I've not been an optimist in this discussion, and yet I'm looking for good news anywhere I can find it right now. Anyone got any?

Moderators: wdolson, MOD_War-in-the-Pacific-Admirals-Edition

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake
ORIGINAL: RangerJoe
ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth
This is the most catastrophic intelligence failure in the history of the United States. No way to sugar coat it. We should have seen this coming. We blew it
The governments and the organizations that they support that worked on the initial SARs virus should have continued their research including making a vaccine. That would be useful today and the original SARs could also come back.
As far as intelligence failure, that is on the part of China suppressing this instead of reporting this to the World Health Organization.
There was quite a bit of basic science done on the Coronaviridae since SARS. That's why we know so much about animal reservoirs of Coronavirus. A specific anti-SARS antiviral agent might well work on COVID but a vaccine (if there were one most likely would not). On the other hand, new vaccine approaches used to investigate a SARS vaccine ARE applicable.
The UN passed a resolution attaching sanctions and fines for failure to notify the WHO of an outbreak. The CCP is being sued by some NGO's over the current failure. Good luck collecting any money.[:)] There can't be a CDC monitor at every Chinese "wet market". There must be tens of thousands of them. The only authorities that can effectively monitor them are the Chicoms. If you ask me, China is no longer a 3rd world country, they should buy some damn meat refrigerators and disallow cultural practices where the buyer touches the room temperature meat to see if it "fresh". They might invest in some freaking Saran wrap too. And soap and water. After SARS, sale of Civet meat was banned but it still goes on. And now we have yummy Pangolin burgers too!
I would say we tell the Chinese they owe the world $10T (a serious underestimate) and if they don't pay up they can keep all the cheap Christmas lights.
By the power invested in me, I hereby appoint you Optimist Without Portfolio.An admitted optimist (without credentials)
ORIGINAL: obvert
This is not looking good. The "other regions" to the centre and now the south of Italy are steadily gaining active cases. Meanwhile areas in the North continue to gain cases as well. The lockdown has to show in the numbers soon, right?
ORIGINAL: Canoerebel
I can hope for a China/South Korea outcome because: (1) our healthcare system is likely the best in the world; (2) we had two months more notice than China had; (3) we began taking drastic measures much earlier in the "exponential" phase than China did [we're only about 10 days in, and we're already taking major steps and that will accelerate]; (4) we have the benefit of knowing what worked elsewhere and what didn't; (5) the warm season is arriving, and there's evidence the virus can't survive at above 86 degrees.
Even if we have something 13x China, we're still in the range of a normal flu season. 13x China? If we exceed that, I'd be shocked - but even then it be 1/375th of some of the wild-eyed projections that are being floated in here and by the media.
China's pandemic is now doubling at a rate of about once every 2.19 years. New York's once every two days is almost certainly going to flatten out, probably in a month or so.
ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth
Dan, How can you expect a China/Korea outcome when we are not doing what China/Korea are doing? We are doing nothing of substance and you expect the curve to level off by cancelling sporting events and concerts? China/Korea are taking drastic actions and achieving acceptable results. We are doing nothing of the kind
The "exponential growth curve" in China lasted from about 1/24/2020 to about 3/1/2020. Five weeks.
Western Europe is probably two or three weeks into its own exponential curve. It may last longer than China's did. How much?
The USA/Western Hemisphere is about 10 days into its exponential curve. Will it experience a similar outcome to China, or not?
As far as intelligence failure, that is on the part of China suppressing this instead of reporting this to the World Health Organization.
we can see that things are better than predicted - sometimes much better.
ORIGINAL: RangerJoe
Former SARS, MERS Vaccine Could Treat COVID-19 Patients
"Remdesivir is effective in treating Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), but also may be a successful vaccine for patients with coronavirus, or COVID-19, according to researchers at the University of Alberta.
“We know the drug works against different coronavirus, like MERS and SARS, and we know the novel coronavirus is very similar to SARS. So I would say I’m cautiously optimistic that the results our team found with remdesivir and MERS will be similar with COVID-19,” said Matthias Gotte, a virologist, in a statement "
https://pharmanewsintel.com/news/former ... 9-patients

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth
As far as intelligence failure, that is on the part of China suppressing this instead of reporting this to the World Health Organization.
Moreover, the Federal Aviation Administration “had indeed considered the possibility that terrorists would hijack a plane and use it as a weapon,” and in 2001 it distributed a CD-ROM presentation to airlines and airports that cited the possibility of a suicide hijacking.
Two years before the Sept. 11 attacks, an analysis prepared for U.S. intelligence warned that Osama bin Laden's terrorists could hijack an airliner and fly it into government buildings like the Pentagon.
"Suicide bomber(s) belonging to al Qaeda's Martyrdom Battalion could crash-land an aircraft packed with high explosives (C-4 and semtex) into the Pentagon, the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), or the White House," the September 1999 report said.
.
.
.
The September 1999 report, entitled "Sociology and Psychology of Terrorism: Who Becomes a Terrorist and Why?" described suicide hijacking as one of several possible retribution attacks the al Qaeda might seek for a 1998 U.S. airstrike against bin Laden's camps in Afghanistan.
The report noted an al Qaeda-linked terrorist first arrested in the Philippines in 1995 and later convicted in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing had suggested such a mission.
"Ramzi Yousef had planned to do this against the CIA headquarters," the report said.
ORIGINAL: Chickenboy
ORIGINAL: RangerJoe
Former SARS, MERS Vaccine Could Treat COVID-19 Patients
"Remdesivir is effective in treating Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), but also may be a successful vaccine for patients with coronavirus, or COVID-19, according to researchers at the University of Alberta.
“We know the drug works against different coronavirus, like MERS and SARS, and we know the novel coronavirus is very similar to SARS. So I would say I’m cautiously optimistic that the results our team found with remdesivir and MERS will be similar with COVID-19,” said Matthias Gotte, a virologist, in a statement "
https://pharmanewsintel.com/news/former ... 9-patients
Geez. This sort of craptacular journalistic reporting just makes me mad. Remdesevir-the topic of the article-is one of several pharmaceutical treatments being field tested in Spain as we speak. It's NOT A VACCINE. But it may be (or may not be) a useful interventional treatment.
In the states, Gilead has received 'orphan drug' status for fast-tracking treatment approval. Fingers crossed on this one.
ORIGINAL: RangerJoe
ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth
As far as intelligence failure, that is on the part of China suppressing this instead of reporting this to the World Health Organization.
I guess by that logic the Japanese should have told us about Pearl Harbor and Bin Ladin should have told us about 9/11. Intelligence agencies are supposed to find out the stuff the other countries don't want us to know. This was their job. To tell us what's REALLY going on in China. There was a systematic failure of the intelligence community to warn us about this. Whether it was a failure on the ground or a failure in reporting and interpretation remains to be seen but a massive failure it was. If they didn't see this coming what they hell do we need them for?
Moreover, the Federal Aviation Administration “had indeed considered the possibility that terrorists would hijack a plane and use it as a weapon,” and in 2001 it distributed a CD-ROM presentation to airlines and airports that cited the possibility of a suicide hijacking.
Two years before the Sept. 11 attacks, an analysis prepared for U.S. intelligence warned that Osama bin Laden's terrorists could hijack an airliner and fly it into government buildings like the Pentagon.
"Suicide bomber(s) belonging to al Qaeda's Martyrdom Battalion could crash-land an aircraft packed with high explosives (C-4 and semtex) into the Pentagon, the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), or the White House," the September 1999 report said.
.
.
.
The September 1999 report, entitled "Sociology and Psychology of Terrorism: Who Becomes a Terrorist and Why?" described suicide hijacking as one of several possible retribution attacks the al Qaeda might seek for a 1998 U.S. airstrike against bin Laden's camps in Afghanistan.
The report noted an al Qaeda-linked terrorist first arrested in the Philippines in 1995 and later convicted in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing had suggested such a mission.
"Ramzi Yousef had planned to do this against the CIA headquarters," the report said.

ORIGINAL: DD696
Please stop the "I can piss further than you" contests. There is plenty of that going on in the world at the moment. Do not let this thread devolve into the General Discussion Corona Virus Pissing Contest.
This has been very informative, but when this crap starts the value of this thread greatly diminishes.
Personally, I dribble piss out of a stoma into a bag, so I cannot piss further than dribbling down my abdomen and leg.


ORIGINAL: obvert
I've not been an optimist in this discussion, and yet I'm looking for good news anywhere I can find it right now. Anyone got any?
