that show ignorance in the subject as far as this is concerned and whilst I think there is a little to much panic from the virus, I also think people are not taking it seriously enough. Has Covid-19 killed more people that the seasonal flu? No, not yet. Whilst all those weblinks people post saying it isn't as bad as the flu therefore stop worrying they forget a few things when saying such things.

You use the swine flu as an example to show this new virus isn't as bad. Perhaps you need to be taught a history lesson. Lets begin in 1918 when the swine flu was classified a pandemic and killed up to 100 million people world wide -  you know, the famous one labeled the Spanish Flu. From this the next outbreak wasn't even an epidemic in the 1976 in the USA whereby vaccines were produced for it. This has allowed for subsequent vaccines to be developed quickly based on the previous versions when new strains appear. Between 1988 and 2017 there have been small clusters of swine flu outbreak and in 2009 there was one that was errantly classified as a pandemic. This is the one you are referencing and the reluctance of the WHO to call the current Covid-19 a pandemic stems from their mistake in calling the 2009 swine flu a pandemic. The 2009 pandemic wasn't a true pandemic by classification and adults over 60 already had a mild immunity to the virus. This mild immunity to it, studies have shown, is a result of immunity been passed down from sufferers of the 1918 flu of which the 2009 strain is closely related.

The difference with Covid-19 is that it is a new strain entirely and therefore there is no mild immunity to it or older vaccine to build on and its mortality rate is classified as up to 15% to those over 60. The 2009 swine flu pandemic you reference had a death rate of 0.02% in the USA and UK and a 0.01% death rate world wide. Covid-19 has a death rate world wide at the moment to those diagnosed as approx. 3% and 6% in Italy. This is why in 2009 we didn't see countries closing borders or full bio containment measures being used. Also remember that that is diagnosed cases. Just like in 2009 there will be plenty of people that went undiagnosed and died, meaning the stated death count will be higher just like it was in the 2009 flu pandemic.

A few other things about the current outbreak people seem to not realise

Firstly, the flu has treatments both vaccine wise and when you have it drugs that can reduce the severity of symptoms. For instance the flu shot, whilst not a true vaccine, does in most cases make the symptoms lower and also makes the death rate lower. It also helps contain the spread as in some it acts like a vaccine. This is a main contributor to the death rate being 0.01%

Secondly, Covid-19 has a much higher death rate in the elderly and vulnerable person environment. Many countries have an aging population, and whilst people say its ok I will just get milder symptoms, they seem to forget that this virus is 100's of times more contagious than the common cold or flu due to not having a vaccine. This means that a simple visit to a shop to buy toilet paper in all the panic can have a dramatic flow on effect whereby the virus can infect areas that vulnerable people are. It can for instance infiltrate into a nursing home via someone with mild symptoms who touched the toilet rolls and then those rolls were taken to that nursing home. Another huge worry is money where the WHO has specifically stated that the virus can stay on the money for up to to 2 weeks.

There also seems to not be the understanding that people with chronic lung issues are also a lot more vulnerable. You might think oh but that's not a very common thing. Well let me put it this way, when was the last time you saw someone with Asthma? This is a chronic lung disease and in the western world Asthma is a very common thing in any age.

Thirdly, due to the contagiousness of the virus and due to many needing help breathing at a hospital, it is putting major demand on the health system. This is more what I think is the most concerning in that, the western world doesn't have the hospital beds to cope with the demand. Italy has some of the largest supply of hospital beds in Europe per capita and they have run out to the point where doctors in that environment have stated publicly in social media that they have instigated war time triage methods of determining who lives or dies based on probability and symptoms. The western medical world hasn't seen this kind of triage system instigated in general population ever.

Fourthly, It is having a monstrous impact on the economies of every country in the world. Lockdowns such as those in china and Italy to contain the spread means that those countries could potentially either go into deep recession or a major depression. Businesses, are suffering to stay afloat or will be, due to having to pay in some cases their entire staff sick leave despite having to close the business for that period not earning any money.

Lastly, the virus began spreading in the northern hemisphere at the final weeks of their winter. If this had hit during the north hemisphere's flu season it would have been even more devastating. A similar scenario happened with the Spanish Flu in 1918 whereby it was mild the first time around due to not being spread during winter but hit bad the next autumn. Conversely, the southern hemisphere is just beginning to enter into their flu season. This means that something like this on top of the flu could mean a much more massive death rate than seen in the north hemisphere. This is something I don't think a lot of those in the North Hemisphere understand in that there are parts of the world where something like this can be terrible if it hits at the right time. Add onto that that by that time a vaccine still wont have been made, you will then have infected people from the southern hemisphere traveling north, possibly prolonging the pandemic or lockdowns.

So, whilst yes don't panic and leave some toilet paper for the rest of us, please stop spreading false belief that everything is hunky-dory.

Will everything be fine in the future? Sure, so long as you are one with mild symptoms, just have some thought of those more vulnerable however.

[Selene Gregoire]

5 minutes ago, Storm Clarence said:

Sometimes the best humor is not intentional.  I laughed. 

If noone has ever told you, you are cold hearted, it's about time they did.

[Selene Gregoire]

10 minutes ago, Drayke Newall said:

the reluctance of the WHO to call the current Covid-19 a pandemic

In case you were not aware this is from yesterday:

Coronavirus: COVID-19 Is Now Officially A Pandemic, WHO Says

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/03/11/814474930/coronavirus-covid-19-is-now-officially-a-pandemic-who-says

Edited March 13, 2020 by Selene Gregoire

[Coffee Pancake]

1 hour ago, Storm Clarence said:

Chinese virus

Can we at least do this without the xenophobia ?

[SpiritSparrow Skydancer]

6 hours ago, Syn Anatine said:

I'm in germany, where the virus is also spreading and killing people. While I get the humor its really really black all things considered.

On a humorous note: People here are hoarding noodles and toilet paper. Apparently that's all we germans need in face of a health crisis.

I marked myself safe from the toilet paper shortage.

[Selene Gregoire]

There are now a total of 10 cases in my county.

[Maitimo]

2 hours ago, BelindaN said:

But why toilet roll??????

It's real. Real people are stockpiling it. Even trying to sell it on e bay.

Just why??

This is why...

2 hours ago, BelindaN said:

Even trying to sell it on e bay.

Any excuse to make a fast buck at the expense of those in need.

[Drayke Newall]

37 minutes ago, Selene Gregoire said:

In case you were not aware this is from yesterday:

Coronavirus: COVID-19 Is Now Officially A Pandemic, WHO Says

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/03/11/814474930/coronavirus-covid-19-is-now-officially-a-pandemic-who-says

Yeah did see that but thanks anyway. I think most of the world governments had already been acting like it was a pandemic well before the WHO declared it to be.

[Dano Seale]

We Brit's always tend to get in trouble with things like this due to one of our National pastimes being "taking the p1ss" (poking fun) out of anything and everything!  I mean, the first Princess Diana death jokes were circulating before half the Country had even woken up to the news!
Life's too short, literally sometimes, to be spending it panicking and stockpiling toilet rolls. Bree made a post that brought a smirk to my face, nothing more, nothing less. Anyone who didn't find the humour (humor) in it should just move on, it wasn't meant for you! People cope with things in different ways, they shouldn't be chastized for it just because someone else disagrees. As someone else said, this thing is no more dangerous than any other strain of flu already encountered. If the media hadn't gone ballistic over it (as usual) nobody would be taking notice of the death toll as more usually die on any other day anyhow without all this hysteria.

The funniest thing in this whole thread I found, was actually Beth McCain saying "they closed all the churches"!  'Religion' eh?....You'll find half of them screaming "God has sent this plague to cleanse mankind...REPENT!"....while the other half are banging on church doors to light a candle or 10 and "repent" with the priests screaming "Go away...unclean...UNCLEAN!". 
No need to worry though, couple of months time they'll be back telling you how "God is the way" and passing the collection plates!
Some people just NEED the humour...it's not a crime!


*Disclaimer: I currently have stage 4 COPD and getting this thing would probably send me on a one way trip to "destination f***ed", so I don't really care who finds the thread funny or not. I did...c'est la vie! C'est la mort!

Edit: @Beth Macbain - Got your name wrong...apologies.
 

Edited March 13, 2020 by Dano Seale
Persons name spelt wrong.

[Selene Gregoire]

1 minute ago, Drayke Newall said:

Yeah did see that but thanks anyway. I think most of the world governments had already been acting like it was a pandemic well before the WHO declared it to be.

Those whose "presidential" office hasn't been unmanned/vacant for the past 3 years.

[Selene Gregoire]

3 minutes ago, Dano Seale said:

this thing is no more dangerous than any other strain of flu already encountered.

You're wrong.

[Dano Seale]

Just now, Selene Gregoire said:

You're wrong.

Often. Just my stance for now.  😐