If they're doing research, they are not limited to FDA-approved tests. I would expect different test procedures, performed in a suitable laboratory, to be more sensitive, and for Stanford to use them.
More than a dozen research groups worldwide have started analysing wastewater for the new coronavirus as a way to estimate the total number of infections in a community, given that most people will not be tested. The method could also be used to detect the coronavirus if it returns to communities, say scientists. So far, researchers have found traces of the virus in the Netherlands, the United States and Sweden.
…
Early-warning sign
Infection-control measures, such as social distancing, will probably suppress the current pandemic, but the virus could return once such measures are lifted. Routine wastewater surveillance could be used as a non-invasive early-warning tool to alert communities to new COVID-19 infections, says Ana Maria de Roda Husman, an infectious-disease researcher at the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in Bilthoven. The institute has previously monitored sewage to detect outbreaks of norovirus, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, poliovirus and measles.
I was going more for a 'size' analogy. (although eu is like 500mill vs usa at 330mill)
ah. I did not know that.
my point is more that any state can become NY. (say within the next month). it's not like once you send all the reserve ventilators to NYC that NYC will be giving any of them up anytime soon to NJ or Louisiana etc.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/me...e-for-coronavirus/ar-BB12coPu?ocid=spartanntp
NEW YORK (AP) — A tiger at the Bronx Zoo has tested positive for the new coronavirus, in what is believed to be the first known infection in an animal in the U.S. or a tiger anywhere, federal officials and the zoo said Sunday.
Source: https://lawandcrime.com/covid-19-pa...ccess-to-trump/amp/?__twitter_impression=truePresident Donald Trump on Sunday once again touted the potential life-saving benefits of treating coronavirus patients with hydroxychloroquine, a powerful anti-malaria drug, despite a dearth of medical professionals or clinical evidence supporting his claims. It just so happens that one of the largest manufacturers of the drug, Novartis, previously paid Trump’s now-incarcerated former personal attorney Michael Cohen more than $1 million for healthcare policy insight following Trump’s election in 2016.
The Swiss drug maker signed a contract that paid Cohen’s newly formed limited-liability corporation Essential Consultants $100,000 per month in February of 2017. After details of the deal were leaked by the now-jailed Michael Avenatti, whose then-client Stormy Daniels was engaged in a legal dispute with the president, the company’s CEO issued a public apology saying Novartis “made a mistake” in contracting with the president’s personal attorney.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-wanted-him-to-lobby-he-refused-idUSKCN1QG2DUWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen testified on Wednesday that Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG initially wanted him to lobby for the company when it retained him with a $1.2 million contract, but that Cohen refused.
“Novartis sent me their contract, which stated specifically that they wanted me to lobby. That they wanted me to provide access to government, including the president, “ Cohen said.
“That paragraph was crossed out by me, initialed, and written in my own handwriting that says I will not lobby or do government relations work,” he told members of the House Oversight Committee.
https://www.novartis.com/news/media...ine-support-global-covid-19-pandemic-responseBasel, March 20, 2020 - Novartis announced today its commitment to donate up to 130 million doses of generic hydroxychloroquine to support the global COVID-19 pandemic response. Hydroxychloroquine and a related drug, chloroquine, are currently under evaluation in clinical trials for the treatment of COVID-19. Novartis is supporting ongoing clinical trial efforts, and will evaluate needs for additional clinical trials.
Conspiratorially fishy? If so, then it will soon be exposed. That's the nature of plain old conspiracies versus conspiracy theories.
moderator add: (from article)Coronavirus: YouTube tightens rules after David Icke 5G interview
YouTube has banned all conspiracy theory videos falsely linking coronavirus symptoms to 5G networks.
The Google-owned service will now delete videos violating the policy. It had previously limited itself to reducing the frequency it recommended them in its Up Next section.
The move follows a live-streamed interview with conspiracy theorist David Icke on Monday, in which he had linked the technology to the pandemic.
"We have clear policies that prohibit videos promoting medically unsubstantiated methods to prevent the coronavirus in place of seeking medical treatment, and we quickly remove videos violating these policies when flagged to us," a spokeswoman for YouTube told the BBC.
"Now any content that disputes the existence or transmission of Covid-19, as described by the WHO [World Health Organization] and local health authorities is in violation of YouTube policies.
"This includes conspiracy theories which claim that the symptoms are caused by 5G.
[5:20][A friend who is a psychiatrist] told me that his patients with paranoid tendencies have been extremely troubled by the conspiracy theories flying around the internet and have markedly deteriorated.
This is in addition to the Stanford Study in this post: https://www.metabunk.org/threads/covid-19-coronavirus-current-events.11085/post-237772The United States has begun taking blood samples from across the country to determine the true number of people infected with the coronavirus, using a test that works retrospectively .
"We're just starting to do testing and we'll report out on these very quickly," said Joe Bresee, deputy incident manager for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's pandemic response, according to the health website Stat News.
He added the CDC would conduct three surveys: The first on blood samples from undiagnosed people from some of the country's coronavirus hot spots, the second a national survey from different parts of the country, and the third a study on health workers.
The first survey has already begun as of the weekend, but no firm timeline has been issued for the other two.
Separately, Stanford University conducted its own serological survey on Saturday in the city of Santa Clara, Jay Bhattacharya, a professor of medicine at the university told AFP.
"We collected finger prick blood samples from about 2,500 volunteer participants selected to be representative of the county and about 500 of their children," he said, adding the results would be released soon.
In yesterday's press conference, the director of the RKI revealed in response to a question that Germany is doing a quick survey using 2500 samples from blood donors.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELISA
The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (/ɪˈlaɪzə/, /ˌiːˈlaɪzə/) is a commonly used analytical biochemistry assay, first described by Engvall and Perlmann in 1971.[1] The assay uses a solid-phase enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to detect the presence of a ligand (commonly a protein) in a liquid sample using antibodies directed against the protein to be measured. ELISA has been used as a diagnostic tool in medicine, plant pathology, and biotechnology, as well as a quality control check in various industries.
An ELISA being developed with TMB
In the most simple form of an ELISA, antigens from the sample are attached to a surface. Then, a matching antibody is applied over the surface so it can bind to the antigen. This antibody is linked to an enzyme, and in the final step, a substance containing the enzyme's substrate is added. The subsequent reaction produces a detectable signal, most commonly a color change.
http://www.epitopediagnostics.com/covid-19-elisa
2. Why not use PCR and Rapid Tests?
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a diagnostic test designed to confirm a clinical disease through the amplification of DNA and RNA. However, PCR can only achieve a sensitivity of 50 to 79%, presents issues during the isolation of the virus from clinical specimen, and requires biosafety level 3 laboratory facilities. Rapid Test Diagnostics (RTD) are lateral-flow assays, that use a dipstick or cassette format to perform a qualitative detection of a disease. However, due to the format of the assay, they can only achieve a sensitivity of 30%. For these reasons, Epitope Diagnostics, Inc. does not offer either of these tests for the detection of COVID-19.
3. How do I use your tests?
The kit contains a 96-well ELISA microtiter plate and all the reagents and control materials required to run the test. Each kit can run up to 92 patient samples in singlet, or 46 in duplicate depending on the preference of the laboratory. Tests can be performed manually with any spectrophotometric microplate reader capable of reading absorbance at 450 nm and a ELISA multichannel wash bottle or automatic (semi-automatic) washing system. Assays can be performed on automated instruments with additional validation.
The fact that this test requires the body to have developed an immune response to the virus makes it less suitable as a diagnostic tool if you want to detect the infection early, but it'd be great for retrospective analysis, though I don't see that it has been validated for that yet. I'd assume the universities using the test for population screening are doing that; they'd have to check that the test is sensitive enough to detect post-infection levels of these antibodies, and develop procedures that increase its sensitivity if it isn't.LIMITATIONS OF THE PROCEDURE
1. This test is only for qualitative detection. Test results should not be the sole basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment. The confirmation of infection with novel coronavirus (COVID-19) must be combined with the patient's clinical signs in conjunction to other tests.
2. In the first week of the onset of the infection with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) patients results may be negative for IgG. In addition, patients with low immunity or other diseases that affect immune function, failure of important systemic organs, and use of drugs that suppress immune function can also lead to negative results of new coronavirus IgG. Previous infection of SARS or other coronavirus strain may cause a light IgG positive in view of similarity of different strains.
3. Bacterial or fungal contamination of serum specimens or reagents, or cross-contamination between reagents may cause erroneous results.
4. Water deionized with polyester resins may inactive the horseradish peroxidase enzyme.
CLINICAL TESTING
Serum samples from two cohorts of patients were tested using the IgG ELISA kit at the Jiaxing City Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Zhejiang University Hospital. The combined cohort consisted of normal healthy patients with samples collected prior to the COVID-19 outbreak [December 3, 2019] (n = 54) and RT-PCR confirmed positive patients in after the second week of the onset of the disease (n = 30). The results are as follows:
The diagnostic sensitivity is 100%. The diagnostic specificity is 100%. The negative predictive value is 100%. The positive predictive value is 100%.
The coronavirus entered Milwaukee from a white, affluent suburb. Then it took root in the city’s black community and erupted.
As public health officials watched cases rise in March, too many in the community shrugged off warnings. Rumors and conspiracy theories proliferated on social media, pushing the bogus idea that black people are somehow immune to the disease. And much of the initial focus was on international travel, so those who knew no one returning from Asia or Europe were quick to dismiss the risk.
Then, when the shelter-in-place order came, there was a natural pushback among those who recalled other painful government restrictions — including segregation and mass incarceration — on where black people could walk and gather.
https://www.propublica.org/article/...d-and-died-of-coronavirus-at-an-alarming-rateAs of Friday morning, African Americans made up almost half of Milwaukee County’s 945 cases and 81% of its 27 deaths in a county whose population is 26% black. Milwaukee is one of the few places in the United States that is tracking the racial breakdown of people who have been infected by the novel coronavirus, offering a glimpse at the disproportionate destruction it is inflicting on black communities nationwide.
In Michigan, where the state’s population is 14% black, African Americans made up 35% of cases and 40% of deaths as of Friday morning. Detroit, where a majority of residents are black, has emerged as a hot spot with a high death toll. As has New Orleans. Louisiana has not published case breakdowns by race, but 40% of the state’s deaths have happened in Orleans Parish, where the majority of residents are black.
I found the full report here: https://www.icnarc.org/About/Latest...On-2249-Patients-Critically-Ill-With-Covid-19
I don't understand this. It seems backwards. I would expect it to be antibodies from the (blood) sample. And antigens applied during the test.In the most simple form of an ELISA, antigens from the sample are attached to a surface. Then, a matching antibody is applied over the surface so it can bind to the antigen. This antibody is linked to an enzyme, and in the final step, a substance containing the enzyme's substrate is added. The subsequent reaction produces a detectable signal, most commonly a color change.
You're getting wrong that this is not the "most simple form", but rather a kind of sandwich ELISA, as explained further down the wikipedia page.
while I agree with this sentiment, you need to remember that those numbers only represent people who have symptoms severe enough to be tested and as your article points out in the paragraph following your quote, the black community has higher rates of health issues which would leave them vulnerable. The Westchester (NY) and Westport(Connecticut) areas are primarily non-black but they were wiped out (infected) by the virus too.
I did not say or imply "it's all because", hoaxes are listed in that quote as a contributory cause because they may have led people to behave less cautiously than they otherwise would have, and thus raised the number of infections.
I'm filing that under "why didn't I think of that?". We are using environmental DNA these days to detect the presence of a minnow in a river system. Of course a similar tool should work to find out where and maybe even what is the average "load" of a virus in a community.
Exactly. and the "international travel risk" which was pushed in the beginning.
"Anthony Fauci’s security is stepped up as doctor and face of U.S. coronavirus response receives threats"A train engineer at the Port of Los Angeles was arrested Wednesday for allegedly derailing a locomotive at full speed near the USNS Mercy hospital ship being used to ease hospital beds during the coronavirus pandemic.
Eduardo Moreno, 44, of San Pedro, was charged in a criminal complaint with one federal count of train wrecking...
During an initial interview with port police, prosecutors say Moreno admitted crashing the train, saying he was suspicious of the Mercy and believed it had an alternate purpose related to COVID-19, such as a “government takeover.”
Moreno later stated in a second interview with FBI agents that “he did it out of the desire to 'wake people up,'" according to the affidavit. “Moreno stated that he thought that the U.S.N.S. Mercy was suspicious and did not believe ‘the ship is what they say it’s for'”.
Reminds me of attacks on Ebola responders in eastern CongoFauci has become a public target for some right-wing commentators and bloggers, who exercise influence over parts of the president’s base. As they press for the president to ease restrictions to reinvigorate economic activity, some of these figures have assailed Fauci and questioned his expertise. Last month, an article depicting him as an agent of the “deep state” gained nearly 25,000 interactions on Facebook — meaning likes, comments and shares — as it was posted to large pro-Trump groups with titles such as “Trump Strong” and “Tampa Bay Trump Club.”
... The headline in the American Thinker referred to Fauci as a “Deep-State Hillary Clinton-loving stooge.”
https://www.foxnews.com/world/ebola-response-workers-killed-in-armed-attacks-in-eastern-congo-un
Three health workers were killed when Mai-Mai fighters attacked a base of the United Nations health agency overnight in Biakato... Warnings had been posted earlier demanding that the health workers leave or face "the worst," the official said.
...
Several rebel groups are active in the region, and local officials say some believe Ebola is nothing but a political ploy.
"Imagine, a doctor leaves home in the U.S. or elsewhere to come sleep in a tent to help save us from this scourge of Ebola and yet poorly educated young people want to attack him. ... It is very deplorable," said Fiston Kamango, a youth leader in Biakato.
Most of these are trials of existing drugs, and many of those are about Chloroquin.The European Union Clinical Trials Register allows you to search for protocol and results information on:
* interventional clinical trials that are conducted in the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA);
* clinical trials conducted outside the EU / EEA that are linked to European paediatric-medicine development.
https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu/ctr-search/trial/2020-001310-38/DEA 3.1 Title of the trial for lay people, in easily understood, i.e. non-technical, language
Clinical Study to assess positive value of blood plasma from donors having built immunity against the new corona virus (SARS-CoV-2) transfused to patients suffering from SARS-CoV-2 infection
https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu/ctr-search/trial/2020-000919-69/NLReducing health care workers absenteeism in SARS-CoV-2 pandemic by enhanced trained immune responses through Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccination, a randomized controlled trial (COVID-19).
The intervention has a protective objective which is to improve the clinical course of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Health Care Workers. Health Care Workers are, in general, healthy.
Main objective of the trial: To reduce absenteeism among HCW with direct patient contacts during the epidemic phase of SARS-CoV-2.
Secondary objectives of the trial: To reduce hospital admission, ICU admission or death in HCW with direct patient contacts during the epidemic phase of SARS-CoV-2.
It currently lists 440 studies related to Covid-19, from countries all over the world.Explore 335,688 research studies in all 50 states and in 210 countries.
ClinicalTrials.gov is a resource provided by the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
IMPORTANT: Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
https://www.fda.gov/media/136834/downloadThere are no FDA approved, licensed, or cleared device treatments for COVID-19. Based on a number of tests and clinical case series, FDA has concluded that the unapproved use of the cleared Spectra Optia Apheresis System may effectively separate plasma from whole blood, and the Depuro D2000 Adsorption Cartridge may remove various pro-inflammatory cytokines from that plasma. FDA believes based on the totality of scientific evidence available, that the removal of pro-inflammatory cytokines may ameliorate cytokine storm due to the overabundance of pro- inflammatory cytokines and, in turn, provide clinical benefit.
https://www.fda.gov/media/136839/downloadDevice Description
The Depuro D2000 Cartridge consists of a sterile, self-contained disposable Cartridge. The Cartridge is intended to assist in blood detoxification. It can be used in instances of drug overdose, hepatic encephalopathy, liver failure, in any condition which results in the release of endotoxin into the bloodstream, and in any condition which generates excess inflammatory response, such as sepsis, septic shock, or systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS).
The Depuro D2000 Cartridge operates in conjunction with standard CRRT devices, or with any plasma separation device in the hospital. The Cartridge is integrated into the extracorporeal circuit, downstream from where the plasma is separated. After priming the D2000 Cartridge and assembling the inlet and outlet lines to the plasma separation extracorporeal circuit, plasma filtration should run for 4 hours, to be repeated as needed.
In bench testing, the Depuro D2000 Cartridge has been shown to remove statistically significant proportions of IL-3, IFN-gamma, IL-10, IL-1B, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, TNF-alpha, creatinine, bile acids, and bilirubin when compared to control. The adsorption materials used in the D2000 Cartridge have also been demonstrated to be efficacious in the treatment of drug overdose, including acetaminophen overdose, uremia, barbiturate poisoning, and in the removal of glutethimide.
Treatment duration and indication for exchange of the cartridge depend on the clinical course. The maximum treatment time per single cartridge is 4 hours.
The point is to be able to treat the "cytokine storm", i.e. a runaway inflammatory reaction that cases patients' vitals to "crash" and then them to die.
Authorized Face Shields
Face shields for use by HCP as PPE are authorized under this EUA when they are intended for use by HCP as PPE in healthcare settings in accordance with CDC recommendations to cover the front and sides of the face and provide barrier protection and meet the following requirements:
A. The product is labeled accurately to describe the product as a face shield for medical purposes and includes a list of the body contacting materials (which does not include any drugs or biologics);
B. TheproductisnotintegratedwithanyotherarticleofPPEsuchasafacemask,butrather is for use as a standalone face shield.
C. The product includes labeling that describes the product as intended for either a single- user, single use, or for multiple uses by the same user, and includes instructions for recommended cleaning and/or disinfection materials and processes, if applicable.
D. The face shield does not contain any materials that will cause flammability, or the product meets Class I or Class II flammability requirement per 16 CFR 1610 (unless labeled with a recommendation against use in the presence of high intensity heat source or flammable gas);
E. The product is not intended for any use that would create an undue risk in light of the public health emergency; for example, the labeling does not state that use of the authorized face shield alone will prevent infection from microbes or viruses, or that it is effective against radiation protection. As indicated in Section I, face shields authorized by this EUA may be effective at preventing HCP exposure to certain particulates during face shield shortages by providing minimal or low barrier HCP protection to the wearer during COVID-19. All manufacturers are reminded that they must comply with all Conditions of Authorization, including those relating to advertising and promotion in Section IV of this letter.
Manufacturers of authorized face shields do not need to take any action, other than complying with the Conditions of Authorization (Section IV) in this letter of authorization to be an authorized face shield under this EUA if they are within the Scope of Authorization (Section II) of this EUA.
There is now another blood-cleaning system to remove cytokines; it's very simple, basically just a filter that you hook up to a blood pump and that removes hydrophobic particles of a certain size from the blood, as I understand it. You have to watch that it doesn't remove certain medications (e.g. chloroquine) from the blood stream, and it doesn't like intravenous feeding of the patients as the fat could clog it up.The iAMP COVID-19 assay’s key differentiator from current rRT-PCR COVID-19 assays is its ability to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA directly from samples without prior RNA extraction process. Swab specimens are inserted directly into our 1X iAMP COVID-19 Sample Buffer Mix with a 15 min incubation at room temperature and can be directly used for OMEGA isothermal amplification and signal detection. Sample to result takes less than 1.5 hours.
1.1. Intended Use
The CytoSorb Device (CytoSorb) is a non-pyrogenic, sterile, single-use device containing adsorbent polymer beads designed to remove cytokines, as blood passes through the device. CytoSorb is placed in a blood pump circuit.
1.2. Indications
CytoSorb is indicated for use in conditions where elevated levels of cytokines are present. Maximum Treatment Time per Device: 24 hours.
Adminstration of Therapy:
Day 1: Change device every 12 hours; Day 2: Change device at 24 hours; Day 3: Change device at 24 hours.
Clinical assessment to be made after 72 hours of use to determine if patient is receiving clinical benefit for for continuation of therapy.
[...]
1.3. Contraindications
Patients with very low platelet counts (< 20,000/μL).
Any pre-existing contraindication to extracorporeal therapy
Known allergies to extracorporeal circuit components
History of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia
Acute sickle cell crisis.
Morbid obesity with BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2
Any pre-existing advanced medical disease with life-expectancy less than 1 month Treatment deemed clinically futile
Pregnancy
1.6. Warnings Related to Drug Removal
Hydrophobic drugs may be removed by the device.
Data on removal of antiviral medication is unfortunately still scarce. Results from animal studies point to very low removal of Ganciclovir, and anecdotal reports on CytoSorb therapy in influenza patients receiving Oseltamivir did not state any evidence of removal. There is no available data on the removal of remdesivir. Removal of hydroxycholoroquine and azithromycin by CytoSorb is possible. Due to the large size of tocilizumab (148 kDa), convalescent plasma antibodies (>150 kDa), and other biologics of similar size, these are NOT expected to be removed by CytoSorb.
The physician is advised to measure concomitant drug concentrations, where a test exists, after CytoSorb treatment and adjust drug dosing accordingly (see Section 11: Addendum to IFU for further guidance).
In addition, when nutritional supplementation is indicated, the physician is encouraged to administer gastric or other internal tube feeding rather than total parenteral intravenous nutrition and lipids. Lipid or fat emulsions may negatively affect CytoSorb. If lipids (e.g. lipid containing parenteral nutrition) are clinically indicated, then the physician is advised to administer these after CytoSorb treatment is completed or discontinue administration two (2) hours prior to the next CytoSorb treatment.
https://www.who.int/docs/default-so...uation-reports/who-ban-covid-19-sitrep-07.pdf
Highlights
On 10 April 2020, the Ministry of Public Administration issued a notification informing that the general holidays are declared on 15-16 April and 19-23 April 2020 (17-18 April and 24-25 April are weekends). It specified that these holidays are not to be conside red as regular holidays and that the following regulations are to be strictly adhered to during the holiday period: all residents should stay at home and go out only in case of essential need; legal actions will be taken for those going out after 6:00pm; movement between different locations will be restricted; Government officials at the division, district, upazila and union levels are to stay at their workstations.
https://bd.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/As of April 14, 2020, Bangladesh reported 1012 confirmed cases of COVID-19 within its borders. Among these, there have been 46 deaths.
The Government of Bangladesh announced a general holiday period from March 29 to April 25. Bangladeshi government offices and private sector organizations will largely be closed from March 26 to April 25 and the government has advised everyone to stay home during this period. Hospitals, pharmacies, and kitchen markets will remain open. Public transportation and banking services will be limited.
The Bangladesh army has been deployed to enforce social distancing measures.
Angesichts der tiefen Spuren, welche die Coronavirus-Krise hinterlassen wird, vor allem aber wegen der mindestens ebenso bedrohlichen Klima- und Biodiversitäts-Krise kann es nicht einfach eine Wiederherstellung des vorherigen Status geben. Nicht zuletzt gilt es, aus den Erfahrungen mit der Coronavirus-Pandemie und ihren Ursachen Lehren für die Zukunft zu ziehen. Die generelle Zunahme der Bevölkerung, Urbanisierung und globale Mobilität, die Vernichtung und Abnahme der Widerstandsfähigkeit von Ökosystemen durch Landnutzungsänderungen und der Klimawandel tragen wesentlich zum Ausbruch von Epidemien und Pandemien bei.
Staatliche Maßnahmen, die nach dem Abklingen der Pandemie wirtschaftliche Tätigkeit wieder anstoßen, sollten daher die Kriterien der Nachhaltigkeit in den Vordergrund stellen. Mit einer nachhaltigen Ausrichtung der jetzt getätigten Investitionen und Programme entstünde die Freiheit der Beteiligten, die notwendi- gen Änderungen auf eine den jeweiligen lokalen und zeitlichen Gegebenheiten angemessene Weise umzusetzen, dringend nötige Technologieoffenheit beispielsweise bei der Energiewende herzustellen, regionale und globale Stoffkreisläufe zu schließen etc. Wird diese Chance vertan, so dürfte auf Grund der Größe der jetzigen Wirtschaftsprogramme ein später nötiges drastischeres Umsteuern extrem schwierig werden. Daher liegt in der Wahrnehmung dieser historischen Chance eine kaum zu überschätzende Verantwortung der Handelnden. Notwendig ist dabei eine transparente Kostendiskussion, die auch die massiven externen Kosten von Klima-, Umwelt- und nicht zuletzt daraus resultierenden Gesundheitsschäden berücksichtigt.
Throughout the spread of the pandemic, there's been one chart that I've found the most interesting and which has informed my opinion of the direction and timing of the virus more than any other. This is the current version:
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51235105
Since I started looking at it maybe a month ago, it's suggested very strongly that the future (unforeseen second waves aside) is bright: that countries, quite literally, come out of the darkest days pretty quickly.
The big question was, would those countries that were lagging behind China in terms of timeframe follow China's trend, or would they do something different and lend further support to the skepticism around China's figures?
So far, it's looking to me like the former.
That depends on who you ask.
