No worries. It is only a matter of time before the infected hordes in the U.S. cross over the border looking to escape quarantine and infect Canada! 
Numbers infected in Iran may be under counting by a factor of 250 X.
There is a report that a Sudbury man went to the PDAC mining convention in Toronto and then testâs positive for the virus upon his return. There were 25,000 people there. Sudbury man who attended Toronto conference has COVID-19: health officials | CP24.com
Meantime, testing in the U.S. is still not happening to any meaningful degree. Yet more problems now. Generally have enough test kits but now shortage of the RNA extraction kits that must be used to extract the RNA from the samples prior to deploying the test kits. Also shortage in the capacity of the necessary proper lab equipment and staff to run the tests. Near complete meltdown/crisis situation for testing. Exclusive: U.S. coronavirus testing threatened by shortage of critical lab materials - POLITICO
WHO declared pandemic officially today. This should have been apparent to everyone well before this announcement. Things are sure to deteriorate globally even further before it gets better. Avoid spreading fear, stay calm, take precautions and avoid anger. Stay safe everyone.
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WHOâs comment " by alarming level of inaction"
History sometimes repeats itself. This flue mutated at least #3 times before it went away all together. 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic
Spanish influenza killed 5% of the worldâs population
By
Updated December 05, 2019
Every year, H1N1 flu viruses make people sick. Even the garden-variety flu may kill people, but usually only the very young or the very old. In 1918, the flu mutated into something much more virulent.
This new, deadlier flu acted very strangely; it seemed to target the young and healthy, being particularly deadly to 20- to 35-year-olds. In three waves from March 1918 to the Spring of 1919, this deadly flu pandemic spread quickly around the world, infecting hundreds of millions of people and killing 50 million to 100 million (upwards of 5% of the worldâs population.)
Vaccines had not been developed yet, so the only methods of fighting the pandemic were quarantine, good hygiene practices, disinfectants and limiting public gatherings.
This flu went by many names, including Spanish flu, grippe, Spanish Lady, the three-day fever, purulent bronchitis, sandfly fever, and Blitz Katarrh.
First Reported Spanish Flu Cases
No one is quite sure where the Spanish flu first struck. Some researchers have pointed to origins in China, while others have traced it back to a small town in Kansas. The best recorded first case occurred in Fort Riley.
Fort Riley was a military outpost in Kansas where new recruits were trained before being sent to Europe to fight in World War I.
On March 11, 1918, Private Albert Gitchell, a company cook, came down with symptoms that at first appeared to be a bad cold. Gitchell went to the infirmary and was isolated. Within an hour, several additional soldiers had come down with the same symptoms and were also isolated.
Despite the attempt to isolate those with symptoms, this extremely contagious flu quickly spread through Fort Riley. After five weeks, 1,127 soldiers at Fort Riley had been stricken with the Spanish flu, and 46 of them had died.
Flu Spreads and Gets a Name
Soon, reports of the same flu were noted in other military camps around the United States. Shortly thereafter, the flu infected soldiers on board transport ships. Although it was unintended, American troops brought this new flu with them to Europe.
Beginning in mid-May, the flu started to strike French soldiers as well. The flu traveled across Europe, infecting people in nearly every country.
When the flu rampaged through Spain, the Spanish government publicly announced the epidemic. Spain was the first country that was not involved in World War I to be struck by the flu; thus, it was the first country not to censor their health reports. Since most people first heard about the flu from its attack on Spain, the new flu was named the Spanish flu.
The Spanish flu then spread to Russia, India, China, and Africa. By the end of July 1918, after having infected people all around the world, this first wave of the Spanish flu appeared to be dying out.
Flu Becomes Incredibly Deadly
While the first wave of the Spanish flu had been extremely contagious, the second wave of the Spanish flu was both contagious and exceedingly deadly.
In late August 1918, the second wave of the Spanish flu struck three port cities at nearly the same time. These cities (Boston, United States; Brest, France; and Freetown, Sierra Leone) all felt the lethalness of this new mutation immediately.
Hospitals quickly became overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of patients. When hospitals filled up, tent hospitals were erected on lawns. Nurses and doctors were already in short supply because so many of them had gone to Europe to help with the war effort.
Desperately needing help, hospitals asked for volunteers. Knowing they were risking their own lives by helping these contagious victims, many people, especially women, signed up anyway to help as best they could.
Symptoms of Spanish Flu
The victims of the 1918 Spanish flu suffered greatly. Within hours of feeling the first symptoms of extreme fatigue, fever, and headache, victims would start turning blue. Sometimes the blue color became so pronounced that it was difficult to determine a patientâs original skin color.
The patients would cough with such force that some even tore their abdominal muscles. Foamy blood exited from their mouths and noses. A few bled from their ears. Some vomited; others became incontinent.
The Spanish flu struck so suddenly and severely that many of its victims died within hours of coming down with their first symptom. Some died a day or two after realizing they were sick.
Taking Precautions
Not surprisingly, the severity of the Spanish flu was alarming. People around the world worried about getting it. Some cities ordered everyone to wear masks. Spitting and coughing in public was prohibited. Schools and theaters were closed.
People also tried their own homemade prevention remedies, such as eating raw onions, keeping a potato in their pocket, or wearing a bag of camphor around their neck. None of these things stemmed the onslaught of the Spanish fluâs deadly second wave.
Piles of Dead Bodies
The number of bodies from the victims of the Spanish flu quickly outnumbered the available resources to deal with them. Morgues were forced to stack bodies like cordwood in the corridors.
There werenât enough coffins for all the bodies, nor were there enough people to dig individual graves. In many places, mass graves were dug to free the towns and cities of the masses of rotting corpses.
Spanish Flu Childrenâs Rhyme
When the Spanish flu killed millions of people around the world, it affected everyone. While the adults walked around wearing masks, children skipped rope to this rhyme:
I had a little bird
Its name was Enza
I opened a window
And In-flu-enza.
Armistice Brings Third Wave
On November 11, 1918, an armistice brought an end to World War I. People around the world celebrated the end of this âtotal warâ and felt jubilant that perhaps they were free from the deaths caused by both war and flu. However, as people hit the streets and gave kisses and hugs to returning soldiers, they also started a third wave of the Spanish flu.
The third wave of the Spanish flu was not as deadly as the second, but still deadlier than the first. Although this third wave also went around the world, killing many of its victims, it received much less attention. People were ready to start their lives over again after the war; they were no longer interested in hearing about or fearing a deadly flu.
Gone but Not Forgotten
The third wave lingered. Some say it ended in the spring of 1919, while others believe it continued to claim victims through 1920. Eventually, however, this deadly strain of the flu disappeared.
To this day, no one knows why the flu virus suddenly mutated into such a deadly form. Nor do they know how to prevent it from happening again. Scientists continue to research and learn about the 1918 Spanish flu in the hopes of being able to prevent another worldwide pandemic of the flu.
::Thatâs it for the history lesson today.:: C.s.
Everyone enjoying the latest propaganda? This whole coronavirus thing is a joke. Donât get caught up in the wave of panic. Two weeks from now itâll be over. The timing sure was sweet considering the market was so overbought though, heh?
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Expect one more gut punch from the spike in new cases associated with the increase in testing thatâs about to occur. At least this should decrease the mortality percentages on a per case basis.
My brother who was hanging out the winter in Tahailand most likely caught this 8 weeks back.
He was laid low with a ongoing headache ,fatigued, and BAD body shaking cough, for
- two weeks. The coughing part he said was the worst part. Threw his back out coughing so hard. Said it would take him to his knees at times.
He laied low staying hydrated with electrolytes
and eating when he could. He lost weight by time he kicked it.
Said its the dusty /smoky season as they burn off the rice fields getting them ready for spring planting. He just thought that was the cause of his flue like problem.
He has moved on to Bali and has made a full recovery as he can tell.
Heâs one of those healthy adventurous type, who just, presses on to the next adventure.
He did mention that almost all men in Thailand smoke and look malnourished, so if any one country should be stacking the dead like cordwood it would be that one. He did not see that.
So yes people. Take it all in context. More people are alive then dead who test positive with this. Hereâs to all your good healths. C-S
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Yes, in China about 60% of men smoke and only 40% of women do, may be one of the reasons they said it hits men harder than women. FWIW
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Probably but the leading co-factors on how lethal it is are age, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease per research paper out of China.
Well written article on the seasonality effects and what might we expect with the coronavirus. To make a long story short, since basically no one has immunity, seasonal improvement this year will likely be muted especially in densely populated areas.
Anti-malaria drug being tested for efficacy against Covid19 âŚ
Interestingâ Chloroquine phosphate may offer some effective treatment and is being looked at.
Also, plasma therapy transfusion from recovered patients is now treating some severely effected patients with promising results.
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Viris 101âŚ
What to know about viruses
Medically reviewed by University of IllinoisonMay 30, 2017â Written by Peter Crosta
Viruses are microscopic organisms that exist almost everywhere on earth. They can infect animals, plants, fungi, and even bacteria.
Sometimes a virus can cause a disease so deadly that it is fatal. Other viral infections trigger no noticeable reaction.
A virus may also have one effect on one type of organism, but a different effect on another. This explains how a virus that affects a cat may not affect a dog.
Viruses vary in complexity. They consist of genetic material, RNA or DNA, surrounded by a coat of protein, lipid (fat), or glycoprotein. Viruses cannot replicate without a host, so they are classified as parasitic.
They are considered the most abundant biological entity on the planet.
Fast facts on viruses
- Viruses are living organisms that cannot replicate without a host cell.
- They are considered the most abundant biological entity on the planet.
- Diseases caused by viruses include rabies, herpes, and Ebola.
- There is no cure for a virus, but vaccination can prevent them from spreading.
What are viruses?
Almost every ecosystem on Earth contains viruses.
Before entering a cell, viruses exist in a form known as virions.
During this phase, they are roughly one-hundredth the size of a bacterium and consist of two or three distinct parts:
- genetic material, either DNA or RNA
- a protein coat, or capsid, which protects the genetic information
- a lipid envelope is sometimes present around the protein coat when the virus is outside of the cell
Viruses do not contain a ribosome, so they cannot make proteins. This makes them totally dependent on their host. They are the only type of microorganism that cannot reproduce without a host cell.
After contacting a host cell, a virus will insert genetic material into the host and take over that hostâs functions.
After infecting the cell, the virus continues to reproduce, but it produces more viral protein and genetic material instead of the usual cellular products.
It is this process that earns viruses the classification of parasite.
Viruses have different shapes and sizes, and they can be categorized by their shapes.
These may be:
- Helical: The tobacco mosaic virus has a helix shape.
- Icosahedral, near-spherical viruses: Most animal viruses are like this.
- Envelope: Some viruses cover themselves with a modified section of cell membrane, creating a protective lipid envelope. These include the influenza virus and HIV.
Other shapes are possible, including nonstandard shapes that combine both helical and icosahedral forms.
Sources
Viruses do not leave fossil remains, so they are difficult to trace through time. Molecular techniques are used to compare the DNA and RNA of viruses and find out more about where they come from.
Three competing theories try to explain the origin of viruses.
- Regressive, or reduction hypothesis: Viruses started as independent organisms that became parasites. Over time, they shed genes that did not help them parasitize, and they became entirely dependent on the cells they inhabit.
- Progressive, or escape hypothesis: Viruses evolved from sections of DNA or RNA that âescapedâ from the genes of larger organisms. In this way, they gained the ability to become independent and move between cells.
- Virus-first hypothesis: Viruses evolved from complex molecules of nucleic acid and proteins either before or at the same time as the first cells appeared on Earth, billions of years ago
Transmission
A virus exists only to reproduce. When it reproduces, its offspring spread to new cells and new hosts.
The makeup of a virus affects its ability to spread.
Viruses may transmit from person to person, and from mother to child during pregnancy or delivery.
They can spread through:
- touch
- exchanges of saliva, coughing, or sneezing
- sexual contact
- contaminated food or water
- insects that carry them from one person to another
Some viruses can live on an object for some time, so if a person touches an item with the virus on their hands, the next person can pick up that virus by touching the same object. The object is known as a fomite.
As the virus replicates in the body, it starts to affect the host. After a period known as the incubation period, symptoms may start to show.
What happens if viruses change?
When a virus spreads, it can pick up some of its hostâs DNA and take it to another cell or organism.
If the virus enters the hostâs DNA, it can affect the wider genome by moving around a chromosome or to a new chromosome.
This can have long-term effects on a person. In humans, it may explain the development of hemophilia and muscular dystrophy.
This interaction with host DNA can also cause viruses to change.
Some viruses only affect one type of being, say, birds. If a virus that normally affects birds does by chance enter a human, and if it picks up some human DNA, this can produce a new type of virus that may be more likely to affect humans in future.
This is why scientists are concerned about rare viruses that spread from animals to people.
Viral diseases
Viruses cause many human diseases.
These include:
- smallpox
- the common cold and different types of flu
- measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, and shingles
- hepatitis
- herpes and cold sores
- polio
- rabies
- Ebola and Hanta fever
- HIV, the virus that causes AIDS
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
- dengue fever, Zika, and Epstein-Barr
Some viruses, such as the human papilloma virus (HPV), can lead to cancer.
What are friendly viruses?
Just as there are friendly bacteria that exist in our intestines and help us digest food, humans may also carry friendly viruses that help protect against dangerous bacteria, including Escherichia coli (E. coli) .
Combating viruses
When the bodyâs immune system detects a virus, it starts to respond, to enable cells to survive the attack.
A process called RNA interference breaks down the viral genetic material.
The immune system produces special antibodies that can bind to viruses, making them non-infectious. The body sends T cells to destroy the virus.
Most viral infections trigger a protective response from the immune system, but viruses such as HIV and neurotropic viruses have ways of evading the immune systemâs defenses.
Neurotropic viruses infect nerve cells. They are responsible for diseases such as polio, rabies, mumps, and measles.
They can affect the structure of the central nervous system (CNS) with delayed and progressive effects that can be severe.
Treatment and drugs
Bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics, but viral infections require either vaccinations to prevent them in the first place or antiviral drugs to treat them.
Sometimes, the only possible treatment is to provide symptom relief.
Antiviral drugs have been developed largely in response to the AIDS pandemic. These drugs do not destroy the pathogen, but they inhibit their development and slow down the progress of the disease.
Antivirals are also available to treat infection with the herpes simplex virus, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, influenza, shingles, and chicken pox.
Vaccines
Vaccinations are generally the cheapest and most effective way to prevent viruses. Some vaccines have succeeded in eliminating diseases, such as smallpox.
Virus vaccinations consist of:
- a weakened form of the virus
- viral proteins called antigens, which stimulate the body to form antibodies that will fight off future infections with the same virus
- live-attenuated viruses, such as immunization for poliomyelitis
Live-attenuated vaccines carry the risk of causing the original disease in people with weak immune systems.
Currently, vaccinations exist for polio, measles, mumps, and rubella, among others. Widespread use of these vaccines has reduced their prevalence dramatically.
Two doses of the measles vaccine, for example, offer 97 percent protection against this disease.
The measles vaccine has achieved a 99-percent reduction in the incidence of measles in the United States (U.S.). If there is an outbreak, it usually affects people who are not vaccinated.
Some people choose not to vaccinate their children, and because most people around them do vaccinate, the risk of getting measles is low.
However, if fewer than 92 to 95 percent of people receive the vaccine, a community can lose its âherd immunity,â and an outbreak can occur. The risk of disease increases dramatically.
In the words of the CDC:
âAntivaxxers help breathe new life into old diseases.â
This can also affect vulnerable people who are unable to receive the vaccine for some reason, such as a compromised immune system.
Viral infections usually resolve without treatment, but medication can relieve symptoms such as pain, fever, and cough.
⌠MedicalNewsToday : âŚ
Shelter in place order decision to be made in 48 hours in NYC. European Union about ready to close its borders. Mexico wants to close its borders from the infected hordes in the U.S. I wonder how traders will react to this? I assume at some point investors will be numb to all the bad news? FYIâŚmy news feeds look particularly horrendous today. Iran govât is warning its populace that âmillionsâ may die. Some of the video of the dead laying in the streets looks perhaps even worse than what was seen out of Wuhan if possible.
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Yes, they finally limited the Canadian border, too.
Copper is kinda our thing, should have more demand for our mountain.
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I thought this was a good interview, but then Iâm biased as it pretty well aligns with my thoughts
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Beat me to it, as usual, although I couldnât post the link from my phone.
I was going to post it on the âOther Mining Stocksâ thread since it is one of Jim Rickards best interviews. Interesting that heâs all about Gold & Silver, and apparently an expert on disasters planning also!
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fingers crossed
For what itâs worth, Siesta Key Beach here in Sarasota Florida is being closed as of tomorrow. Clearwater beach was already shut down a couple days ago. Based upon the numbers that are going home after cutting their vacations/spring break short, and the lines at the gas pumps and stores, I would not be surprised for the powers that be to invoke the Stafford Act nationwide sometime soon. I havenât heard anything official, but if itâs meant to be a secret it doesnât seem like a well kept one. Personally speaking, this whole thing looks ridiculous to me. So far just over 10k dead worldwide, almost 90% elderly with weak immune systems and many with some other form of disease. My understanding is that China has logged no new cases in two days and began ramping their workforce back up earlier this week. The regular old influenza virus kills over 100k people annually. I donât know what Iâm missing, but it sure is interesting to watch the reactions by people as I go about my daily activities. Of course, Iâm practically a raw fruitarian now and havenât been sick for 25 years. No worries here!
Be well and have fun folks!
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