Why isn’t the US quarantining repatriated citizens for 14 days as all other countries have implemented this policy?
5
In the mean time a school in Memphis finally closed down for the week after 462 students out of 1286 were out with flu or flu-like symptoms. That story barely made it to the back pages of the local news paper. Don't hold your breath that they will ever discuss the financial incentives that prevents schools from doing anything about mass infections until over a third of their students have become sick.
3
This epidemic issue is causing alarm and concern to all. We need to look at what this does when we concentrate on one place for the supply chain. This is not just a problem for China. The impact is felt here at home, and to the rest of the world. To have allowed China to be a 'world production center', it is not China's fault. We allowed that to happen. China is not the only country that offers the desired key factors of production (such as land and labor). There are many other locations, in Asia, Africa, Latin America, more friendly and dependable countries to the US. Not to ignore places, here at home.
It is time all those businesses, old and new, who moved their plants to China, do realize and learn the lessons on the pros and cons of focussing their needs on one location. The next time, it will not be an epidemic, to cause an alarm. It will come in other forms. Perhaps, an economic or financial meltdown, or a natural disaster. Yet, will we learn?
...'Person-to-person transmission may occur if someone who is sick breathes, talks, coughs or sneezes in the vicinity of others'....
Interesting. Does this mean that it's safe to be in the vicinity of a sick person who doesn't breath?
As far as Italy goes, we're doomed. At the time the prime minister announced the air traffic halt from Cina 5 flights were in the air, they have arrived since: no quarantaine whatsoever, all that was done was some temperature measuring. So now we have 1000 potentially infected asymptomatic cinese on the loose, plus all the ones that freely entered Italy since the beginning of january. This is insane.
2
There is great concern about the lack of a vaccine for the Coronavirus and yet parents around the U.S. are suing so they can send their children to school without being vaccinated against other diseases. Ironic, isn't it? Clearly, the increased fear seeping into some online comments and news reports regarding the Coronavirus suggests a lack of confidence in the scientific community which is unjustified. They are on the frontlines, as usual.
11
I don't think American people should worry too much about this Coronavirus outbreak. China probably is going to take care this problem very shortly. I been to Wuhan twice in the past many years. My first time when I was a school kid in 1938. During the Japanese invasion of China. Later our family moved to Hong Kong. As a kid I didn't like the city. Because the city was too dirty and boring and not many places for kids to enjoy. The second time I visited Wuhan was in 1979 because I was there to do some research about China's higher education so I met the Wuhan University president and I told him that I felt that Wuhan was a city neglected by Chinese leaders for modernization of the city and nearby areas. He agreed and he told me he felt the same. Now 40 years later the city is now in big trouble which probably will affect the US-China relation ans also relations with other western nations. It probably will take a long time for Wuhan to regain her reputation as an industrial city. But we all hope Chinese leaders and western leaders will work together to help Wuhan to recover from this devastating Coronavirus outbreak. But my childhood poor memory about Wuhan will be with me for a long time. My friends in Hong Kong and Taiwan just don't get too panic about it. But for this coming year I would suggest Americans should go somewhere for vacations not going to China. Too bad for China's economy. I am old but I still remember the good old bad days.
3
If and when this does spread to other major cities such as New York, I think it is of the utmost importance that major media such as the Times as well as government officials work together to do everything they can to allay people's fears and potential panic.
In my opinion, panic and irrationality that could potentially ensue would be almost as dangerous as the virus itself.
For example, perhaps there can be repeated reassurance that food supplies will not run out and grocery stores will remain fully stocked, etc.
4
I am not one to believe in conspiracy theories, but what is behind the theory that this was a politically motivated virus to hurt the Chinese economy...mostly based on the timing of this event? Any merit to this. Unevolved cruel humans have experimented with bio warfare without any consideration for the larger humanity and mother earth. Who does one believe? An American or a Chinese? Please stop being tribalistic.
1
@ExhaustedFightingForJusticeEveryDay How about paying attention to the Chinese scientists who warned about this similar virus to SARS as early as 2005? Your unhelpful conspiracy theories do nothing but cause even more panic. If you were in China, your comment would've been deleted and you might have been arrested for rumor mongering.
Also considering that SARS was also from China, and Wuhan had research labs to study virology, you're indulging in wishful thinking as well, hypocritically criticizing tribalism while espousing it in the same breath.
7
You can never know for sure. There’s nothing wrong with asking how or why. People shouldn’t always just believe what they’re told.
3
The Chinese Communist Party knew about it yet chose to keep quiet https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2001316. Plus, abolish the WHO. It has long become the CCP’s creature.
5
@Anthony Tsang WHO actually needs China's cooperation to tackle the virus. If that means regularly throwing them a couple of compliment bones to sustain their thin-skinned ego, it's a small price to pay to prevent a worse nationwide, or worldwide infection.
1
How is it that other nations have banned flights to China, and the US seems to be business as usual. Australia, France, Italy, the U.K. the list goes on, are all quarantining their repatriated citizens for 14 days. The US is observing their repatriated citizens for 3 days. The virus can incubate for 12 days.
Once again it’s our government opting for the cheapest way out.
Our elected officials should be demanding that flights other than for repatriation be halted and those brought home be quarantined for 14 days, just like the rest of the world basing the choice on humanity and in the interest of safety.
13
Perhaps Trump needs to order a complete embargo from anything or anyone entering from China. He is the only one who can protect us.
3
Prepare to have the prices at your local Walmart go up!
5
What about all the people in NYC who have recently returned from Wuhan and other parts of China? Generally they want to self quarantine themselves so they don’t infect their families and communities.
But NYC Health Commissioner Barbot disagrees. According to a January 27 NYT article Dr. Barbot said that those who have recently traveled from Wuhan are not being urged to self-quarantine or avoid large public gatherings.
“We are very clear: We wish New Yorkers a Happy Lunar New Year and we encourage people to spend time with their families and go about their celebration,” Dr. Barbot said.
This is crazy.
14
I'm in China and I was here during SARS. I'm leaving for Thailand in two days.
The reason not to travel to China now is not health related: it concerns entertainment. Many restaurants are closed. All attractions are closed. Malls are empty with many shops closed. Wearing a mask is uncomfortable and unavoidable. China's warm friendly people are squirreled away in their apartments.
China is an amazing place to live and visit. It will be again soon.
China will prevail during this crisis and welcome you again.
6
Ban all flights from and to China. People transiting China should be flagged or isolated.
8
I think it's incredible that the State Department is taking this seriously. Because I read somewhere online that the coronavirus is a hoax invented by the Trumpies to destroy the Chinese economy. And I'm inclined to believe that's true.
2
Some people are saying this.
1
Everyone saying they do not understand the panic needs to educate themselves. Yes the Flu kills people every year but the Flu has vaccines, medications, and treatments. This virus is new and has none of those things. because it is new and has no cure yet it could become very aggressive and deadly similar to the flu back in 1918. This is a matter of trying to control the spread until we know more and have more options.
13
It can't be new because "Human Coronavirus" is listed on the back of Lysol Advanced Cleaning Disinfectant Wipes containers along with other viruses and bacteria.
1
@ E Smith there are many corona viruses. I believe this is the 7th identified in humans and there are more that just infect animals. And probably many more not discovered at all like this new one which supposedly originated in the wild. When there is a mutation that allows a virus to jump from animal to human, the process is called zoonosis.
2
@E. Smith this strain is new.
Why would anyone want to travel to China now, while they are combating a dangerous virus? Yes, the Flu and pneumonia kill, but the flu shot is often protective. As it is, while the flu and cold season is active, I limit my discretionary trips out into the community and am careful to wash my hands. China is in crisis mode now, trying to treat a disease that has the potential to mutate and become even more serious.
7
My employer today shared pandemic preparedness with our office and coping mechanisms. Says to stock two weeks of food, medicine, etc. This is not normal for flu season.
14
Here in China I'm staying inside, washing my hands constantly, and boiling my eggs for 25 minutes!
10
I’m a physician. This virus is not the flu. It is potentially much more dangerous.
According to Up To Date, which is a resource for physicians to educate themselves on current medical knowledge:
“ The illness is characterized primarily by fever, cough, dyspnea, and bilateral infiltrates on chest imaging. The incubation period of 2019-nCoV is thought to be within 14 days following exposure. Although many of the reported infections are not severe, approximately 20 percent of confirmed patients have had critical illness (including respiratory failure, septic shock, or other organ failure requiring intensive care). Most of the fatal cases have occurred in patients with underlying medical comorbidities.”
20% is a very significant number. The flu does not cause severe illness in 20% of patients. Those affected by severe versions of this illness, if they escape death those infected may still suffer permanent loss of function, wellness, and livelihood. And the added cost of intensive medical care will burden communities.
A 14 day incubation period is massive compared to the flu (1-4 days). Many, many, many more close contacts will be infected before a person realizes they are sick and quarantines themself.
And lastly, we do not understand how rapidly this virus is mutating and evolving. It may become more transmissible, more potent, more lethal.
The WHO was right in declaring a global emergency. I hope people take this virus very seriously.
58
@SAB Thank you for the information. Too many 'experts' here playing it down without having any knowledge of all the facts on the ground. Panic is not helpful, but neither is complacency.
6
Why expect the public to take it seriously they’re too busy celebrating the Republican victory over decency.
7
We have pharmaceutical lobbyist Alex Azar and another attorney, Robert O'Brien, leading Trump's taskforce. Are these the top logistical brains in the country? No wonder we ran out of masks.
10
8,200 DIED FROM THE FLU in 2019.
15 Million flu cases world wide.
Why the hysteria? This is just meant to cause fear and give the news a story.
8
@Ashley
Three things: first, the percent fatality for this new virus appears to be far higher than the flu. Second, many people have been exposed to flu viruses but nobody’s immune system has seen this new virus before. Third, there are vaccines for flu, not yet this virus.
14
People never want to believe when something bad is happening. Like climate change deniers. Why would whole cities be locking themselves in their homes all day?
Ban flights to and from China!!!
18
The US has issued a travel warning to China. What’s the plan for the NYC subway.
15
Don’t take the 3 Train to China
32
6000 people die annually from the flu in the U.S. which is a seriously contagious virus. Why aren’t there travel bans to the U.S. during flu season, when scores of people don’t get flu shots, forget about proper anti-flu hygiene, etc. etc. etc.? Should we all be wearing masks here?
Yes track the coronavirus, but don’t forget we have issues here with our own viruses even if they don’t have scary, mysterious names. Rebrand the “flu” so less people die and protect themselves before the season starts. Otherwise the “flu” sounds like a common basic “friend” that “doesn’t kill”....
7
Ok, as the world is on fire. A city in China, with the population of New York is in quarantine. This is unprecedented in our modern history. There is this shown trial, which will have no consequence in reality. Other than hope to tarnish the Donald Trump name. To prevent him from winning the next election. This will have blowback, I expect a large win due to democrats fiddling while the world is burning.
2
I want to see Trumps birth or spawning certificate
22
Ok. So.
We are supposed to be going on a Royal Caribbean cruise in two weeks. There are some 5000 people on that ship and I can pretty much guarantee you two things:
1. There will be Chinese nationals on that boat.
2. SOMEONE will have flu like symptoms at some point.
Question: Does this mean they will quarantine us all? Because I am already daydreaming of that extra weeks' vacation.
Kind of kidding, kind of not.....
20
@GWE
Always a hint of truth in a joke!
6
You lost me at “going on a cruise.”
2
There will be viruses & mass panicking. People will be thrown from the ship. The buffet will have E. coli and the alcohol may poison you to death. You’ll have diarrhea the whole time
Curious this warning comes out just as the most important part of the impeachment is happening.
8
OK, Boomers. That is nice but what are you going to do to stop the virus from spreading inside the US?
7
Well, shouldn't Republicans be demanding that Trump do more?
I mean, a big part of reducing President Obama's approval rating for the 2014 midterms was conspiracy theories about how Obama was going to destroy America by letting in an Ebola epidemic.
12
@D.A.Oh
What more could any Administration do that would keep everyone happy?
Everything that can be done has consequences. Close our boarders? Most of our medicine is not made in China. Don't believe me, scroll down and read some of my other posts and Google the references.
Force a quarantine? Civil Rights, lawsuits for an emergency that hasn't yet happened in our country.
We don't have the hospital beds. We don't have the supplies. We don't have the trained doctors and nurses needed for a major pandemic. Our stores have about a three day supply of food at any given time - a week at the most.
We have a huge homeless population that would be extremely vulnerable. We have parents who refuse to have their children vaccinated. We had a person caught trying to leave the base who was just brought in the country with other diplomats and is now being forced into quarantine.
Regardless of who is in office, history has shown time after time that our government and health officials, including our health system is never and will never ever be prepared!
So I am wondering what it is that people expect?
I've learned a long time ago not to rely on government. The government's job is not to save me... which for some odd reason people don't understand!
Each one of us has a responsibility to do our part, which includes have a small amount of supplies, being vaccinated and being informed.
So far, people get an F for not being responsible in this area!
3
The only panic I see is from Governments, Health Officials and the Media. For the most part, the public has been calm.
Contrary to reports, buying face masks is not panicking. Building a tornado shelter, is not panicking. Preparing for a hurricane, is not panicking. Stocking up on supplies in an area prone to earthquakes, is not panicking!
Complaining about how people are comparing the Wuhan Pneumonia Virus with the flu is wasted time. Especially when scientists out of the UK are doing that while being interviewed on DW news.
Interestingly, the scientist did bring up a comparison between the two viruses that made sense.
Currently, of the people who are hospitalized for the flu, they have a 7% mortality rate. Currently, of the people who are hospitalized for the Wuhan Pneumonia Virus, they have a 20% mortality rate.
Please note: The scientist was careful to compare mortality rates for those who are hospitalized.
He did not compare numbers of infected. He didn't try to compare infectious rates or transmissions - he compared it by those who were hospitalized!
Yes, there will always be a different way of looking at this situation. Yes, not enough is known. Yes, they still are learning more. Yes, the final numbers are not in yet.. But that still doesn't change the fact that as a general rule, if you are hospitalized, you have a 1 in 5 chance of dying!
Now, for those of you who demand links: You have a computer, Google today's DW broadcast and watch it!
12
A couple of my students were wearing face masks today. I just might don one tomorrow for good measure.
On a side note, why do I keep seeing scenes from "The Walking Dead" in my thoughts?
8
@Scott Franklin
Because you loved the movie!
2
TV show, but, whatever...
1
More like the first couple of episodes of “Fear the Walking Dead.” :-)
Remember when the media made a mountain out of trump’s molehill? Then he actually became a mountain?
Feels like the same thing.
8
It is increasingly clear that the new role of the Trump's cabinet is to make him look comparatively "good" by doing increasingly stupid things. In the past few days we have seen Pompeo acting up with a reporter, now "Wilbur" doing a passably good impression of Statler from the Muppet Show. Combine that with the comedy stylings of DeVos, Carter and Perry, and it seems clear that Second City has the makings for a pretty good comedy club in DC.
The boss has got to be pleased, even if they do detract from his media monopoly.
2
There are seven confirmed cases in Korea, not 4, and human to human transmission has been confirmed (between the fourth and the sixth cases). This is according to Hankyoreh.
3
I love the Chinese people. May God have mercy on China.
10
Yeah everyone, cool down. You don't need to worry, the same government that can't manage to fix potholes is now going to protect you from a contagious disease lol. right
12
The CDC is actually run by quite competent people and they're one of the best functioning parts of our government.
15
“Person-to-person transmission may occur if someone who is sick breathes in the vicinity of others.”
If the government had spent the $2 trillion it spent on wars, on healthcare, surely our healthcare system would be better equipped to handle the virus.
26
"Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the virus"? Wait. What?? The virus is underground beneath Wuhan ???
3
@Max agreed. hypocenter makes more sense.
3
Trump is doing many things, is on top of it, and is in touch with many people to prevent the virus coming to the United States. Oh wait. It's already here. Who knew this would be this hard? It's our problem, and anything he does now, is a big favor to us, right.
3
My wife and I recently came back from Taiwan; their friendship to us was just amazing. Now it's time to do something for them. The Japanese government has already sent three rescue flights to Wuhan and plans to do more. I'm wondering if we could share the seats with Taiwanese people who want to leave there.
10
@KI
Chinese government is not letting Taiwan citizens leave. The premise being that Taiwan is part of China.
Bloomberg has reported 212 deaths about two hours ago
7
There is a sense of urgency beyond that seen with typical flu virus because this is not the same type of virus; influenza virus (flu virus) is Orthomyxoviridae, and this new virus is a Coronavirus with notable family members being MERs and SARS. This new virus is novel, meaning that humans are extremely prone to infection, morbidity and mortality from it because our immune systems can not adequately mount a response against its surface antigens. Although flu virus mutates every year (and within years) and also presents varied components to our immune systems making it difficult to defend against, we have the ability to predict (with varying accuracy) what strains will predominate each year and can as such produce prophylactic vaccines. Not so with novel and emergent viruses. This virus is also more contagious than typical flu, and severe symptoms are seen in 20% of those infected, a much higher percent than typical flu. There are case reports of 1 infected person transmitting the virus to at least 14 people. This is very concerning.
39
Time Magazine reported recently an American man living in Wuhan (now on lockdown) who was able to have a relief of symptoms from antiviral and asthma medications based on advice from his mother living in the U.S. who happened to be a working nurse. I wonder if there are any updates on the Louisianian living in Wuhan, China and further if this regimen could serve as a kind of short-term cure? Or at least a relief that would give a person's immune system enough time to develop a resistance.
7
The problem is getting access to these medications. It sounds like the health system in Wuhan is strained beyond capacity right now.
2
@Ben
China's abuse of the first antivirals on farms contributed to the flu viruses mutating into more
antiviral forms.
I am not slamming China by pointing this out because the use of antibiotics to fatten up farm animals has contributed to bacteria developing resistance as well - which occurs in many countries, including the US.
The improper use of antivirals, antibiotics, antifungals is worldwide and of major concern.
Our best scientists are saying that there will come a point in our lifetimes when we can no longer treat diseases because the medicine we have no longer works!
9
“Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Thursday that China’s loss might be America’s gain, because the coronavirus outbreak could prompt employers to move jobs to the United States.”
Wilbur Ross, you are despicable.
101
@J Edwards
this not news and has no bearing on the epidemic.
5
I agree.
Although we might take some significant damage, this will probably not be the great correction that thins out our numbers. Most likely this will be similar to SARS.
When we get past this crisis, we might want to consider using the same techniques against influenza. We know where it comes from, we know how it spreads, why can't we be rid of it for once and for all?
3
It's times like these when you realize that the American government needs to function seamlessly. If there were a pandemic, are we in a place where we could effectively coordinate a response? Are we proactive as to how we would harness resources and manufacture drugs in response to threats? Are we investing resources in the planning of such a response?
When you look at China, some fo the issues stem from regional officials afraid of getting in trouble by the center. There are political failures. The same could happen here. The chaos at the top in the US could also have real consequences in an emergency.
4
@Theresa
Well, history always repeats itself!
Want to know how Americans will act during a pandemic that comes in three waves? Just look at the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic and see how our country acted!
History will always repeat itself. That much is certain!
There will always be an epidemic. There will always be a pandemic in our lifetimes. The public, media, health officials and governments will never be ready when it happens... Heck, we can't even handle a hurricane, flue outbreak, measles outbreak or whooping cough outbreak - because people don't get prepared and refuse to get vaccinated!
Currently, our healthcare system is dealing with the seasonal flu. Hospitals are already stretched and understaffed, doctors and nurses are even afraid to call in sick... so what makes people think that our government (Republican or Democrat) would save us?
The sad reality is that our country does not and will never have enough hospital beds to deal with a major pandemic. We do not have enough supplies. We do not have enough trained personnel. We don't even have enough body bags or coffins!
So if people want to make snide remarks about the current government - they are free to do so. But it doesn't change the fact that we will never ever be prepared!
Based on past history, we will have to rely on a lot of brave volunteers!
Read up on the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic and see what will happen in our future!
5
Is it possible to report which region in Chicago?
Chicago is quite large of a city.
6
The patient in question is at a hospital in the northwest suburbs.
4
All flights out of China into the US need to be temporarily delayed.
20
YES!!!
We cannot let our good friends in the People's Republic of China outstrip the Fatherland when it comes to pandemics!
And think of the great profits that can be reaped from extortionist pricing for the cure!
4
And, this is why we need education, research grants, infrastructure and all the other elements that lead to stable societies and governments not undermined by greed and self-interest.
thank you for coming to my TED talk
17
Considering the incubation time, said to be two weeks, this is likely to be too little, too late. The disease will likely run its natural course, no thanks to anything public health officials do.
8
Business won't come here. They will go to countries with cheaper labor then China.
13
I suspect that quite a large portion of the criticism with racist undertones is more a reflection of the distrust people have of the Chinese government and their lack of transparency than a criticism of Chinese people themselves.
22
@LC
Well then, it is not racist.
1
The best guess for the death rate is now 15% not 2%. Chinese doctors who treated the first 41 patients reported on January 24th in the Lancet that 6 (15%) of the 41 had died. 68% had been discharged from hospital and 17% were still in hospital.
The data does not include anybody who was not sick enough to be admitted to hospital and tested for the virus.
https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2820%2930183-5
7
@Jackson A scientist at Johns Hopkins last year modeled what would happen if a fictional coronavirus reached a pandemic scale. In his simulated scenario, 65 million people died within 18 months.https://www.businessinsider.com/scientist-simulated-coronavirus-pandemic-deaths-2020-1
1
What's the big deal, according to our esteemed Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, this is a fantastic opportunity for the USA to cash in on China's problems. The more people that die in China as a result of this Virus, the more opportunities the US will have to take over manufacturing from China. Trump will build hundreds if not thousands on new microwave oven and Nike sneaker factories in 3-4 months. MAGA!!
11
“I don’t want to talk about a victory lap,” said Mr. Ross, as he laced up his running shoes and started his warmup stretches.
Keep it classy, as usual, Wilbur.
18
Why wasn't the woman coming from Wuhan to Chicago quarantined immediately?
12
@Cindy The woman who flew in to Chicago from Wuhan arrived on January 13 and started experiencing symptoms a few days later. Within about 5 days she was was in the hospital. China did not start isolating the city of Wuhan from the rest of China until January 23, ten days after the woman flew from there to Chicago.
3
In the US about 1,300 people die each day from smoking, and about 3,300 people die each day in automobiles. And it's been like this for years. Where are the front-page headlines? We as readers, and the New York Times as publisher, can certainly do a better job of putting this outbreak into an understandable risk context instead of falling into a panic.
8
That number of car deaths is the number for the whole world, not just the US.
6
I didn't know cancer from cigarette smoking and car accidents were contagious?
24
@Stubborn Facts smoking kills you over years, not days....
1
I don’t get the panic. Every single day statistically thousands of people die from flu and pneumonia worldwide. This virus so far killed 170....
Let’s please cool down a bit.
81
@Oliver
An entire city is shut down, an entire province the size of the Midwest is closed off from the rest of the country, the WHO (finally) announces a global health emergency, and you want people to "cool down a bit"? People shouldn't panic but they shouldn't be complacent either.
51
@Oliver The Guardian's numbers are more up to date at 212 deaths currently.
8
@Oliver
There are 9320 confirmed infections worldwide, 212 deaths, all in China, according to Guardian via their live updates.
11
Safe to assume that we cannot rely on those who might be infected to honestly divulge this information. Safeguards on them will have to be imposed by governments.
13
@AACNY Thanks Big Brother. Trump killed Medicaid on the day the first American victim is declared; sounds about right for him
11
@Ray Sipe
Separating infected people from uninfected people makes sense. It's one of the few precautions that everyone agrees upon.
6
@AACNY
You are correct, one Chinese woman traveling to France took medication to mask her symptoms and then posted photos at a three star restaurant bragging about how she snuck past the check points... turns out she was infected.
Surprising what some Sudafed and Tylenol can do!
Heck, of the diplomats that our Government flew in for the 72 hour quarantine... they caught one guy trying to sneak out.
People refuse to follow the rules. They refuse to get vaccinated. They refuse to obey traffic laws. They refuse to wash their hands...
12
Time to contact Joan Lunden at A Place for Mom for Grandpa Ross.
24
@itsmildeyes
Poor Joan Lunden, not to mention Mom.
2
Calls for quarantine are interesting. Sure SARS killed 10% and MERS killed 35% but they did not have significant person-to-person transmission. My question is if influenza kills 1% and is more pervasive globally and coronavirus seems to only kill 2% (possibly less), why the difference in continued escalation of response? I am not clear on what the significant concern of the Wuhan virus is given that it appears to be similar to influenza in effect. Perhaps I've missed something significant, but what is the difference between influenza and Wuhan coronavirus in terms of potential impact that necessitates the continued level of response and concern?
201
I think the lack of vaccine is part of the concern. The flu has vaccines that help curb the rapid spread. Without a vaccine for this virus, who knows how quickly this could explode. I wonder what the anti-vaxers would say about that.
164
One difference would be that there is a vaccine for the seasonal flu that either prevents it entirely or mitigates the severity. There is no vaccine for the corona virus so no one has immune protection.
67
@Amanda
Yes, I know that there is a flu vaccine (i got mine this year), but even with the vaccine, there are more infected globally with influenza and it still kills 1%. Without vaccine, coronavirus looks to only kill 2% (possibly less percentage-wise as there are likely more unreported cases) and its spread globally seems to be less than influenza. So, I am still not clear why, given the current projected impact (which, again, appears to be similar to influenza), we still have the continued and even amplified quarantine efforts. It doesn't quite make sense to me. If the coronavirus is actually more virulent/more deadly or has potential to cause worse health effects (which, given public information thus far, is not clear to me that it is much worse than influenza), then I can see, but none of the public information clarifies this need for sustained effort. And, again, I may be missing something but perhaps the NYT can get one of their correspondents or sources to clarify the reasons for the continued/amplified response vs. the lesser concern for influenza.
63
It appears that Africa and South America have not yet reported any Coronavirus incidents from their respective continents. Either they are extremely fortunate or they have no reliable reporting mechanisms. Regardless, the W.H.O must move more quickly to act than the Xi government did in reporting the outbreak. The rest of the world cannot wait another month to take mitigating actions against this potential 21st century plague.
9
I work with a gifted drug development scientist who offered the view that these viruses always mutate rapidly, even as they spread, and therefore die out naturally as they evolve to less toxic forms. His cynical question is, "who will clarion credit for having fixed the problem?" I have no independent view, but he has been right about so many disease observation that I assume he is right. After all, the Spanish flu, rightfully dreaded for killing 50 million people after world War I, is no longer a worry.
6
That’s after going through it’s mutation and attacking and killing enormous numbers of people in its second form. Finding the formula and inoculating people before the virus can mutate looks like an important step, versus waiting for it to weaken on its own.
8
"The infected U.S. patient is the husband of a woman who returned from Wuhan, China. Officials are tracking the places they visited and identifying close contacts."
Why was a person who traveled back from Wuhan not tested and quarantined? China has shut down whole cities but we cannot bother to quarantine the passengers coming back into our country?
28
@VD We now have twenty airports that can receive flights from China and Wuhan. Does this make sense?
4
you havent lived in the midwest... well it is differrrent.
2
I wish people would stop comparing this with the flu. There is not enough data out yet to know what the true mortality rate might be.
Just going by the number of deaths vs number recovered indicates the mortality rate *might* be much higher..but then we don't know the true number of infected if there are people who are mostly asymptomatic not seeking treatment...so there's no way to really tell the true numbers at this point (the Chinese govt may have more accurate numbers but if they do they're not reporting it for some reason...)
So please stop saying this isn't more worrying that the flu. There is simply not enough information available at this point to make any kind of pronouncement like that.
26
Too many people with an anti-Chinese grudge are using this crisis to score points. I'm certainly not saying that China has performed 100% correctly, nor will it. But in a few weeks, we'll have comparisons to make, and China's going to look better than many other places, including some which may surprise.
7
Working with China on this is a must - (I wonder if rats and bats' disease were not indeed the culprits spreading to the seafood??)In any regard good to see many partners involved worldwide and working to stem this now global health crisis.
1
More scary than Coronavirus? The fact that it is being managed by Wilbur Ross.
21
@Pillai Waiting for "Heck of a job Willy"
1
With all due respect towards the readers who post opinions that differ from my own...
What I find mind boggling is the fact that our country has allowed itself to become vulnerable to the whims of an authoritative, repressive Chinese government!
Folks, please Google: U.S. Dependence on Pharmaceutical Products From China
97% of our antibiotics? China
80% of the active pharmaceutical ingredients used to make drugs in the United States? China
250,000 substandard doses of vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough? China
81 deaths from Heparin? China
Recent reports of continued fraud and manipulation of quality data from Pharmaceutical company's? China
Think your safe because your drugs were made in another country? China makes the ingredients for a lot of those countries - which have been found to be substandard along with fraudulent data!
Some of the most sophisticated electronic parts for our missiles and bombs? China (We don't even make a lot of our own weapons!)
Rare Earth Metals? China
Want a battery for your Tesla? China
Want solar power? China
Want wind power? China
Instead of educating oneself over what has happened in our country, people want to take an extremely narrow point of view and blame the current administration...
I hate to burst your bubble, but this has been going on for decades... Have any of the current Presidential candidates actually talked about strengthening our country by making more of critical items at home? NOPE!
50
@The Critic - I completely agree with you. When one country, the U.S., allows another country, an adversary, to manufacture everything on our store shelves it leaves itself completely vulnerable.
What if China goes into a 20-year civil war due to people being locked down against their will? Those container ships that flow into the Puget Sound everyday will disappear along with everything on our shelves and it would take years to set up everything here again like it was when I was growing up.
18
@The Critic This is the free market capitalism that people say they want. Dictating to companies where and how they must manufacture their products would be akin to - wait for it - socialism, now wouldn't it?
6
That would include the current Republican candidate. What actual steps has he taken to bring any industry back to the U.S. to solve these problems?
2
This could have been avoided. It reminds of all the excitement upon marco polo’s return to europe after 24 years, followed by the plague.
3
Please stop flights from China. Please stop bringing sick people into the US. It is ridiculous that the US government brought hundreds of people into this country from Wuhan- and then only required monitoring for three days (when they knew the period without symptoms is 14 days). Why are we putting millions of people at risk to avoid inconveniencing a couple hundred citizens who chose to to go China?
28
@Willt26 - You need to stop the container ships as well. Planes are only one way of entering this country.
5
@Willt26 Yes.
1
A few months ago about 100 to 120 million pigs were put to death for they were carrying a disease in China. Well if not all of these pigs were killed then there is the possibility that this new disease or virus is tied to these pigs not bats which were sold on the black market . Does North Korea have any individuals with the new virus? If not they maybe involved in some manner with this virus. How would this not spread to North Korea if China and North Korea exchange products and travel? So mysteriously a snake or a bat could set off human to human transmission . Based on what scientific evidence ? Why did this not occur previously in all of Asia ? Very suspicious. No it looks like someone or group were involved in spreading this disease.
1
This reporting does not make clear if spouse was quarantined before he tested positive. Why was he not quarantined once his wife tested positive for the virus? He could have exposed many more people. Reporting should look into this case.
9
@Alex - Here in Washington State, I have not read of anyone who came into contact with the first case being quarantined out of safety. But if they did that, they would pretty much have to shut down Sea-Tac since he got off a plane and walked through the airport to pick up his luggage and find his way home almost 2 hours north. I have not read of anyone else from his plane flight being quarantined nor the attendants who were all breathing his exhalations.
I cannot imagine the logistical nightmare trying to quarantine each human who may have come into contact with him and everyone they have now come into contact with. Meanwhile, the only reason he is in the hospital is for observation. He never got sick enough to think about going to the doctor. He did so based upon a news report about Wuhan and the fact that he did not feel well when he landed at Sea-Tac. But people often complain of not feeling well after a long flight.
Meanwhile, when I visited a friend last year in the hospital where my doctor is located, I couldn't stop thinking of the Legionnaire's Disease outbreak they had that killed five people that was traced back to an ice-machine.
Life is scary. Then we die.
7
It's the end of the world as we know it... and I feel fine! (?)
3
Maybe this would be a good time to invite those being repatriated from Wuhan to DC to meet with Trump and some republican senators. Just to show that we aren't afraid....
18
"Health authorities urgently want to know whether people who have been infected with the virus, but who don’t yet show symptoms of being sick, can infect others.
"They also want to know whether those who become infected but don’t get sick at all can nevertheless transmit to others and make them sick.
"Answers to these questions could help them determine how far-flung the virus could already be.
"They could also offer clues as to how long the most restrictive virus-quashing measures — steps like quarantines or business closures — might need to remain in place to ensure that they work."
https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-01-29/coronavirus-china-science-mysteries
3
What a horror show this administration is.
20
A soulless, morally and ethically bankrupt comment by Wilbur Ross. If Kobe was still playing when he died, that’s like an NBA coach saying: “We’ll have a better chance against the Lakers this year.” Shame on you Wilbur Ross.
31
From what i have read in the last 24 hours is that the likely culprit is bats which are sold as a delicacy in wild life meat markets. Bats are believed to carry many viruses and are immune to effects.
4
@s Brady I think the virus was transmitted by bats to some other animals that were sold at a food market.
3
How do these two paragraphs logically exist together?
"Health officials are tracking the places visited by both patients and identifying all close contacts to monitor them. The public is at low risk, officials said.
Medical experts are watching the virus closely to see how easy it is transmitted from one person to the next. An infection that’s highly contagious may seed an epidemic."
So the man, a 60-year-old who has been free to roam about the planet with a highly contagious coronavirus, is at low risk for transmitting it?
Sometimes I wish officials could hear themselves.
15
@Kerry
Because it requires close contact, so officials need to find out who else have close contacts with this patient.
2
"this new coronavirus might have come from another of the many animals sold at the market — or from none of them. The fact that several early patients had never been to the market was the first hint that it might have been spreading among humans before Dec. 12, 2019, when Chinese authorities first took note of the infection.
"Unless you know a virus’ reservoir, efforts to quash it are a little like trying to mop up a flooded bathroom floor before turning off the sink faucet, says University of Minnesota infectious disease expert Michael Osterholm. Eventually, you need to shut off (or at least stem) humans’ exposure to the reservoir if you’re going to prevent new infections."
https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-01-29/coronavirus-china-science-mysteries
7
@Mary Elizabeth Lease
First "Officially recognized case" was December 1st 2019, so your concerns are justified.
My question is: When did an uptick in pneumonia deaths begin?
Was the Wuhan Pneumonia Virus active in November or October and they don't know? Or worse, are not saying?
Keep in mind, when the deaths started increasing, Chinese officials did in fact, threaten people who posted complaints. They did in fact censor comments at the beginning.
1
@The Critic
Interestingly, that "first case" (which may or may not be 'patient zero') was NOT exposed to Huanan Market.
This is according to the most rigorous study so far published in The Lancet medical journal.
This raises the possibility of contamination stemming from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (China's only bsl-4 lab) which was studying Novel Bat Coronaviruses:
2018 Paper on Novel Bat Coronavirus from Wuhan Institute of Virology:
https://jvi.asm.org/content/92/13/e00116-18
4
@Impeach45
There were a number of early cases that had zero connection with the market!
1
Conspiracy theories about "bioweapons" and "synthetic viruses" are red herrings.
However, there are 4 points re. the ORIGIN of 2019-nCoV worth noting:
1. The most rigorous study so far (published in The Lancet medical journal) shows the FIRST KNOWN CASE of 2019-nCoV was NOT exposed to the Huanan Market.
2. The fact that China's only bsl-4 lab happens to be in the virus epicentre could be a coincidence, but...
3. The fact that the Wuhan institute of Virology was researching Novel Bat Coronavirus is a 'coincidence' that stretches credibility.
4. In 2017, international scientists expressed concern about the Wuhan lab and China's lack of expertise/transparency in handling deadly pathogens.
Bibliography:
2018 Paper on Novel Bat Coronavirus from Wuhan Institute of Virology:
https://jvi.asm.org/content/92/13/e00116-18
2018 article from ‘The Scientist’ on another bat coronavirus study by the Wuhan lab:
https://www.the-scientist.com/the-nutshell/bats-identified-as-source-of-pig-killing-coronavirus-in-china-30035
2017 'Nature' article mentioning safety concerns re. the lab:
https://www.nature.com/news/inside-the-chinese-lab-poised-to-study-world-s-most-dangerous-pathogens-1.21487
Vox's layman summary of the research published in Lancet: https://www.vox.com/2020/1/27/21082354/coronavirus-outbreak-wuhan-china-early-on-lancet
32
Trump administration's trolling strategy has succeeded as people get mesmerized by the words of Wilbur Ross.
oh yeah...the epidemic...
3
Wilbur Ross’s sentiment recalls that of a slave owner in a Flannery O’Connor short story: one man’s gain is another man’s misery.
5
Wilbur Ross the voice of compassion
2
In any normal administration, Wilbur Ross would have been fired immediately. trump will probably give him a special commendation.
17
A big fat thank you to Wilbur Ross noting that coronavirus is good for business here in Trumpland.
The jerk store is having a big sale.
19
Perhaps Wilbur Ross also believes that the Holocaust was very good for Germany’s construction, chemical and transportation industries?
22
It's very concerning to me that in this possible crisis, we have a POTUS who ignores advisors and generally poo-poos science. But maybe he might fear catching it himself, and since everything is always about him, it might knock some sense into him. Fingers crosses, masks on.
4
You’ve got to be kidding me, how stupid is Wilbur Ross with his statement that the existence of the virus could be good for the US. It’s beyond the pale that someone in that position would express such an uninformed, callous, idiotic statement. Just par for the course with Trump’s team members. Someone please just walk Mr. Ross out the door.
12
So when people like Wilbur Ross get hired by people like Trump, is it the appeal based on overall ability to make asinine comments like this current one, or is it the prior business misconduct that's more important?
10
Hey Mr Secretary, remember the early 80s? In this country? Remember HIV? And HIV is not airborne. Think of the enormous losses still experienced here- personal, economic, cultural, intellectual. And HIV is not airborne. What a stupid comment.
5
what in the world are they spraying in the photo at top?
1
Wilbur Ross’s comments are as disgraceful as they come. Par for the course for Trump world.
5
Over 6,000 passengers on a cruise ship are being quarantined because one passenger from China is showing symptoms consistent with the Wuhan Pneumonia Virus!
6,000 passengers and crew are being held onboard the Costa Smeralda cruise ship while medical teams run diagnostic tests on the 54-year-old.
Shortages of masks in our country, many which are made in China, may cause problems for our healthcare professionals.
Folks, the current flu outbreak is stressing our healthcare system as it is also doing in other countries. This only shows that, despite years of warnings from our scientists, governments and health officials never prepared for the "When!"
Claims that researchers are working on and getting ready to test vaccines are meaningless. If you have any basic idea of production, as I do, then it is one thing to make a limited test batch in the lab, it is another issue to ramp up to full scale production!
There are many outbreaks of other diseases going on including flu, measles, Ebola, bacterial pneumonia... and there fewer companies making vaccines... So I am not going to expect 350 million doses being made in the first year of production, which means it will take a while to deal with the Wuhan Pneumonia Virus, if it turns into a pandemic.
Nor would I expect authoritative governments to allow limited production runs to be shipped out of their countries!
My advice, get vaccinated while you can, learn how to wash your hands often and stay informed!
5
People will die, millions will suffer, jobs and businesses will be lost
and the US Commerce Secretary says (to paraphrase):
"it will be good for America because jobs will come to us!"
Once "who are these people" would apply to Trump and virtually every member of his administration (including Ross and let me ridicule a teen global activist with my own nonsensical "economics" after my wife lists her designer duds coming off a taxpayer paid junket).
No more. They are us. They are who much of our country wants. It is our country and many of its people that is the problem.
6
@AJ
Actually, if one truly believes in Climate Change, the world needs Mother Nature to perform a massive cull on the human population - which needs to be below one billion!
If you choose to ignore the deceptive political ads currently being run, a good pandemic would take care of New York's huge homeless population - who don't have access to consistent, quality and convenient medical care.
That same pandemic would help with the huge homeless situation on the West Coast.
A good pandemic might help with the 118 day world supply of food... not at first but in the future!
Think about it, if we could get rid of 6.8 plus billion people... a lot of our worlds problems could be solved!
As shocking as this post might be to you and others, just keep in mind that one of the predictions by respected scientists is that such a massive cull is possible by the year 2100 - give or take a few decades!
2
The comments from our esteemed commerce secretary sound like something a joke writer would create for an SNL skit, something to make fun of him. But this is the real guy saying it. This whole administration is a sad parody.
17
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Thursday that China’s loss might be America’s gain, because the coronavirus outbreak could prompt employers to move jobs to the United States.
The most tone deaf administration in history. though when you're rich, why care about anyone other than yourself?
15
This is turning into hysteria. Imagine, human to human transmission! That includes everything from AIDS to the flu to the common cold.
Calling 2019-nCoV a pandemic is not supported by the current data. More people have died from the flu in the US. CDC statistics account for ~20,000 death to flu in 2019-2020.
Here is the latest on the coronavirus from MedCram….it demonstrates that the mortality rate closer to the flu statistics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN9-UXsvPBY
2
@Allen82
Thank you for the link. It allows me to clarify your claim that the mortality rate for the novel coronavirus is "closer to the flu" (your comment).
The end of the Youtube video you linked compares the number of deaths reported worldwide and attributed to the novel coronavirus (132) to the number of deaths reported in January 2020 in California attributed to the flu (149).
As noted by many others here in the comments, the mortality rate (as in the probability of death if a person contracts the disease) is approximately 1% for the novel coronavirus and approximately 0.1% for the flu.
The WHO declare a global health emergency today.
2
Wilbur Ross sure knows how to put the capital C in capitalism: sorry all you people in other countries are suffering and dying, but thanks for clearing the way for U.S. business to thrive. Ross perfectly represents the compassion/empathy void at the core of the Trump administration. What a shameful embarrassment.
11
Ross, " I don’t want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease"
Guess if this didn't happened naturally, you would've wanted to give them a little present, like the one European settlers gave to the Native Americans. Yes, I am thinking smallpox,.
4
Too little too late is seems...the Chinese "leadership" did nothing and as usual tried to cover it up until they could not......the fact that their hygienic practices with food are not enforced is the core issue...while greed is usually the only motivation along with stupidity and laziness....and if people have strong immune systems there is much less threat....RX is not the solution.....hygiene is.
4
As far as we know (USA), the current administration has told health officials not to disclose the true number of coronavirus cases in this country. It wouldn’t be the first time federal agencies’ findings and work have been censored by Trump and friends.
2
@Sandra Garratt the first thing you said is probably right. not sure about the second part...
@inkspot. - I can assure you that here in Seattle, no health official would give a whoop about what Trump did or did not say. And if any EMT showed up to an apartment building with medics in full hazardous gear, it would be all over the internet along with video, etc., in less time than it takes Ellen to post another kitten video on Twitter.
Trump and his goons lied about soldiers with "headaches" yet it came out the same week that they have traumatic brain injuries. I'm sure he told his Pentagon to hide such news.
2
Spinning a health crisis into a potential gain for the U.S. economy is beyond low. This is chicken feed rhetoric tailored to get arm chair zombies to nod and take pleasure in the suffering of others. This is the despicable language of liars with honey on their collective formed tongues.
It’s sad and scary that people with college educations fall for this.
6
O America, Shining City on Hill. Now Wilbur Ross: China's epidemic will facilitate new US jobs. Alleluia. Perhaps this can be incorporated into Prosperity Gospel? What do Pentecostals say? Can it be that the prayed-for Miscarriage of Satanic Babies is Upon Us?
3
OH ME OH MY! The world is coming to an end! The question is, “When”?
How is people getting sick and dying from a rapidly spreading virus ever good? That’s way beyond insensitive, it’s ridiculous.
2
It would be extremely surprising if this virus were NOT capable of transmission between humans.
Otherwise, stay classy, Wilbur.
1
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross just made some cruel statements.
There are people dying and he is talking about business opportunity.
Another reason to dump the cesspool administration.
5
Aside from the potentially crucial global health implications of this coronavirus, Wilbur Ross - yet again - has made astoundingly insensitive and inept comments. Zero emotional intelligence, zero compassion, zero practical input to solve the problem. Of course you're part of *this* administration, Wilbur!
8
As a Chinese citizen living and working on this Trump land for 5 years - I've seen/experienced things like violence, corruption, racism, ignorance, a lot of which were far more horrible than one would expect for China. I finally realized: countries have their own issues in so many different ways. Wilbur Ross is just another example of mind-numbingly stupid candidates having managed to be put in an important position where he/she makes cringe-worthy opinions in public, which happens everywhere in the world.
5
Nothing like profiting from someone else's misery.
4
This scientific article directly contradicts the idea of a silver lining from added jobs.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/hec.3938
1
One can only speculate as to how the Trump Administration will screw this up, perhaps make Jared in charge?
9
@Leonard Foonimin you can help the virus from spreading by practicing sanitation
1
Mr. Ross' response to China's problem is not just insensitive but hostile and anti-free trade.
As for the rest, this disease is being treated with sensationalism both by the MSM and governments. WHO should be helping Wuhan, not worrying about a pandemic. Few people have been infected, especially abroad, and only 2-3% die. None have died abroad where there is good medical care. Compare this to Ebola, where the death rate is about 50%, and high even where there is the best care.
It is appropriate to screen people traveling from Wuhan and to attempt to isolate the virus there.
Meanwhile, the flu and measles are much more dangerous in the US, partly because of vaccination refusal or laxity, and by diverting attention from these, the MSM does us ill.
5
@dr. c.c.
I don't see an authoritative government wanting to appear weak and unprepared to its citizens by allowing outsiders in to the country to help!
2
Saying the flu kills more people is not very comforting. That is like saying cars kill more people than guns do. Concern is warranted.
9
Mr. Ross, like so many in the Trump administration, thinks of money and profits before people. Shame on him. He should be looking for ways that the U.S. could help our Chinese partners, not profit from their problems. History will recall...
7
This virus can spread from contaminated surfaces. Are we putting people in quarantine, blocking travel to certain quarters, but leaving the planes (and hence a potential viral vector) untracked?
At this point I’m expecting a pandemic to be a given.
The question are: What’s the best treatment if you get it? And, given that family members, as caregivers, will necessarily have close contact, is washing one’s hands enough?
5
Of course people should be prudent, take precaution, always wash hands with soap and hot water. But it should be kept in mind that despite those precautions, and with the benefit of a vaccination (at least in first world countries) some 750,000 people will die this year from the "standard" flu virus. Granted, many of those are elderly or otherwise prone to infection due to compromised immune systems, but this is no time to "panic" irrationally. Unfortunately, the news media, while trying to convey up to date info., tends to alarm the populace. Just watch your local news for a couple of minutes to see how sensationalized this has become. Their motto "if it bleeds, it leads", is apropos for this current coronavirus outbreak.
4
Today we are told that there are 7,700 confirmed infections & only 171 deaths. If these numbers are correct - that is unknown, true - the virus is no worse than an ordinary flu.
Yesterday, in Canada it was discovered that a person can be infected & show no signs of illness at all. This suggests the infection rate could be much higher, with many people having no to few symptoms. This would mean that the death rate is even lower than reported.
Perhaps this is more a media-driven panic?
4
It's absolutely a media-driven panic. Frightened readers click stories, clicks sell advertising space, advertising sales make money for proprietors. This is absolutely what's happening.
1
@Ronn
I respectfully disagree.
At 2.2 percent it can potentially kill 7.7 million people in the US. The flu is around 30 to 80 thousand per year I believe. Far lower around the 0.02% mark of the population I believe if you take 80,000 into 350 million. Someone check the math if you wish.
So it is 100 times more deadly than the flu that we know about at this point based on that sample size.
1
As much as I enjoy Kate McKinnon's mocking the pure and unadulterated evil of Wilbur Ross on SNL, the real Wilbur Ross seems to out-do all comedy writers and comediennes, keeping a straight face all the while.
It's a rare occasion when we see worse examples of "humanity" than we regularly see in Mr. Ross.
5
The Trump era / commerce secretary silver lining view of the coronavirus is basically saying:
These deaths help spur the American economy. It doesn't matter who dies or how many, as long as we're making money.
Is this the new patriotism?
4
@AP Trump’s policy is America first not China first
1
Astonishing that none of these headline making points discuss any scientific facts. For example, China has a system of traditional medicine that is more useful in addressing some health conditions than its more western counterpart, yet China appears unable to address an epidemic. A prior virus emerged in China over a decade ago, and now another similar one emerges, yet there is no discussion as to what could have gone wrong in the intervening one and a half decades for the similar sitation to recur. Also most interesting is that at least one other communist (or communist leaning socialist) country has had a similar even though more attenuated epidemic, while at the same time also having had progresses in its own traditional medicine that make the more western counterparts pale. These, and there are most likely also other, contradictions deserve at least some elucidation and investigation, and are certainly more helpful and interesting to solving the problem than the observation that the spouse of an infected patient caught the virus (it would have been very surprising indeed had that no been so)!
The only people who use "traditional" medicine in China are those who either have no access to western (aka "real") medicine, or those who can't afford it.
If Coronavirus had originated in Mexico or West Africa, trump would be insanely howling and tweeting epithets galore. The whole country would be shut down and rounding up and corralling black and brown people would have commenced. But we know from Bolton’s manuscript that trump has made promises and offered favors to China—clearly to benefit Ivanka’s rancid business and his own personal finances. His tepid response to this present-day catastrophe speaks volumes.
1
@PAB this is not the time for jokes
1
@PAB
Good point but that is still possible if the outbreak spreads.
The United States first confirmed case of person to person transmission of the Wuhan Pneumonia Virus has been documented in the Chicago Illinois area!
So it looks as if airport temp screenings and asking people to quarantine themselves isn't working out so well. Nor does it appear that massive quarantines are working out as wanted.
No doubt that the quarantines are slowing the spread, just not stopping it!
Most of our medicine is produced overseas. China makes a lot of medicine for our country. So any calls to stop flights and other forms of transportation would just hurt Americans.
China is experiencing massive shortages of basic medical supplies now, which means that, since a lot of it is made in that country, the United States can expect shortages as people rush to stock up.
Here in the U.S., we have two types of vaccines designed for bacterial forms of pneumonia. There is also a list of vaccines that are recommended for people. Though they do not specifically fight against the Wuhan Pneumonia Virus, I would recommend getting updated so as to prevent problems from secondary infections should you become infected with this new coronavirus.
My personal feeling about vaccines is that for the doctors, nurses and people who don't believe in vaccines and have not bothered to stay updated, or have sent their unvaccinated children to schools - they should wait until everybody else is vaccinated!
(Many children died last year because parents refused measles vaccines!)
4
vaccines for Corona virus don’t exist yet, and won’t exist for the months it will take to develop them so it is irrelevant in this case.
2
@Last
If you bothered to read the post, it was stated that they do not specifically fight against the Wuhan Pneumonia Virus...
So you're just repeating what was already stated while missing the point of the post!
@The Critic The person to person transmission in Chicago was between a woman and her husband. This isn't an unrealistic scenario, with family members being in close proximity to one another.
Secretary Ross clearly doesn’t understand much how to run a manufacturing business. When I open a factory in China, I use their building, machines and labor. To open a factory in America, I have to pay for building, machines and labor. Where can I find capital for such massive initial investment, given that no ones know how long it will last?
6
@S. C.
That's what happens when you literally GIVE China your industrial base.
The US shipped whole factories over to China in anticipation of cheap labor costs.
3
@S. C.
He is rich. It’s not like he does the work or exert effort to do it himself. That’s what labor and people under him do.
1
Curious as to why we don't know the demographic of the deaths; are these individuals under or over a certain age, have diminished health capacity or any other factors that may be why they have more readily died to this disease? I would think that is very important to know!
10
If you had a need to know, you would know. But, you don’t.
1
@Simon I am not sure that I understand your meaning. If I was an elderly individual, I might care if those above the age of 80 are more susceptible to dying than a 35 year old. And, if there is no difference in susceptibility, I think everyone would care to know, if not need to know.
1
Hah! C-suite execs and Wall Street speculators won’t let that happen. It would mean that employees would need to be paid a living wage with benefits and comply with real environmental regulations. That would cut into their own salaries and capital gains. More likely scenario is they will simply move production elsewhere to exploit workers in another authoritarian ruled country.
5
"Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus could be good for the U.S, prompting jobs to move from China to the United States as a result of the outbreak."
That right there is an example of what is wrong with this maladministration and modern Republican capitalism: they care only about profits and revenue, not people and lives.
26
Doesn't Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross realize people have died, families lost loved ones, doctors and nurses are risking lives to help patients?
Giving a shady business justification for "benefits" of this epidemic shows he lacks basic human empathy and moral fiber.
No wonder he switched from being a Democrat to Republican affiliation in 2016 and later become part of Trump government.
14
Whatever's good for the economy...
This growing anti-Chinese sentiment was, unfortunately, to be expected. Just as unfortunate is the fear that is likely to be felt by any Chinese national in another country who has the virus and begins to feel ill. They will be less likely to seek help, and less likely to be quarantined, and we all know what will happen next.
Xenophobia has plagued humans since the beginning of mankind, and it may help an outbreak spread even further globally.
4
Wilbur Ross strikes again, showing why Trump apparently likes him so much!
Death, disease, expensive hospitalizations or , perhaps no medical care at all for the uninsured, and grief! None if those things would bother either of them; anything to help their personal incomes matters.
The country is used to Trump’s lack of empathy, compassion, or intelligence. Hadn’t thought Ross was so close to being the exact same uncaring personality.
9
@Kathy Many of them are malignant narcissists like Trump and they cling to Trump because they think he recognizes their genius like no one else has. Witness how Pompeo treated Mary Louise Kelly. Clear case of malignant narcissistic injury.
3
As in the case of Ebola, the source of Coronavirus appears to be bush-meat. Yet in some early articles about the Wuhan situation and the alleged market focal point, I have noted that Chinese Government sources have spoken of a temporary restriction on the sale of bush-meat. 'Temporary', are they incompetent or crazy? On a related note, allowing travelers to pass through check points based on a simple temperature scan completely ignores the 5-14 day asymptomatic incubation period which was well known even at the outset is sadly laughable, especially in a person-to-person transmission scenario.
3
@Trevor
Oh, but bush meat is cage-free and thoroughly organic.
@Trevor
simply not true...
The fact that several early patients had never been to the market was the first hint that it might have been spreading among humans before Dec. 12, 2019, when Chinese authorities first took note of the infection.
https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-01-29/coronavirus-china-science-mysteries
Comment of Wilbur Ross irrelevant: normal in the Trump era. Expect more of it. Ignore and focus on what the experts at the CDC and WHO are saying. They are the ones providing the statements we need to highlight.
1
Donald Trump promised before 2016 election that he will bring jobs back to US. Now his Secretary Of Commerce opines that Corona Virus May be a boon to America, since the jobs may move back to US. Is that how Trump was planning to bring jobs back? It is mind boggling that Mr. Ross can even utter such an absurd idea.
4
@Data Data & More Data our hospitals been doing the same thing pay up before we treat you
1
Wilber Ross is obviously a student of history. His contention that pandemics which decimate a huge per cent of the population always gives rise to shifting production and rising wages. The Black Death scourge during and following the Middle Ages is a case in point. So is the Potato Famine in Ireland.
Therefore, Ross’s assertion that the Corona Virus will benefit the US manufacturing sector and workforce is justification for hoping that history repeats itself sooner rather than later which obviously would assist in Tump’s re-election along with perhaps returning the Congress to total Republican control.
‘Tis an I’ll wind that doesn’t blow someone some good. So said Dr. Strangelove.
2
“Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said jobs could move from China to the United States as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.”
Well thats an ugly bit of false opportunism. There are 5 cases of coronavirus in the US and zero in Russia and the entire African continent. If that were a driving factor in choosing a factory, where would you open yours?
4
If China can quarantine 50 million people so quickly, can they do the world a favor and completely ban the selling and eating of wildlife. Chinese have modernized at an astonishing pace in all other areas of life, so why cling to medieval food habits. In a way it is Karma which is hitting Wuhan.
8
@Barbarika it’s hard to ban if there’s demand. If there’s a ban then the markets go underground without any safe sanitation regards. It’s the generational passed down culture of eating certain foods gives you certain health benefits even if the claim is debunked.
1
the interjection of Wilbur Ross's comment into the NYT coverage of China's current coronavirus EPIDEMIC is gratuitous and speaks to a break down of the NYT newsroom's editorial decisions and control.
The oval office is not the only locus of power with an absence of adults.
1
Link to actual updated numbers.
https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6
We had SARS. And now WURS - not Wuhan Respiratory Syndrome but Wilbur Ross. One of the WURST
5
Wilbur Ross’s soul is a stone.
7
Gordon Geko has just been replaced as the ugly face of capitalism by Wilbur Ross. What a stunningly insensitive remark to make even as his boss is playing nice with Xi and China in general.
4
Wilbur Ross' comment is such a great combination of evil and know-nothingness you'd think he workshopped it first.
8
Thanks, China.
4
What an ignorant comment from commerce director,always outing business before lives,do we in the world need pandemic for business to move back to the USA,what a barbaric though,we as human just keep descending deeper and deeper into the abiss,he should know capitalist have no national patriotism,is where they can exploit the masses to make a biggest profit.
No need for apostrophe in “The orchestra announced it will cancel it’s tour of Asia.”
5
Absolutely gob-smacked at old Wilbur’s insensitivity to the plight of those who are ill. Wilbur, shut up. Your Mother is ashamed.
5
@BE THE ONE Will's mother is out shorting travel stocks.
The influenza epidemic of 2018 had a mortality rate of 2%, the same as with the current virus. And so if the new virus spreads around the world as easily as the one of 2018, there is a very
big problem.
Moreover, since apparently 20% of the people who catch this
new virus get pneumonia and need to be hospitalized, this
can overwhelm health-care systems.
3
The reaction to the virus seems to far outpacing its dangerousness. First I doubt that official Chinese numbers are accurate for the number of infections. So the fraction of those infected that die is likely to be lower than the 3 or so percent that appears to be the case now.
Second, Is there any reason to think that this virus is any worse in effect than a flu virus?We’ve already had a bad wave of flu rampage though the country this season already without panic.
1
@Mark Josephson
It appears to be 100 times more deadly based on the numbers given.
What is 2% of the US population?
This is about the most uninformed and untrue statement yet to come out on this topic. Robust scientific research has already shown that the Ebola outbreak in 2014 reduced jobs in the US by virtue of reducing exports from the US to Africa. When the economies of other countries suffer for whatever reason, including epidemics, they are less able to buy goods from the US, which hurts the US economically.
10
@ L. More informative and believable comments than from my man Willlburrr. Thanks
2
Though I realize that not much information is available publicly, does it sound as if the Chicago woman's husband was NOT isolated? Since they've following up with places they've visited, this may be the case. It would see that people living with those with suspected cases would automatically be isolated, as well.
13
@Allatonce. Woman from Chicago area was I believe the second person in the US identified as a possible patient with the virus as she had been in Wuhan province. It is amazing how much more is known (via news media) now than just a few weeks ago. It was just a few days ago that news broke that confirmed direct contact was not the only route of transmission.
Yesterday reports indicated that planeload of US Citizens evacuated landed at a military field and all are being quarantined. The medical response seems to be evolving rapidly- I too was surprised initially that quarantine was not yet being employed.
2
The Corona virus is different because now there is insufficient data on its true infectivity. The numbers are too small and China's ability to detect all cases and its transparency are suspect. The rapidity of its spread in China is alarming. With each new virus there is the potential for the unknown. Scientists know this and are on top of this as best they can. A global panic will serve no purpose but strict quarantine measures will. i will say nothing further about the conclusion of H.G. Well's classic of a century ago: War of the Worlds. One thing thankfully absent so far is attempts to politicize this.
8
Apparently it’s already been politicized by Droopy over in HHS.
According to Forbes & WSJ - 3 months ago - when emerging tariffs have caused companies to relocate, the most common destination has been Vietnam. I can't imagine why a virus - that has registered fewer cases in Vietnam than in the U.S. - should cause companies to return to the U.S. What's the missing piece of this puzzle, besides Wilbur Ross' imagination?
25
I cannot imagine Wilbur Ross’ imagination. He continues to fail the American people. Horrible human being. Horrible.
May I remind you that he is a horrible individual to begin. I would not even categorize him as someone deserving attention. Horrible. Horrible. Person.
The sheer depravity of Mr. Ross is astounding. It is men like him who exported US jobs to China because they were willing to work for less. And now he thinks it is a positive for the US that people are dying of this virus in China and these jobs will come back to the US?
148
@SV
I agree. Shameful.
These people care only about money at any cost.
8
Dear Wilbur Ross: Please read "The Plague" by Camus and let us know, afterwards, whether you still think in terms of profiting from the Wuhan Coronavirus.
87
So the World Health Organization is thinking about declaring the Wuhan Pneumonia Virus an International Emergency. Russia signals closing its 2,600 mile border (good luck with that) and people are demanding that all flights from China cease...
Plain old fashioned, knee jerk reactions that won't change a thing or have any affect on the current crisis!
Folks, you need to stop for a moment and think about this simple fact that the NYT hasn't mentioned... Do you really have any idea as to where your medication is coming from?
You just might want to Google the subject before demanding all flights and other forms of transportation be stopped!
The sad reality is that our country has outsourced a lot of manufacturing to other countries that include China.
Do you really think that a new Vaccine will be made in the United States? Do you really think the you will be among the first to get the vaccine, if it is even made in the next few months or year?
The problem that few Americans understand is that most of our vaccines (and medicine) is made in other country's, including China.
So with this fact in mind, one of the concerns is: "During a pandemic, would a vaccine made in another country be distributed evenly to other countries?"
Sadly, the answer is no: With 1.4 Billion people, I'm betting that, despite contracts and agreements, China would divert their production for their own population!
19
What I think of, actually, is the character Jude Law played in “Contagion.”
@Robert
Watched the movie, a bit over-dramatic for my tastes and some of the statements not based on facts.
As you know, Jude Law character was into conspiracy theories and providing false information about useless cures.
I have a lot of direct access to actual scientists. I also read a lot of publications written by those scientists.
The concerns about our over-reliance and outsourcing of critical supplies to countries not friendly to the United States has been written about by our own government, including well respected scientist and by respected media sources.
Start with Googling: Where are prescription drugs made?
Google: U.S. officials worried about Chinese control of American drug supply... and see what you come up with?
Look up the NYT article: Drug Making's Move Abroad Stirs Concerns, that was written in 2009.
Now if I were to proof read my posts before submitting, I would come across better. (Most of the time I am very tired when I post.)
The point I am making is that when I post, everything can be verified with respected sources. If I express an opinion, I usually state it is an opinion clearly.
I am not into panic, over-reaction or hyperbole. I am not even into conspiracy theories.
I have even pointed out that when it comes to the search for intelligent life, there is a reason why all of our scientist point their equipment away from earth... which people might want to think about before posting!
:)
“It will make companies move jobs into USA”
What kind of fools are running this country, and why am I wasting my tax money on them?
90
As of today, the number of dead is greater than that of recovered according to official data. Therefore, the fatality rate is still a developing story.
6
do the math.
the current rate of increase is cases rivals that of the 1918 flu epidemic.
human-to-human transmission began mid-december.
the number of cases is currently doubling weekly...8000 confirmed cases and more than 12,000 suspected cases as of 24 hours ago.
there is no vaccine or rumors of a vaccine.
time for happy talk has come and gone.
26
Remember that the flu and common cold are also highly infectious and rampant right now. Also, there is “no vaccine” and “no known cure” for the common cold.
@Laume
the common cold does not have a mortality rate of 15 percent as does this betacoronavirus.
3
Picture of Coronavirus patient being treated in hospital is of great concern.Patient is intubated and mechanically ventilated, with copious amount of seemingly purulent secretions visible in ventilator tubing.It indicates serious condition, possibly pulmonary edema or condition known as ARDS. We still don’t know enough about course of novel coronavirus infection.Mortality seem to be around 2-3%, but what is the incidence of serious complications, like one seen on published picture?Although seemingly less deadly than SARS, looks as if this infection spreads more easily from human to human and can become a global threat.
8
When is the U.S. going to halt all flights from China? What’s it going to take? It’s good to see that some other countries are taking this seriously.
26
Ross gave the opinion I would expect from a capital-extremist. Not surprising at all.
30
Wilbur Ross's comment fits right in with putting profits over pollution here in the US. It's the lords and serfs mentality. Ross would be smart to keep his thoughts private, as most smart lords do.
40
Here I thought this was about Russia closing their border. The genie is out of the bottle, and not even Putin can force it back in. Hoping for the best!
How ignorant it is that someone like Wilbur Ross would suggest the idea that a rapidly spreading disease could be good for America.
One of the worst outcomes of the emergence of new diseases is the irrational responses by illinformed people in governments and the general population. Epidemiologic and other public health experts should be the primary source of information but we live in an age where misinformation spreads faster than the disease itself. Authoritarian governments and others who propogate nonsense in the face of danger pose the greatest threat to the health of everyone.
22
The Coronavirus is different from others because it may paralyze the Chinese Economy, which would in turn cripple the economies that rely upon it. Wilber Ross doesn't seem up to the job he was given by another executive who isn't up to the job. I guess Ross's three wives and two divorces made him more attractive to the president.
30
Just to clarify one thing here. According to news reports, the two cases in Vietnam involved two Chinese nationals who travel in Vietnam. The father flew in from Wuhan to visit his son, who had already stayed in VN, and infected his son. So, the infection was "imported" from China and transmitted to another visiting Chinese who had not been in China during the outbreak. The writing by NYT could have been interpreted as something that originated in Vietnam, which was not the case.
4
Wilbur,
Is this along the same lines as the way the smallpox virus helped the Colonists clear out the native population?
57
the most informative reporting on this is being done by the LA Times, they've made an editorial decision to drop all pretense of 'happy talk'.
New coronavirus spreads as readily as 1918 Spanish flu and probably originated in bats
https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-01-29/china-coronavirus-china-likely-originated-in-bats
4
In other words, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross....."we see this virus and the human deaths it's causing as a GOLDEN business opportunity and we intend to profit from this tragedy..."
Nice GOPeople
November 3 2020
62
Rich people eating exotic wildlife like bats in China have hurt everybody. Next thing you know, the rich will be buying powdered rhinoceros horn to use as an aphrodisiac, and drive the rhinos extinct. You can't fix dumb, especially among the bored wealthy.
24
@Will Hogan
"Next thing you know, the rich will be buying powdered rhinoceros horn to use as an aphrodisiac, and drive the rhinos extinct"
It's happening now.
Northern white rhinos have only 2 females left, and if artificial insemination doesn't work, the entire species will be extinct.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2018/03/northern-white-rhino-male-sudan-death-extinction-spd/
Chinese medicine is to blame, so even though China tries to tout itself as a modern civilization, its still stuck in medieval times in other ways.
Ignorance kills.
3
What a thoughtful sensitive comment by the Commerce Secretary, keeping in line with the sensitive thoughtful administrations. 8000 people are infected and he's licking his chops for new business. It writes itself.
18
Leave it to Wilbur Ross to wake up and say the wrong thing at the wrong time. He thinks of nothing but money and sleeping.
22
The problem is that the figures coming out of China are not reliable, the number of deaths and infections could easily be many times what they are admitting to. China talks a good game about its response but I suspect the reality is very, very different. As long a China allows travel outside of its borders the virus will continue to spread.
This might be a good time to switch suppliers for much of our goods and services. I understand the British might be willing to make a deal or two.
10
The moral depravity of Commerce Secretary Ross' statement would be remarkable in any administration other than this one. It is the moral equivalent of saying that Airbus plane crashes are good because they lead to sales opportunities for Boeing. I think that the average six-year-old has a stronger moral compass than that.
I could say that such an offensive statement, made as fellow human beings lie sick and dying, can reasonably lead to no other result than an abject apology and a resignation. However, as matters stand, I have no hope and no expectations.
I can only add to all Americans, if this administration is re-elected in November, you, all, own this.
195
Wilber Ross declares the coronavirus will drive American corporations to move jobs back to the USA? Rubbish. Corporations these days are about following the money; first, last, and always. If some employees or manufacturers become sick, it’s just the cost of doing business.
And while they’re at it, they may chip away at the employee health care too. You know, because viruses are expensive to treat.
29
The comments by Sec Ross are cold. The desire to make money off the misfortune of others speaks volumes to the character of the man and Trump - they have none.
35
Shades of 1984: War is peace. Now a potentially deadly world wide virus spread is framed as bringing us a boost in our jobs? Is their any decency left in us?
26
Hong Kong has now closed high speed Train system between Hong Kong and China.
4
Wilbur Ross's statement is truly distressing.
14
@Really concerned
No, it is not!
What people should do is go back and see what previous Presidents that they voted for said about trade with China!
After they do that, then fast forward to the present and see if our country is better off with having so much reliance on an authoritative regime like China?
1
Clearly Wilbur Ross lacks a moral compass to have made such a callous remark. What amazes me is how utterly obtuse he is. And, it's a commentary on the caliber of people Donald Trump surrounds himself with.
40
Why, Mr. Ross, would you even contemplate saying the things you did? By your own quote " I don’t want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease", then going ahead and doing so you show a total disregard for humanity and those that have died or are sick. You also stated "a prevalence of diseases in China..a factor in businesses leaving the country and relocating to North America". On what information is that guess based? They will only return here? Why not another country? Beware of your tunnel vision, Mr. Ross. Unfortunately it seems you have checked your humanity at the door. Sad.
64
Agree with your comments. Ross behavior aligns with the rest of the trump administration.
19
Quite apart from the sheer inhumanity of Ross’s comments, no doubt parroting what Trump said, Ross doesn’t seem to have epidemiology terminology quite right. Wouldn’t he have been better off with incidence, not prevalences? And plural???
2
Wilbur Ross’ comments border on mean spiritedness! Welcome to Donald Trump’s America of 2020! Indeed, The Gutter Has Come To Power!!!
23
What a remarkably insensitive and, well, ghoulish comment from the Commerce Secretary.
Only the best people...
98
Trump official Wilbur Ross's comment is repugnant. It's akin to dancing on the graves of those afflicted, dying and dead. I know it's par for the course for this administration, but someone has to eventually ask, "Have they no human decency?"
127
@Stephen Collingsworth
Asked, and answered.
No. Period.
Depend on a member of Trump's cabinet to deliver the most selfish point of view in the face of others’ grave misfortune. And way to smooth the path for the next round of China trade talks, Wilbur!
39
Good Old Trumpsters:
- "hey this potato famine is a good thing, we need Irish people to open up the west"
-- "the bubonic plague is great, one day Europeans will sail to the New World and create TrumpMerica"
--- " The Santorini explosion is great, now the Greeks have to spread their civilization everywhere"
17
How nice of Wilbur to think foreigners dying from a virus is good for American business. Typical Republican thinking.
161
Wilbur Ross must not realize how much of our supply chain is tied to Chinese production capacity. The corona virus will have negative effects both in terms of transport of goods to and from China and also in terms of the likely shut down of Chinese factories as a health precaution
Wilbur does not get it.
314
@Joe From Boston
Wilbur never did
17
Joe From Boston,
Is that the same Wilbur Ross - a very wealthy man whom, during the longest period of government shutdown in American history, appeared to be baffled as to why unpaid mothballed government workers, could not simply get "bank loans" to tide them and their families through that hungry Christmas? If so, then yes, you are correct: #WilburDoesNotGetIt
17
Risk awareness for this apparent pandemic in the making is certainly a good thing. I fear hysteria is taking hold (I'd prefer a less offensive adjective but can't think of one). Let's marvel at the brilliant institution in place to assess the situation - CDC, WHO etc.). Let's call on the media to be hyper responsible in not fanning the flames of overreaction. Until we have a better understanding of lethality and DALY burden of this pathogen, world leaders have a very difficult job of balancing the impact of containment efforts against the overall risk of widespread contagion. Containment may no longer possible but there are benefits to slowing it down. Let's not trigger a world-wide recession - the cure being worse than the disease. Individual outcomes may be heartbreaking; the 1918 pandemic greatly affected my orphaned grandfather and left holes in my own family history but communities managed the situation with far less tools than we have today.
6
Since these viruses are a threat to humanity, is it not morally imperative for us all, regardless of culture, religion, nationality, etc. to speak out against, if not actively forbid, the trafficking and sale of certain wild animals for human consumption?
424
@Father of One agreed! We should stop eating wild game meats!
12
@Father of One
day late and a dollar short
6
Meanwhile it would behoove us all to demand an end to feeding massive amounts of antibiotics to factory-farmed animals in the US, as this is driving development of antibiotic resistant bacteria and general antibiotic resistance, which means we are facing a return to the pre-antibiotic state of affairs for humans.
43
Wilbur Ross’ comment is so utterly uninformed it is laughable. He seems to think that a virus that is less fatal than the current influenza is going to get Apple to just pack up its iPhone factory tomorrow and move it to the US. It is hard to believe this man is in a position of power.
732
@Theresa Nelson I long for the days when all we had to worry about was Wilbur Ross falling asleep at his desk during the day.
111
@Theresa Nelson
Pick any member of the Trump administration and you could say the same. Starting at the very top.
96
@Theresa Nelson
This is SOP for the Trump administration, rooting for the coronavirus while cutting people's healthcare. After the Black Death swept Europe, wages went up for those peasants who manged to survive, so we do have something to look forward to!
Never was Poe's story the "Masque of the Red Death" more appropriate for our modern day "nobility".
27
WIlbur Ross is beyond cruel and clueless.In the midst of a dire worldwide medical emergency he is wondering out loud if the US will profit because of the dislocation of people.If he has nothing constructive to say, he should keep quiet.I hope the rest of the world does not think that he speaks for us.We are all In this together and the US will lead the way in identifying and finding a way to contain the virus.To think that the Commerce Secretary is only concerned about the US job market just illustrates the moral depravity of the Trump administration.
659
@JANET MICHAEL I completely agree with your comment regarding Wilbur Ross. But, if you think the US, under the leadership of people like Trump and Ross will do an effective job at containing the virus, I have a bridge to sell you. Trump has loaded every vital department with incompetents. We are in for a deadly ride.
295
@JANET MICHAEL There is a point where we sadly have to admit that while neither you nor I want anything to do with the depravity of this administration, somehow this is who "we" are now to the world.
Measuring by Wilbur Ross, we are sociopaths. Measuring by Trump, we are extortionists and conmen. Measuring by the Senate, we are lost.
237
@Mark
Yes. In other words, he does, officially, speak for us. ("I hope the rest of the world does not think that he speaks for us.")
To change that, we need to boot Trump & Co. out of office.
40
Wilbur Ross is a ghoul, smacking his gums over the possibility that this tragedy will make America great again. Was there ever a more despicable cabinet than this?
349
@DaWill
He sees it as an opportunity to make money!
just one example from his bio:
"In February 2002, WL Ross & Co founded International Steel Group. He first agreed to buy the assets of bankrupt Ling-Temco-Vought for $325 million, paying $11 per ton of capacity when other firms were trading for $200 per ton of capacity.[19] A few weeks later, George W. Bush slapped a 30% tariff on many types of imported steel. A year later, WL Ross & Co acquired the assets of bankrupt Bethlehem Steel. As part of the bankruptcy reorganizations, these companies shifted their huge pension liabilities to the government-backed Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.
Ross had support from the United Steelworkers, negotiating a deal to save some jobs.
In April 2005, WL Ross & Co sold International Steel Group to Mittal Steel Company for $4.5 billion and made 12.5 times its original investment. Ross personally made a $260 million profit on his $3 million investment." from Wikipedia on W. Ross
7
It’s worse than that. He’s busy figuring out a way to make a buck off this impending tragedy. Guaranteed.
7
@DaWill
don't discard the possibility for re-election in November.
Then the show will restart with its true force!
3
“Jobs might move back to the US as a result”. Always money, money, money with the US...
29
@S
First it is not all the US, it is Trump and his minority.
Second, Holland has sometimes acted like this in the past.
So, please do not look at it by country, which is unfair and divisive, but by political party, by certain groups within each country, and ultimately by individual morals. Your comment would be something that the Russian trolls would post on social media to cause divisions in society. Be careful.
4
Each and every American citizen is complicit in each and every decision made by the Presidential administration, the Congress, and the Supreme Court. Those politicians and jurist/politicians control official United States’ policies and are the official “face” of us, the American people.
It is we who should “be careful” of the choices we make in electing candidates to those positions.
1
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross should fly into Wuhan to negotiate personally with the companies to relocate. He could also visit the hospitals to learn what medical supplies we can sell them that they lack.
115
If Wilber Ross really said that he should be fired and sent to an old folks home
61
@Prudence Spencer That would be an act of unspeakable cruelty, to the seniors already resident in the home. Fortunately I have an alternative solution, take him to Alaska, stick him on an ice floe, wave goodby.
4
@Prudence Spencer ...he should be quarantined and then hospitalized with the criminally insane.
**Hey y’all the way to sneeze is into the crook of your elbow, not into your hand**
Pass it on (get it? :)
NYT, please do a piece on simple day-to-day germ spread prevention.
21
Wilbur Ross, Mr. Burns look-alike, acts more like him every day. Whole lotta suffering going on and he's rubbing his hands with glee.
70
@GK Mr. Burns! Thanks for making me laugh for the first time during this dark week.
3
I can't be the only person noticing that all these things seem to start in or very near China: avian flu, swine flu,
SARS, coronavirus ... Bats have been implicated in this coronavirus outbreak. Are they also identified as potential hosts for the other viruses?
13
They have live animal markets that is the source of contamination .... it’s both exotic wildlife and domesticated animals .
They need to close down all wildlife trade
40
Given how controlling the Chinese Politburo is, and how fearful local government officials are of being responsible for anything that gets in the away of its plans for the country, I would not be the least surprised to learn that there have been multiple other animal-to-human viruses identified in China over the years but systematically hidden from the public.
10
@Beth J they need to follow hygienic food practices...the Chinese have already destroyed their own environment and their handling of food is disgusting...they might as well just be butchering & prepping their meat & seafood in the sewer.
2
If I was an investor in China, I would be pulling my money out of the country yesterday. This only gets worse and is a very good example of how woefully unprepared the Chinese government and its people are of containing crises.
13
I have a question. Why are the people that were flown into CA only being held for 3 days and if they want to leave they can? While the time frame of showing symptoms is up to two weeks? Is this how the Coronavirus is going to spread in the US.
171
@Denise the answer is yes
19
The 72-hour quarantine is so they can send samples from all the passengers for testing at the CDC - an earlier article said that three days would be sufficient time to run the tests.
14
@Laura Then why are they saying these people can leave if they like. VA is still waiting on one test which has been more than three days. Wouldn’t you think It would better to wait to make sure than not.
9
There seems to be a lack of understanding of the situation by the Australians who don't want to spend a fortnight on Christmas Island. The most optimistic prediction for staying in Wuhan is being stuck there for 3 months under various restrictions in a city with a very stressed health system. Worst case scenarios are too awful to contemplate.
15
I recall an earlier edition photo in which a patient was being treated in Banda Aceh. Has the diagnosis been changed or is there a reported case in Indonesia?
3
The rapid spread of the virus is now testing the global interconnectivity. Very likely, all of the Western Pacific Rim will incur economic downgrade. Japan is mentioned in the Article. The 2020 Summer Olympics begins in Tokyo in late July.
16
Thanks to NYT reporters for a comprehensive update.
Collective humanity, in less than 200 years, has set the world wobbling with massive pollution and reckless use of resources.
To that we can now add a footprint which so impinges on other species that we regularly suffer their sickness.
That's called irony and just desserts as we reap what we sow.
116
Why is the question quarantine still in the talking stages and not already in place. What's the waiting for and what ever happened to better be safe than dead mentality. For life's sake what's the holdup? The cost involved I hope is not a consideration. Trump could pay for the whole thing out of his own pocket to give back to society that which he made profit wise through his ill gotten monetary gains. Give back Mr. President it'll buy you votes. Only this time make sure it's your own money being used.
4
@Vincent the answer is simple.... any response that is perceived to be radical in nature, regardless of what that response is, and whether or not required, will result in a huge stock sell off, which will crash the market. Trump is actually much better off politically to let the virus kill people (US citizens). If he does something that crashes the stock market he is done like dinner. And true to form Trump will do what is best for him, his family and his (God forbid...let us hope it does not occur) re-election. It's all about the Benjamins...brother.
6
How old are the people who have died? The risk of respiratory failure should be much higher in those over 60 or very young. If most deaths are in these age ranges and others recover, this would be helpful to know
19
Exactly.
Earlier articles I read stated all deaths but one were people over 60.
9
It is true that the vast majority of the deaths have been among the elderly.
4
This is ridiculous. Russia should be allowing those who want to leave China to move to safety in Russia.
4
You know, you’d think that in a world dominated by communication infrastructure, we would be able to formulate a plan against a threat that affects every single person. What interests want to see the virus spread?
There should be active streams of data between governments, scientists and doctors in every country.
133
@Milo Shields
It is called the internet and I am sure they are already doing it. Labs around the world are working on a vaccine but the thing is there is no cure so just have to wait it out like the flu.
11
@milo - agree. Viruses are quick to exploit entry ways such as the spaces between research silos.
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@Milo Shields The problem is deciding on the level of quarantine. If you have to go to shutting down non essential business it has a huge impact on the economy. Within a week we will know if current interventions are working and if they are not then there are many problems.
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