10 Italian towns in lockdown over coronavirus fears

AFP via Yahoo ^ | February 21, 2020 | Ella IDE

[Leaning Right]

Authorities in northern Italy on Friday ordered the closure of schools, bars and other public spaces in 10 towns following a flurry of new coronavirus cases.

Five doctors and 10 other people tested positive for the virus in Lombardy, after apparently frequenting the same bar and group of friends, with two other cases in Veneto, authorities said at a press conference.

[Leaning Right]

Are planes from China still allowed to land anywhere in the world? I’ll bet they are.

[pepsionice]

Lombardy region is popular for tourists. Would imagine at least ten buses per day travel through with Chinese tourists.

[Cowboy Bob]

Would it be racist to ask what the racial breakdown is on those who have died? It seems to be all Asian...specifically Chinese. Is that correct?

[Leaning Right]

I’ve read that Asians are more susceptible to the virus. But most of the websites that are discussing that seem to have a racist tinge to them (really). So either those sites really are racist, or the mainstream media is afraid to be honest.

Take your pick.

[Leaning Right]

A follow-up to my last post. Some Internet posters have been discussing something called the ACE2-expressing cell ratio. Evidently that ratio is high among Asians (and smokers!). A high ratio makes one more susceptible to the virus. Or so they say.

It would be nice if some biologist Freeper would comment on that.

[FreedomPoster]

There was a very authentically scientific looking paper on this posted here in the last week or so.

[dp0622]

Also more susceptible to getting hit hardest by it when they get it.

I read about a lot of folks outside of China recovering at hoe or going home from the hospital.

There may be a few hundred thousand less Asians in the world by the time this thing is done.

I had no idea a virus could affect certain groups more.

[SkyPilot]

Are planes from China still allowed to land anywhere in the world? I’ll bet they are.

Money talks.

[sauropod]

.

[null and void]

Bring Out Your Dead

Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.

The purpose of the “Bring Out Your Dead” ping list (formerly the “Ebola” ping list) is very early warning of emerging pandemics, as such it has a high false positive rate.

So far the false positive rate is 100%.

At some point we may well have a high mortality pandemic, and likely as not the “Bring Out Your Dead” threads will miss the beginning entirely.

*sigh* Such is life, and death...

If a quarantine saves just one child's life, it's worth it.

[null and void]

It's not all Asians, several Iranians have died.

Coronavirus risk for Asians, Africans, Caucasians revealed

Please note that the risk seems lowest for Italians.

Lowest does not mean zero.

[bgill]

Lowest is still over 50%. Not good at all.

The Japanese guy at the bar showed symptoms and test came back negative. Lots have come back negative for loads of reasons, one being faulty test and at this point in the game it can take several tires. Looks like he wasn’t tested again.

People have been warned not to be in crowds.

[null and void]

Yep. That’s why at the nully hacienda we’re hunkered down.

[Pearls Before Swine]

We don’t know what the susceptibility and severity risks are from that chart.

The chart shows the average number of a group of six genetic variations associated with the ACE2 cell surface receptor.

How that translates into susceptibility and morbidity of the populations is unclear. Is the relation linear? Is there some sort of nonlinear threshold function related to the density of ACE2 receptors?

I can’t tell from that chart, although its an intriguing starting point for hopeful speculation, since my ancestry puts me on the lower end of the chart.

[null and void]

Excellent summary.

A house of cards based on a theory that may or may not have any basis in reality.

But it is a pretty house of cards, and it does give a little comfort to those of European extraction...