Coronavirus overview by the Expat Mag.

beppi wrote:

EveeZee wrote:

Just fyi. the German General Medical Council now recommends the wearing of simple face masks.

I could not find such a recommendation. On the contrary, the Robert-Koch-Institute (Germany's leading authority on infectious diseases) writes on its webpage:
"Hingegen gibt es keine hinreichende Evidenz dafür, dass das Tragen eines Mund-Nasen-Schutzes das Risiko einer Ansteckung für eine gesunde Person, die ihn trägt, signifikant verringert. Nach Angaben der WHO kann das Tragen einer Maske in Situationen, in denen dies nicht empfohlen ist, ein falsches Sicherheitsgefühl erzeugen, durch das zentrale Hygienemaßnamen wie eine gute Händehygiene vernachlässigt werden können."
(Rough translation: There is no evidence that wearing a mask lowers infection risk. The WHO advises against it, because it gives a wrong sense of safety.)
The association of German lung doctors (there's probably a Latin word with "...ists" for them, but I don't know it) writes basically the same on their webpage: https://www.lungenaerzte-im-netz.de/kra … ansteckung
All agree that only infected persons should wear masks, to prevent speading droplets of bodily fluid (with viruses) to others. And for exposed medical personell, there are special masks (not available to the general public) that do help - most of them cover the whole face (because infection through the eyes is also possible).
Also all agree (and China has successfully shown) that social distancing is the most effective tool of all - two meters of air help far more than half a millimeter of paper, textile or vlies.

Since you may be able to be an asymptomatic spreader for days the best policy is for everyone to wear a simple mask as no one knows whether they are infected or not. Assume all are.

That is the de facto law here. Anyone who goes to the market or anywhere else in public is not allowed to go about without a simple mask.

This virus goes right through a surgical mask. There is not much evidence either way for them preventing illness. No study I can find. They encourage people to be lax and violate social distance. But they are required. It may be found that the help they provide is canceled out by the harm. But who can say?

beppi wrote:

I could not find such a recommendation.

https://www.welt.de/vermischtes/live206 … ragen.html

Germany had 6300+ new cases today.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries

The German General Medical Council now recommends the wearing of simple face masks.

English Google translation of German article:

"The head of the medical association advises people in Germany to wear “simple breathing masks”
According to the American Johns Hopkins University, more than 37,000 people in Germany are infected with the Sars CoV-2 virus. 206 people died, more than 3500 were cured.

The chair of the German Medical Association advises citizens to wear simple breathing masks. Catastrophic medical conditions are developing in eastern France, Strasbourg is overwhelmed. All developments in the live ticker.

Because of the corona crisis, the President of the German Medical Association, Klaus Reinhardt, asked people in Germany to wear simple respiratory masks. Although these did not guarantee protection against infection, Reinhardt emphasized the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung" according to a pre-announcement from Thursday. "But they can help a little to reduce the risk of infecting others or being infected yourself." This helps to contain the virus.

At the same time, Reinhardt urged all people to only protect themselves with simple or, if necessary, self-made masks. More professional protective masks of the FFP2 and FFP3 categories are not required in everyday life and are urgently needed by doctors and nurses or people with previous illnesses. "Important: Do not order or buy professional protective masks on the Internet," warned Reinhardt.

A TGV high-speed train started on Thursday morning in Strasbourg with Corona patients on board to western France. The special train brings 20 patients with Covid-19 from Eastern France to the Pays de la Loire region in western France. In the TGV, four patients were transported in a wagon with medical personnel, according to the Ministry of Health. This measure is intended to relieve the intensive care units, particularly in Haut-Rhin and the neighboring Bas-Rhin department.

The entire French region of Grand Est is one of the coronavirus hotspots in France. According to the regional health authority, 3,068 people with Sars CoV-2 infection were hospitalized by Wednesday. Almost 651 of these are in intensive care units. Since the pandemic started, more than 500 deaths have been reported across the region."

https://www.welt.de/vermischtes/live206 … ragen.html

Hahaha: You completely misunderstood the article!
The boss of the German trade association for doctors (Bundesärztekammer) is here pleading to the public not to use (or order on the Internet) professional face masks, as these are in short supply and urgently needed for medical personell.
He said all others could wear simple face masks, if they must (like the majority of those you see in Asia), even though those do not prevent infection ("Diese garantierten zwar keinen Schutz vor Ansteckung") and only help "a little".
I do not know why you seem to fight a crusade for masks, and keep claiming that Germany is bad. It simply isn't!
Do the majority of people in your country, Canada, wear masks? According to the official statistics, your country is 7-10 days behind Germany, but the curve does not look more hopeful.

beppi wrote:

Hahaha: You completely misunderstood the article!
The boss of the German trade association for doctors (Bundesärztekammer) is here pleading to the public not to use (or order on the Internet) professional face masks, as these are in short supply and urgently needed for medical personell.
He said all others could wear simple face masks, if they must (like the majority of those you see in Asia), even though those do not prevent infection ("Diese garantierten zwar keinen Schutz vor Ansteckung").

I am fluent in German. I did not misunderstand anything. See the Google translation above.

EveeZee wrote:

I am fluent in German.

Sorry, but I have to dispute that - but it seems Google got the point:

At the same time, Reinhardt urged all people to only protect themselves with simple or, if necessary, self-made masks. More professional protective masks of the FFP2 and FFP3 categories are not required in everyday life and are urgently needed by doctors and nurses or people with previous illnesses. "Important: Do not order or buy professional protective masks on the Internet," warned Reinhardt.

But whatever you say, here in Europe almost nobody wears a mask. Why do you bother accusing us for it?

beppi wrote:

But whatever you say, here in Europe almost nobody wears a mask.

This seems to be your problem. This is why you are on your best way to become another Wuhan.
Anyway, if people want they can read the article, if not, they don't. I did my best and passed on the information. What people make of it is their decision. 

I will add that the masks being required here may have a purpose beside safety.

Those who did not have one (many did not) were required to purchase them. There was only one vendor and the masks were home made and 100PHP. And there is more that can be said but I will stop there.

Keep in mind that this virus can be spread through surface contact. The masks did not to stop the hoards of people from bumping all over each other and probably made them feel safer in doing it.

I saw an instagram post showing a bunch of fools panic buying handwash. The video was taken in a mall, and the people were crammed together in a small shop.
Drrrr

Handwash was a bit hard to get hold off for a few days, but it's everywhere again now. Pity about the foolish that clubbed together to buy boxes of the stuff at stupid prices... or maybe not such a pity.

Odd news is around

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52053656

Mexicans trying to stop US citizens entering their country. How things can change quickly, and how appreciation of walls varies depending on who you speak to.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl … claim.html

Yep, a fake doctor appeared on Fox and a load of other programs, then Trump told the world his cure was a game changer

Don't believe the news until you've checked it.
I NEVER believe a mail story without checking, and only use links from them when the story is about idiocy.

Dr. Fauci is a glorious international hero

Fauci wisely tempered Trump's overly optimistic statements on chloroquine.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti … ronavirus/

he did that because the results were not conclusive yet. But the results are now coming in.

Just 16 hours ago:
https://www.france24.com/en/video/20200 … oronavirus

The French government has officially sanctioned prescriptions of chloroquine to treat certain coronavirus patients. Speaking about chloroquine, Jérôme Salomon, France's director general of health, said: "This ensures continued treatment of patients who have been treated for several years for a chronic condition with this drug, but also allows a temporary authorization to allow certain patients with coronavirus to benefit from this therapeutic route."

Japanese med journal Bioscience Trends feature article from Chinese researchers:

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/bs … f/-char/en

Breakthrough:  Chloroquine  phosphate  has  shown  apparent 
efficacy  in  treatment  of  COVID-19  associated  pneumonia  in 
clinical studies

Chloroquine is a cheap and safe drug that has been used
for  more  than  70  years.  In  light  of  the  urgent  clinical 
demand, chloroquine phosphate is recommended to treat
COVID-19  associated  pneumonia  in  larger  populations 
in the future.

"safe"?  chloroquine  is safe?

But we are being inundated with dire warnings in all media.

Chloroquine is available as a generic, so it is "cheap" in addition to being safe.

Big Pharma hates cheap. Hence the shill storm in media.

Chloroquine is being used by both Italy and S Korea:
http://m.koreabiomed.com/news/articleVi … idxno=7428https://www.aifa.gov.it/-/azioni-intrap … l-covid-19

And as noted in previous posts, Chloroquine is in use in France, Jordan and other nations.

small study in France
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a … via%3Dihub

Chloroquine is dangerous. But so is having your appendix removed. So is chemotherapy.

The Big Pharma shills and the scare-pornographers know that many viable medical treatments are dangerous. They only want you to use the dangerous treatments that they  can make the most $ from and they put all of the dangers for those in the fine print.

I was issued chloroquine years ago before a trip to a place that is prone to malaria. Millions of people have been issued the chloroquine for the same reason. Millions have taken it for decades for treatment of many illnesses. Media never exploded before. But now all media decide to become so vocal about the dangers of chloroquine? When dying people are being treated with it?? That does not raise some red flags?

And there is no accounting for people who eat fish tank cleaner [facepalm].

This is not a political issue as the health authorities of a great many nations have now sanctioned the use of chloroquine for the treatment of Coronavirus. It became political because Trump ran his mouth about chloroquine and the other side does not care what damage they do just so long as they can prove him wrong.

Fauci is the middle ground between Trump and the Democrat Media.

On the one side we have Trump supporters who defend everything Trump says and does and cannot see any errors in him.

On the other side we have the TDS Democrats who cannot allow anything Trump says or does to pan out.

This opposition is destructive, but unfortunately people are less rational than they are emotional.

Dr Anthony Fauci on the CFR of CV19:

If one assumes that the number of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic cases is several times as high as the number of reported cases, the case fatality rate may be considerably less than 1%. This suggests that the overall clinical consequences of Covid-19 may ultimately be more akin to those of a severe seasonal influenza (which has a case fatality rate of approximately 0.1%) or a pandemic influenza (similar to those in 1957 and 1968) rather than a disease similar to SARS or MERS, which have had case fatality rates of 9 to 10% and 36%, respectively.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2002387

It is clear that Fauci is the source of Trump's opinions on CV19. Trump just takes off and runs with them unrestrained and untempered by caution.