Where is down here?
News about outbreaks in different countries are kind of rare, there's a Covid reporting fatigue in the media.
corona? :(
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News about outbreaks in different countries are kind of rare, there's a Covid reporting fatigue in the media.
There were riots because your apartment was locked down? It's good to know that you're popular with the locals!
I hadn't put two and two together to realise that you would be living under these lockdowns Jacob, has it been hard?
Regarding Covid symptoms, I have had lingering slightly-more-than-usual nasal congestion for this time of year, but nothing else thankfully. I got off really lightly. Lingering symptoms after the virus is apparently eliminated in the body is certainly a common thing with Covid-19. I did have another minor symptom for a couple of days when I was still positive, actually; a bit of pain in/near one of my testitcles, which was mainly apparent when lying down in bed or in some sitting positions. It was fleeting and fairly mild, but as you can imagine it was uncomfortable and made getting to sleep a bit difficult. I can't think of any other reason for that pain, I assume it was an inflammatory response to the virus. It was hard to pinpoint it, but I think it was in the 'tubing' leading from the testicle to...well, whatever the technical name for the next bit of tubing is. Is it the uretha all the way? I have no idea!
Considering this is the "strictest" city it's not been too bad. For a couple of weeks it was difficult to order stuff online, and seeing as I've just moved in to this apartment I was missing some random stuff like proper blankets, curtains and a kitchen knife, but the actual "stay within your street block" lockdown was only 48 hours. I am also not at work (the kindergarten I work at is only gradually getting back to normal), but I've just been working on Iron Chieftain, drawing and cooking most of the day anyway.
From what I can tell not many things are actually closed. I'm fairly far out from the city centre so nothing is that crowded, but there are still shopping centres and bars open all over. I cycled about 40km up to the mountains a few weeks ago and there were lots of blocked-off roads, but I think that's just repairs and not Corona. The main disturbance is that you have to do a PCR test every 3 or so days if you want to get into most shops, and during rush hour the queues in some places can be quite long.
Ah good, I'm glad it's not too onerous. Cycling up mountain roads eh, I imagine the scenery is pretty spectacular. Are Chinese drivers comfortable with cyclists (i.e. do they tolerate them better than in a lot of UK cities)?
Antaeus
Squire
Down here is down under NZ...
There is plenty of fatigue in the media and reporting of cases is done by individuals who as often as not don't bother, so more accurate assessments come from sewerage testing, which is confirming that there is a spring boost. Probably just in time for xmas..
But other than positive cases having to isolate (but not their household contacts), there aren't really any restrictions any more. I had to work from home, my partner who didn't get it, didn't have to.
Road rage is basically nonexistent here, and most roads are extremely wide and have multiple lanes for cyclists. I saw a minor car accident where the victim was just politely chatting to the perpetrator until the tow truck arrived, and another time i was in a taxi with some other people and the driver got cut up by a slow cyclist in the wrong lane, making him miss a traffic light on a huge intersection. He inhaled furiously, then exhaled softly as he murmered something akin to "ah well, so be it". It's so funny how calm people are on the roads compared to London.
How is the Covid situation over there @Kentucky 『 ＨＥＩＧＵＩ 』 James ? The rapid change from strict lockdowns to free-for-all is a recipe for disaster, people will die because they can't get to a doctor.
What's your plan for getting out of this unharmed? Use code if you can't criticize the government, we will decipher it, there are plenty of smart people here.
What's your plan for getting out of this unharmed? Use code if you can't criticize the government, we will decipher it, there are plenty of smart people here.
Pretty much everything I've read in western media is ridiculously over the top as usual, or even blithely celebrating the fact that cases are going up in China. But stuff hasn't just suddenly opened. It's mostly the same as it's been since November, you still need a PCR test to get into restaurants, and public areas aren't significantly more or less busy. The school im working at won't fully open until early spring.
Chinese government is extremely decentralised, and even prior to this announcement by Xi there were districts reducing or increasing restrictions basically at whim. As nobody wants to be responsible for spreading it around, organisations and local governments are taking a gradual approach for the most part, at least here in Beijing. The main thing that the recent "zero covid reversal" has done is remove some of the mandatory weekly PCR test requirements (which were themselves very decentralised).
Chinese government is extremely decentralised, and even prior to this announcement by Xi there were districts reducing or increasing restrictions basically at whim. As nobody wants to be responsible for spreading it around, organisations and local governments are taking a gradual approach for the most part, at least here in Beijing. The main thing that the recent "zero covid reversal" has done is remove some of the mandatory weekly PCR test requirements (which were themselves very decentralised).
Epidemiologically it wouldn't make sense for the virus to spread so quickly after lockdowns have been lifted.
It will take perhaps about 2 months before cases begin to rise rapidly, along with hospitalisations.
Unless of course the lockdowns haven't been particularly effective and China is just seeing a new wave nearing its height.
It will take perhaps about 2 months before cases begin to rise rapidly, along with hospitalisations.
Unless of course the lockdowns haven't been particularly effective and China is just seeing a new wave nearing its height.
I'm sure things are fine though and the rising crematorium demand is for barbecues!
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Many countries are again trying to prevent the spread with all sorts of travel tests. Seems we haven't learned much in 2 years.
But monitoring the disease (not least new variants) is sensible.
www.theguardian.com
But monitoring the disease (not least new variants) is sensible.
China Covid: experts estimate 9,000 deaths a day as US says it may sample wastewater from planes
Infectious disease experts believe strategy more effective in slowing virus spread than new travel restrictions, as health data firm says thousands are likely dying daily in China
www.theguardian.com
That sounds reasonable. The number of cases being a very rough guess.
China needs to use more effective vaccines https://slate.com/technology/2022/12/vaccines-china-zero-covid-protests-coronavac-sinopharm.html
I took the omicron booster few weeks ago, but the new mutations spreading around now seem to make the current vaccines less effective, being "immune evasive". No reports of increased hospitalizations, so that's good.
None of the current vaccines are particularly effective, and far from what we had hoped for. They are poor at stopping the spread and only offers heightened immunity for a short period (relatively, hence why many people are given 2, 3, 4 doses).
It doesn't seem realistic for China to vaccinate a billion people with their rudimentary health care system (especially outside the major cities). They could focus on just the elderly/weak but even that is a huge task and it's too late now in this giant wave. It might prevent some hospitalisations and deaths but at a high cost. We need much better vaccines against the current omicron variants and hope new ones won't emerge.
Covid-19 is no longer a pandemic. It's endemic. Vaccinating billions of people every 6-8 months globally is not viable. I think future vaccines will either be superfluous because of widespread immunity in the general public, or only used for the elderly/immunodeficient, akin to influenza vaccines. But they need to improve them.
The biggest concern right now is new, more lethal variants, and the more people infected the more likely it is for new variants to arise. That can change everything.
It doesn't seem realistic for China to vaccinate a billion people with their rudimentary health care system (especially outside the major cities). They could focus on just the elderly/weak but even that is a huge task and it's too late now in this giant wave. It might prevent some hospitalisations and deaths but at a high cost. We need much better vaccines against the current omicron variants and hope new ones won't emerge.
Covid-19 is no longer a pandemic. It's endemic. Vaccinating billions of people every 6-8 months globally is not viable. I think future vaccines will either be superfluous because of widespread immunity in the general public, or only used for the elderly/immunodeficient, akin to influenza vaccines. But they need to improve them.
The biggest concern right now is new, more lethal variants, and the more people infected the more likely it is for new variants to arise. That can change everything.
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