I am living in the middle of the emergency over coronavirus in Finland. Due this reason the update cycle to make posting to this blog could be slowed down.
The Finnish government announced on Monday nationwide school closures in order to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. Read more on the following aricles:
Finland closes schools, declares state of emergency over coronavirus
https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finland_closes_schools_declares_state_of_emergency_over_coronavirus/11260062
Daycare centres are to stay open but parents were asked to keep their kids home if possible. The government also published a 19-point list of emergency legislation that takes effect on 18 March.
Coronavirus latest: 359 cases confirmed in Finland, S-Group shuts its Helsinki eateries, bankruptcy fears mount
https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/coronavirus_latest_359_cases_confirmed_in_finland_s-group_shuts_its_helsinki_eateries_bankruptcy_fears_mount/11249610
Here is a link to an earlier post related to Coronavirus:
https://www.epanorama.net/blog/2020/02/12/mobile-trends-2020-mwc-canceled/
1,657 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple, Google Bring Covid-19 Contact-Tracing to 3 Billion People
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-10/apple-google-bring-covid-19-contact-tracing-to-3-billion-people
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/10/apple-and-google-are-launching-a-joint-covid-19-tracing-tool/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.commercialdroneprofessional.com/video-italian-mayor-uses-drones-to-scream-profanities-at-residents-ignoring-lockdown/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kuinka lähellä olit ja kuinka kauan – altistuitko? Näin toimii virallinen koronasovellus, jollainen voi kohta olla sinunkin puhelimessasi
Sovelluksella voidaan jäljittää tartuntaketjuja. Ensin on kuitenkin päätettävä, mitä tietoja käyttäjistä kerätään.
https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11299573
Tomi Engdahl says:
Koronaviruksen aiheuttama poikkeustila kuormittaa perheitä – haitallinen stressi voi siirtyä lapseen
Pitkittynyt voimakas stressi voi vaikuttaa haitallisesti koko perheen hvyinvointiin. Katso kuuden kohdan lista, miten selvitä stressaavissa tilanteissa lapsen kanssa.
https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11294201
Tomi Engdahl says:
What is herd immunity and can it stop the coronavirus?
https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/03/17/905244/what-is-herd-immunity-and-can-it-stop-the-coronavirus/
Once enough people get Covid-19, it will stop spreading on its own. But the costs will be devastating.
There are basically three ways to stop the Covid-19 disease for good. One involves extraordinary restrictions on free movement and assembly, as well as aggressive testing, to interrupt its transmission entirely. That may be impossible now that the virus is in over 100 countries. The second is a vaccine that could protect everyone, but it still needs to be developed.
A third is potentially effective but horrible to consider: just wait until enough people get it.
If the virus keeps spreading, eventually so many people will have been infected and (if they survive) become immune that the outbreak will fizzle out on its own as the germ finds it harder and harder to find a susceptible host. This phenomenon is known as herd immunity.
Tomi Engdahl says:
This is what it will take to get us back outside
How to safely ease social distancing while we wait for a covid-19 drug or vaccine.
https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/04/12/999117/blueprint-what-it-will-take-to-live-in-a-world-with-covid-19/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Fed’s Balance Sheet: The Other Exponential Curve
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/the-feds-balance-sheet-the-other-exponential-curve/
As the threat of COVID-19 keeps millions of Americans locked down at home, businesses and financial markets are suffering.
For example, a survey of small-business owners found that 51% did not believe they could survive the pandemic for longer than three months. At the same time, the S&P 500 posted its worst first-quarter on record.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Beijing tightens grip over coronavirus research, amid US-China row on virus origin
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/12/asia/china-coronavirus-research-restrictions-intl-hnk/index.html?ofs=fbia
Hong Kong (CNN) – China has imposed restrictions on the publication of academic research on the origins of the novel coronavirus, according to a central government directive and online notices published by two Chinese universities, that have since been removed from the web.
Under the new policy, all academic papers on Covid-19 will be subject to extra vetting before being submitted for publication. Studies on the origin of the virus will receive extra scrutiny and must be approved by central government officials, according to the now-deleted posts.
Since late January, Chinese researchers have published a series of Covid-19 studies in influential international medical journals. Some findings about early coronavirus cases — such as when human-to-human transition first appeared — have raised questions over the official government account of the outbreak and sparked controversy on Chinese social media.
“I don’t know if it is because some researchers published something that is considered sensitive domestically in China. (I’m) not sure if it is because of the controversy about the origin of the virus later, and the non-sensitive stuff becomes sensitive too.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
China clamping down on coronavirus research, deleted pages suggest
Move is likely to be part of attempt to control the narrative surrounding the pandemic
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/11/china-clamping-down-on-coronavirus-research-deleted-pages-suggest
China is cracking down on publication of academic research about the origins of the novel coronavirus, in what is likely to be part of a wider attempt to control the narrative surrounding the pandemic, documents published online by Chinese universities appear to show.
Papers could only be submitted for publication after being approved by a special office. Email, names and phone numbers provided on the notice suggested that office was part of China’s ministry of education.
The person said researchers submitting academic papers on other medical topics did not have to vet their work with government ministries before seeking publication.
Tomi Engdahl says:
If a coronavirus vaccine arrives, can the world make enough?
Researchers warn production constraints and hoarding could limit SARS-CoV-2 vaccine supplies.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01063-8
As the world searches for a way to end the coronavirus pandemic, the race is on to find and produce a vaccine. Some optimistic forecasts suggest that one could be available in 12–18 months — but researchers are already warning that it might not be physically possible to make enough vaccine for everyone, and that rich countries might hoard supplies.
The production facilities needed will depend on which kind of vaccine turns out to work best. Some researchers say governments and private funders should give vaccine manufacturers money to ramp up their production capacity in advance, even if these facilities are never used. Although money has been pledged to help with this, the promises fall short of the billions of dollars that public-health experts say is needed.
But if billions of people need a new kind of vaccine for coronavirus, and firms continue making the normal array of shots against influenza, measles, mumps and rubella, and other diseases, there could be a production shortage
Coronavirus vaccines: five key questions as trials begin
Some experts warn that accelerated testing will involve some risky trade-offs.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00798-8
Tomi Engdahl says:
COVID-19Visualizing What COVID-19 Does to Your Body
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualizing-what-covid-19-does-to-your-body/
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), most people who contract COVID-19 only experience mild flu-like symptoms. Occasionally though, the infection can cascade into a severe case of pneumonia that can be lethal, especially for older people and those with underlying medical conditions.
Here’s what COVID-19 does to your body.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Severe Symptoms
In 15-20% cases, the immune system’s response to inflammation in the lungs can cause what’s known as a “cytokine storm”. This runaway response can cause more damage to the body’s own cells than to the virus it’s trying to defeat, and is thought to be the main reason for why the conditions of young, otherwise healthy individuals can rapidly deteriorate.
If enough alveoli collapse, a patient to be placed on a ventilator for breathing assistance. Both acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) are being investigated as causes.
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualizing-what-covid-19-does-to-your-body/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Surveillance State Thrives During the Pandemic
Can we take government officials at their word that they’ll eventually abandon their new powers?
https://reason.com/2020/04/10/the-surveillance-state-thrives-during-the-pandemic/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why it’s too early to start giving out “immunity passports”
https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/04/09/998974/immunity-passports-cornavirus-antibody-test-outside/
Coronavirus antibody testing needs to get a lot better, and so does our understanding of immunity, before people can start circulating freely.
Imagine, a few weeks or months from now, having a covid-19 test kit sent to your home. It’s small and portable, but pretty easy to figure out. You prick your finger as in a blood sugar test for diabetics, wait maybe 15 minutes, and bam—you now know whether or not you’re immune to coronavirus.
If you are, you can request government-issued documentation that says so. This is your “immunity passport.” You are now free to leave your home, go back to work, and take part in all facets of normal life—many of which are in the process of being booted back up by “immunes” like yourself.
Pretty enticing, right? Some countries are taking the idea seriously.
The UK, which has stockpiled over 17.5 million home antibody testing kits, has raised the prospect of doing something similar, although this has come under major scrutiny from scientists who have raised concerns that the test may not be accurate enough to be useful. As the pressure builds from a public that has been cooped up for weeks, more countries are looking for a way out of strict social distancing measures that doesn’t require waiting 12 to 18 months for a vaccine (if one even comes).
Tomi Engdahl says:
New CDC Study Shows Coronavirus Can Survive For Hours On Floors, Walls, Shoes
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/new-cdc-study-shows-coronavirus-can-survive-hours-floors-walls-shoes
A preview of a new study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – the CDC, for short – released last night offers some distressing news for health-care workers, as well as their families, partners and friends: New research suggests that nurses, doctors and others can track the virus out of the ward and into another – perhaps a more public, or less well-protected – environment, helping to spread the disease in a new way that public health officials haven’t really considered.
According to the research, “94% of swabs taken from the ICU floor and 100% of swabs taken from one of the general wards used to treat patients with severe symptoms tested positive for coronavirus.”
Even samples taken from the floor in the nearby hospital pharmacy showed ‘weak positive’ for the virus. Patients are not allowed in the pharmacy, meaning there’s only one way the samples could have gotten there.
The authors suggested that “air flow” and the forces of gravity might be responsible for moving the samples to the floors and the walls.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Takeover
https://northmantrader.com/2020/04/12/takeover/
We can’t print ourselves out of this crisis again, but that isn’t stopping the Federal Reserve from trying. Thursday’s intervention program, the latest in a string of panic moves to keep the financial system afloat, constitutes a complete takeover attempt of the market ecosphere, only the buying of stocks directly is last missing piece of eventual complete central bank control of equity markets. But seizing control of the bond market is the nearest equivalent step.
Not only that, the Fed is buying junk corporate debt propping up companies that should be let to fail as Chamath Palihapitiya pointed out poignantly this week. But not this Fed, no, with its actions it is again setting up the economy for yet another slower growth recovery, financed by even more debt.
Nobody wants to talk about the consequences to come following this crisis, but that doesn’t mean the consequences won’t be a real and present reality.
No, the Fed, while trying to save the world, is once again engaged in vastly distorting asset prices from the fundamental reality of the economy. It is in essence again laying the foundation for the next bubble, while the bursting of this bubble has yet to be fully priced in.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A call to honesty in pandemic modeling
https://medium.com/@wpegden/a-call-to-honesty-in-pandemic-modeling-5c156686a64b
Tomi Engdahl says:
The coronavirus started out as a health pandemic, but the outbreak will create long-lasting changes to the way we live and work.
The Aftermath Of COVID-19 Will Cause Alarming Changes To Our Careers And Lives
http://on.forbes.com/618210Kjo
Non-essential businesses were closed and government officials—at federal and state levels—told citizens to stay home. Schools were closed, forcing elementary to college students to remain housebound too. With nearly everyone working and studying at home, online video calls became the go-to medium to stay in touch with co-workers and friends. Prior to newly learned security breaches, Zoom became an overnight household name in video conferencing.
Now that companies recognize that employees can relatively easily work from home, executives are likely to encourage this behavior. The chief financial officer will tell her CEO about how much money will be saved by ditching pricey New York City offices and allowing employees to work at home. Human resources professionals will echo this sentiment and cite how much happier their workers are since they don’t have to endure a brutal two-to-three-hour round trip commute to and from work. They’ll also point out that employees can now watch over their young children, take care of older or sick family members, attend important events and enjoy a higher quality of life. It will be hard to bring everyone back from home once they’ve tasted freedom from the shackles of a commute and sitting in a cubicle for eight hours each day.
With the schools closed, we are conducting the biggest test of online teaching and homeschooling. Once the glitches are worked out, online education will have proven to be a viable means of education. While it currently exists, the usage will skyrocket. It will be used in conjunction with traditional in-person schooling. College costs could decline tremendously as more students will like via online methods.
Eventually, we will overcome the coronavirus and go back to some sort of normalcy. Certain pre-COVID-19 standards, such as flying around the world to meet clients, will be questioned. Management will calculate the costs of airfare, hotel stays, car rentals and taking clients out to expensive restaurants and deem them unnecessary and extravagant.
Tomi Engdahl says:
It Is Time for the WHO’s Pro-China Chief to Resign?
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15869/who-tedros-resign
Rather than criticising Beijing for its initial attempts to cover up the outbreak, Dr Tedros instead praised Chinese President Xi Jinping for his “very rare leadership”, and China for showing “transparency” in its response to the virus.
The accusation made by the Trump Administration, that the global body has become “China centric” and has been “biased” in its dealings with Beijing over the pandemic, therefore suggest the organisation has failed in its duty to treat all member states equally.
The deepening row between Washington and the WHO comes at a time when the U.S. is having to deal with a worsening death toll while the Chinese are celebrating as citizens in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the virus is said to have originated, begin to return to normal life after experiencing a total lockdown imposed by China’s authoritarian regime that has lasted for more than two months.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://puheenvuoro.uusisuomi.fi/aripesonen1/uudenmaan-sulun-paattaminen-on-poliittinen-paatos-marinin-hallituksella-ei-ole-tieteellista-nayttoa/
Tomi Engdahl says:
COVID-19 kills Princeton mathematician, ‘Game Of Life’ inventor John Horton Conway
https://planetprinceton.com/2020/04/13/covid-19-kills-princeton-mathematician-game-of-life-inventor-john-horton-conway/
Tomi Engdahl says:
WHO-neuvonantajan karu arvio Yhdysvalloista: livekonserttien pariin ei välttämättä päästä palaamaan ennen ensi vuoden syksyä
https://www.soundi.fi/uutiset/who-neuvonantajan-karu-arvio-yhdysvalloista-livekonserttien-pariin-ei-valttamatta-paasta-palaamaan-ennen-ensi-vuoden-syksya/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.hus.fi/hus-tietoa/uutishuone/Sivut/Mallinnuksia-hy%C3%B6dynnet%C3%A4%C3%A4n-koronapotilaiden-hoitoon-varautumisessa.aspx
Tomi Engdahl says:
HS: THL:n pääjohtaja suosittelee kangasmaskin käyttöä julkisilla paikoilla https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000006474109.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sairastanut voi tartuttaa jopa viiden viikon ajan – immuniteetti koronavirukseen ei varmistu yhdellä vasta-ainetestillä
https://www.mtvuutiset.fi/artikkeli/sairastanut-voi-tartuttaa-jopa-viiden-viikon-ajan-immuniteetti-koronavirukseen-ei-varmistu-yhdella-vasta-ainetestilla/7785716#gs.3di2qx
Sinunkin postiluukustasi voi lähipäivinä kolahtaa kutsu vasta-ainetestiin. Terveyden- ja hyvinvoinninlaitos (THL) on valinnut tietyn joukon suomalaisia, joilta kerätään koronaviruksen vasta-aineita. Kutsuttujen on tärkeää kantaa kortensa kekoon ja käydä testissä.
Tomi Engdahl says:
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
‘Great Lockdown’ to rival Great Depression with 3% hit to global economy, says IMF
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/apr/14/great-lockdown-coronavirus-to-rival-great-depression-with-3-hit-to-global-economy-says-imf
Latest World Economic Outlook describes shock of coronavirus pandemic as ‘like no other’
Tomi Engdahl says:
THL:n pääjohtaja selittää, miksi haluaa kaikkien yhtäkkiä käyttävän kangasmaskia: ”Oireettomien aiheuttama riski luultua suurempi” https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000006474613.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://blog.e-ville.com/hengityssuojainten-luokat-ja-kaytto/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Coronavirus: US to halt funding to WHO, says Trump
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52289056
US President Donald Trump says he has instructed his administration to halt funding to the World Health Organization (WHO).
He said the WHO had “failed in its basic duty” in its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
He accused the UN body of mismanaging and covering up the spread of the virus after it emerged in China, and said it must be held accountable.
Tomi Engdahl says:
COVID-19 News Central
https://www.mddionline.com/covid-19-central?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=12912&elq_cid=876648
Stay tuned to MD+DI’s ongoing coverage of resources, regulatory support, and solutions for responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Coronavirus distancing may need to continue until 2022, say experts
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/14/coronavirus-distancing-continue-until-2022-lockdown-pandemic
Scientists say one-time lockdown will not bring pandemic under control
Physical distancing measures may need to be in place intermittently until 2022, scientists have warned in an analysis that suggests there could be resurgences of Covid-19 for years to come.
The paper, published in the journal Science, concludes that a one-time lockdown will not be sufficient to bring the pandemic under control and that secondary peaks could be larger than the current one without continued restrictions.
One scenario predicted a resurgence could occur as far in the future as 2025 in the absence of a vaccine or effective treatment.
“Predicting the end of the pandemic in the summer [of 2020] is not consistent with what we know about the spread of infections.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
If immunity is permanent, Covid-19 could disappear for five or more years after the first outbreak, the paper suggests. If people have immunity for about a year, as is seen for some other circulating coronaviruses, an annual outbreak cycle would be the most likely outcome.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/14/coronavirus-distancing-continue-until-2022-lockdown-pandemic
Tomi Engdahl says:
Osmo Soininvaaran synkkä laskelma koronasta: “Lopuksi Suomessa ja Ruotsissa on kuollut suhteessa yhtä moni, mutta meidän taloutemme on kuin sodan jäljiltä”
https://www.mtvuutiset.fi/artikkeli/osmo-soininvaaran-synkka-laskelma-koronasta-lopuksi-suomessa-ja-ruotsissa-on-kuollut-suhteessa-yhta-moni-mutta-meidan-taloutemme-on-kuin-sodan-jaljilta/7789012#gs.3gki5a
Koronaviruksen kanssa on vain huonoja ja vielä huonompia vaihtoehtoja.
https://www.soininvaara.fi/2020/04/13/koronaviruksen-kanssa-on-vain-huonoja-ja-viela-huonompia-vaihtoehtoja/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cuomo Orders All New Yorkers To Wear Masks In Public
https://www.forbes.com/sites/sergeiklebnikov/2020/04/15/cuomo-orders-all-new-yorkers-to-wear-masks-in-public/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie/#676f7264696
TOPLINEIn a press conference on Wednesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a new executive order directing all New Yorkers to wear masks or face coverings while in public, warning that although new infections are “down to a manageable level,” the coronavirus remains a “serious public health issue” in his state.
He stressed that it was mandatory in situations where maintaining socal distancing (staying 6 feet apart from others) is not possible, like on busy sidewalks or public transportation.
People will have three days notice to comply, Cuomo said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Supercomputer Modeling Tests How COVID-19 Spreads in Grocery Stores
https://www.hpcwire.com/2020/04/08/supercomputer-modeling-tests-how-covid-19-spreads-in-grocery-stores/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/diagnostics/testing-tests-which-covid19-tests-are-most-accurate
Tomi Engdahl says:
Coronavirus could halt L.A. concerts, sporting events until 2021, Garcetti says
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-04-15/coronavirus-concerts-sporting-events-2021-garcetti
Los Angeles may hold off on allowing big gatherings until 2021 because of the coronavirus threat, according to an internal Los Angeles Fire Department email reviewed by The Times.
Comisar said the mayor doesn’t have a timeline for Los Angeles to begin resuming large-scale events. Garcetti himself has repeatedly told Angelenos during his nightly press briefings that it would be a mistake to reopen businesses and stores before the pandemic can be controlled.
“It’s difficult to imagine us getting together in the thousands any time soon. I think we should be prepared for that this year. I think we all have never wanted science to work so quickly. But until there’s either a vaccine, some sort pharmaceutical intervention or herd immunity, the science is the science,” Garcetti said on CNN Wednesday.
Garcetti also talked during the conference call with his staff about reopening the economy, starting with “essential businesses and small businesses … phased in over a period of time (6-10 months),” according to Richmond’s email.
The coronavirus pandemic has caused the cancellation of sporting, music and cultural events across the globe.
Absent a vaccine, Newsom said that Californians should expect to continue to wear face coverings or masks, and to visit restaurants with fewer tables, disposable menus and waiters wearing masks and gloves as the state slowly transitions back to normal.
Also at that time, Kim-Farley suspects there will be enough capacity to offer tests for the virus and antibodies — to determine whether people are immune — to meet the demand.
In the early summer, perhaps in the middle of June to the end of July, there may be some nuanced, tailored approaches for getting people back to work and easing stay-at-home orders, he said.
Elsewhere, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell has recommended that large events in that city be pushed off until 2021
Tomi Engdahl says:
Coronavirus: US to halt funding to WHO, says Trump
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52289056
US President Donald Trump has said he is going to halt funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) because it has “failed in its basic duty” in its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Tomi Engdahl says:
New CDC Study Shows Coronavirus Can Survive For Hours On Floors, Walls, Shoes
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/new-cdc-study-shows-coronavirus-can-survive-hours-floors-walls-shoes
A preview of a new study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – the CDC, for short – released last night offers some distressing news for health-care workers, as well as their families, partners and friends: New research suggests that nurses, doctors and others can track the virus out of the ward and into another – perhaps a more public, or less well-protected – environment, helping to spread the disease in a new way that public health officials haven’t really considered.
And unfortunately, if the data are confirmed, it would suggest that wards where coronavirus patients are treated are literally crawling with the virus, placing these health-care workers at extremely high risk for infection.
According to the research, “94% of swabs taken from the ICU floor and 100% of swabs taken from one of the general wards used to treat patients with severe symptoms tested positive for coronavirus.”
Even samples taken from the floor in the nearby hospital pharmacy showed ‘weak positive’ for the virus. Patients are not allowed in the pharmacy
Tomi Engdahl says:
The dangers of misinformation and neglecting linguistic minorities during a pandemic
https://horizon-magazine.eu/article/dangers-misinformation-and-neglecting-linguistic-minorities-during-pandemic.html#utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=Crisis_communication
The rapidly changing coronavirus pandemic means governments and health authorities need to act fast. But medical advice — and pleas for help — are being hindered by language barriers and misinformation online. Improving communication for vulnerable communities in particular has become a race against time.
The pandemic has now led to roughly half the world’s population being ordered by their governments to stay at home. Social media use has jumped. Use of Facebook’s messaging service has increased by more than 50% in the hardest hit countries. Daily Twitter use is up 23%.
But all this increased traffic could be harmful. According to a 2018 OECD report, wider internet access has exacerbated misinformation. The report found that misinformation devalues expert information and can have a ‘devastating’ impact on public order as governments struggle to correct rumours.
‘I think one of the problems with social media is that it’s completely uncontrolled during such (a) crisis,’ said Professor Harith Alani of the Knowledge Media Institute at the Open University, UK.
Tomi Engdahl says:
EU lawmakers set out guidance for coronavirus contacts tracing apps
https://tcrn.ch/34EFYlA
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mainframes still power backend systems that run the economy, and the #coronavirus pandemic is making clear just how much we count on those who program them. #COVID19
Mainframes Are Having a Moment
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/computing/software/mainframes-programming-language-cobol-news-coronavirus
If there’s a silver lining to state unemployment insurance systems’ failings caused by the COVID-19 crisis, it’s the attention being paid to the need for people who can program mainframes and work on enterprise-level technology.
Institutions of higher education and companies that sell and rely on mainframe tech are using the situation to trumpet the number of well-paid mainframe programmer and system administrator jobs and the need to train people for them.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.facebook.com/138846579561292/posts/2836136353165621/?substory_index=0
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tutkijoilta raadollinen arvio: Uudellamaalla kuolee 600 tai 6000 ihmistä koronavirukseen – Ruotsin malli olisi tappanut yli 16 000
https://www.iltalehti.fi/koronavirus/a/d1d8fc76-cf0d-4f13-89d2-5d4bf7ec3543
Terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin laitos (THL) on nostanut arviotaan uuden koronaviruksen vaarallisuudesta. Aiemmin THL arvioi, että viruksen aiheuttama COVID-19-tauti tappaisi yhden tuhannesta, siis 0,1 prosenttia sairastuneista. Tuoreen arvion mukaan luku olisi 0,2 prosenttia.
Tomi Engdahl says:
No evidence that people who have survived coronavirus have immunity, says World Health Organisation
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/04/17/no-evidence-people-have-survived-coronavirus-have-immunity-says/
Antibody tests may be ineffective at showing if a patient is immune to the virus or for how long antibodies might give protection
There is currently no evidence to support the belief that people who have recovered from coronavirus then have immunity, the World Health Organisation has said.
Senior WHO epidemiologists warned despite the hopes governments across the world have piled on antibody tests, there is no proof those who have been infected cannot be infected again.
“There are a lot of countries that are suggesting using rapid diagnostic serological tests to be able to capture what they think will be a measure of immunity.”
“Right now, we have no evidence that the use of a serological test can show that an individual has immunity or is protected from reinfection.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
AI Can Help Hospitals Triage COVID-19 Patients
https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/artificial-intelligence/medical-ai/ai-can-help-hospitals-triage-covid19-patients
As the coronavirus pandemic brings floods of people to hospital emergency rooms around the world, physicians are struggling to triage patients, trying to determine which ones will need intensive care. Volunteer doctors and nurses with no special pulmonary training must assess the condition of patients’ lungs. In Italy, at the peak of that country’s crisis, doctors faced terrible decisions about who should receive help and resources.
Artificial intelligence can help. AI systems that have been trained via machine learning to offer “clinical decision support” may play an important role in the COVID-19 crisis, helping to keep hospitals functional and patients alive.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Scientists Confirm First Case of Coronavirus Spreading From Corpses
https://archive.is/YKfVU
from the World Health Organization recognize a risk to workers handling remains from the people who died from hepatitis, tuberculosis, cholera, and Ebola which is the best-known virus that poses an infection risk from corpses.
Now it seems that dead bodies from coronavirus are added to the list after Thailand reported the first case of a medical examiner getting infected and died from handling a coronavirus infected dead patient.
Tomi Engdahl says:
CIA Warns Employees Against Using Anti-Malaria Drugs as COVID-19 Cure Amid ‘Potentially Dangerous’ Side Effects, Including Sudden Death
https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/25304/20200414/cia-warns-employees-against-using-anti-malaria-drugs-covid-19.htm
Hydroxychloroquine is an effective drug against malaria, but it isn’t recommended against the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Although times like these call for an immediate response, hydroxychloroquine does not have enough scientific evidence. It may add to the growing number of COVID-19 cases and deaths.
According to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), hydroxychloroquine lacks scientific evidence. It has side effects, such as headache, stomach pain, loss of appetite and weight loss, irritability, skin rashes and itching, and hair loss.
However, it also has another side effect: sudden death. Mayo Clinic says, “the antimalarial drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, as well as the HIV drugs lopinavir and ritonavir, all carry a known or possible risk of drug-induced ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death.”
The disinformation around hydroxychloroquine began in China sometime in January, said the Washington Post.
The Washington Post added the coronavirus research center in China’s Wuhan said hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine “could be used to fight COVID-19,” even if it didn’t pass tests on mice.
One notable organization that is using hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine to combat COVID-19 is the World Health Organization (WHO). Other labs and governments around the world are doing the same to figure out if the drug is effective against the pandemic.
The WHO licensed chloroquine for malaria prophylaxis and treatment as an oral or injectable trial for COVID-19 patients. In its landscape analysis of therapeutics, they discovered “chloroquine was found to block COVID-19 infection at low-micromolar concentration, with a half-maximal effective concentration.”
Brazilian scientists stopped studying and administering hydroxychloroquine when 81 out of their 440 patients developed heart rhythm problems.
Meanwhile, in France, Sanofi pledges 100 million hydroxychloroquine doses to 50 countries. If it passes clinical tests, it will quadruple its manufacturing capacities. Sanofi argues “that there are no results from ongoing studies, and the results may be positive or negative.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hehkutusta hauraampi maa
Suomea on hehkutettu kriisivarautumisen mallimaana, mutta onko käsitys myytti?
https://www.hs.fi/sunnuntai/art-2000006479348.html?share=9211d6939ca8fefd691d3a2f4e868e26
Taustalla vaikuttaa ilmeiseksi käynyt arvio siitä, että tämä STM:n vastuualueelle kuuluva sote-sektorin varautuminen on osoittautunut odotuksia selvästi heikommaksi.
SUOMEN varautuminen koronaviruspandemiaan pohjautuu influenssapandemiaa varten laadittuun kansalliseen varautumissuunnitelmaan. Kun se päivitettiin viimeksi vuonna 2012, taustalla olivat vuonna 2009 alkaneesta sikainfluenssapandemiasta saadut kokemukset.
Sikainfluenssa herätti paljon huomiota ja käynnisti Suomessa mittavat toimet pandemian torjumiseksi. Silti se oli vain kevyt harjoitus verrattuna tämän kevään koronavirukseen.
”Ohjeina olivat käsienpesu ja hygieeninen yskimistapa. Siinä ne aika lailla olivatkin. Riskiryhmäläisiä saatettiin kehottaa pitämään vähän etäisyyttä muihin, mutta ei mitään tähän verrattavaa”,
”Ei silloin ollut kokemusta riittävän vakavasta tilanteesta, jotta arviointiskenaariossa olisi otettu tällainen huomioon”,
Varautumissuunnitelmaan kirjattiin kuitenkin monia tärkeitä toimintaperiaatteita, jotka on otettu nyt koronaepidemiassa käyttöön. Ne koskevat esimerkiksi tartuntojen torjumista, hygieniaohjeita, viestintää ja epidemian mallinnusta.
Lisäksi suunnitelman pohjalta uudistettiin tartuntatautilaki, joka tuli voimaan vuonna 2017.
SUOMEN pandemiavarautuminen sikainfluenssan jälkeen on silti ollut myös epäjohdonmukaista ja osin täysin näennäistä.
THL:ssä käytiin useat yt-neuvottelut
”Perustutkimus nimenomaan infektiotaudeista loppui aikalailla kokonaan”, sanoo pääjohtaja Tervahauta.
Koronakriisin iskiessä THL:ssä oli jäljellä enää pieni ryhmä sellaisia ihmisiä, joiden tehtäväksi saattoi antaa koronaviruspandemian hahmottamisen. Siis sen tiedon, jonka pohjalta Sanna Marinin hallitus pitkälti päättää, kuinka Suomi toimii virusta vastaan.
JULKISUUDESSA globaaleista uhkakuvissa ovat viime vuosina korostuneet ilmastonmuutos sekä sotilaalliset uhat. Eivät niinkään vaaralliset taudit. Olisi ehkä ollut syytä.
Infektiotautien seurannan ja epidemiaan varautumisen kustannukset ovat murto-osa sotilaallisesta puolustuksesta, mutta silti niiden merkitys kokonaisturvallisuudelle on iso
Maailman terveysjärjestö WHO listasi kaksi vuotta sitten ihmiskuntaa uhkaavien sairauksien listalle ”tauti X:n”, jonka määritelmät täsmäävät pitkälti uuteen koronavirukseen. Euroopan ja Yhdysvaltain tartuntatautivirastot ovat toistuvasti varoittaneet vaarallisen pandemian uhasta. Silti epidemia pääsi yllättämään.
Suomessakin viranomaisilla kesti aikaa havahtua tilanteen vakavuuteen. THL on saanut niskaansa arvostelua koronaviruskriisin alkuvaiheen hoidosta. Kaikki ei ole kuitenkaan ollut kiinni laitoksen näkemyksestä.
Ministeriöt, THL ja lentokentistä vastaava Finavia vierittivät syytä toistensa niskoille.
Koordinoinnissa ja tiedonkulussa on muutenkin ollut ongelmia.
THL:n entisen ylijohtajan Marina Erholan mielestä THL on koronaepidemian aikana tehnyt niukoilla resursseilla kokonaisuutena katsoen hyvää työtä.
”Jos jotain kritiikkiä annan, niin se kohdistuu riittämättömään yhteistyöhön valtionhallinnon ja aluehallinnon välillä. Se näkyy siten, että osaa suosituksista ei pysty sellaisessa muodossa ja annetulla aikataululla toimeenpanemaan”, Erhola sanoo.
SUOJATARVIKKEET ovat osoittautuneet viime viikkoina varautumisen heikoimmaksi kohdaksi.
Suojavälineiden riittävyyttä Suomessa alettiin selvittää tammikuun aikana.
HS:n näkemistä asiakirjoista voi päätellä, että kirurgisia kasvosuojuksia ja hengityksensuojaimia oli varastojen avautuessa noin 4,5 miljoonaa. Hengityksensuojaimia ei tosin ole ollut tarkoitus varastoida niissä ollenkaan. Tilannetta auttoi se, että varastoihin oli jäänyt sikainfluenssan vuoksi hankittuja vanhentuneita hengityksensuojaimia, jotka todettiin testeissä käyttökelpoisiksi.
Ministeriö pyysi 12. helmikuuta Huoltovarmuuskeskusta tilaamaan 200 000 kappaletta parhaimman suojaustason FFP3-hengityssuojaimia sekä 54 000 kappaletta FFP2-luokan hengityssuojaimia. Lisäksi pyyntöön kuului 254 000 suojavisiiriä. Noihin aikoihin alettiin varmistaa myös lääkevarastojen tilannetta ja koronaviruksen hoitoon mahdollisesti sopivien lääkkeiden saatavuutta.
Hankinnoilla oli tarkoitus vastata sairaanhoitopiirien tarpeisiin. STM:lle oli valjennut, kuinka heikosti osa alueista oli varautunut pandemiaan.
Varautumissuunnitelmassa edellytetään, että terveydenhuollon laitoksilla on suojavarusteita 3–6 kuukauden normaalikäytön verran. Nyt tarvikkeita kuluu moninkertaisesti normaaliin nähden. Suunnitelma ei myöskään ole laki eikä siis suoraan velvoita mihinkään.
Husilla olisi tullut olla 117 000 kappaletta FFP3-tason hengityssuojaimia. Kun koronavirusepidemia käynnistyi Suomessa, niitä oli Hus Logistiikan mukaan 23 000.
”Suunnitelmia on paljon, mutta ne pitäisi panna myös toimeen. Se koskee niin kuntia, sairaanhoitopiirejä kuin valtiota. Jokaisen pitää katsoa peiliin”,
”Olemme tarvikkeiden ja laitteiden osalta yhtä haavoittuvassa asemassa. Niitäkin valmistetaan Aasiassa pitkien matkojen päässä, ja kotimainen tuotanto on riittämätöntä.”
Materiaalisessa varautumissuunnitelmassa vuodelta 2013 todetaan tarvittavien FFP3-hengityssuojainten rahoituksen olevan auki.
Rahaa hankintoihin ei tullut sen jälkeenkään. Käytännössä Suomen varautumissuunnitelma näyttää jääneen tältä osin pelkäksi kirjaukseksi paperilla, ainakin joidenkin sairaanhoitopiirien osalta. Asia on seisonut kolmen eri hallituksen aikana.
”Varautumissuunnitelma on sinänsä mielestäni hyvä, mutta tietenkään se ei itsessään auta, jos mitään ei tehdä.”
Onko Pekonen yhä sitä mieltä, että Suomi oli varautunut koronakriisiin niin hyvin kuin julkisuuteen viestittiin?
”Niillä olemassa olevilla tiedoilla, jotka ovat olleet käytettävissä, olimme varautuneet hyvin. Siitä ei ole pitkä aika, kun muut maat ovat pitäneet Suomea vähän pilkkanaan siitä, että miksi varastoimme kaikenlaisia tarvikkeita”, Pekonen sanoo.
Sosiaali- ja terveysministeriön valmiusjohtaja Pekka Tulokas kertoo suojatarvikkeiden riittävyyden perustuneen arvioon, että toimituksia tulee jatkuvana virtana ulkomailta kunnes kotimainen tuotanto saadaan pystyyn. Varastoissa niitä on ollut hänen mukaansa useiden viikkojen ajalle.
Tavaraa tarvitaan paljon.
Suomen viranomaisten arvio oli vielä äskettäin, että pelkästään terveydenhuollossa tarvittaisiin puoli miljoonaa kasvomaskia päivässä. Arvio on vain noussut.
Tarve on vielä suurempi, kun otetaan huomioon maskien käyttö muualla kuin terveydenhuollossa. Huoltovarmuusvarastojen maskit olisivat tällä tahdilla huvenneet päivissä.
”Alkuvaiheessa meillä oli kuvitelma, että suojavarusteiden osalta tarve on samanlainen kuin aiemmissa epidemioissa. Tilannekuva on muuttunut siitä todella rajusti”, Tulokas sanoo.
Kiinan markkinat menivät epidemian levitessä käytännössä kiinni. Markkinatilanne on kuitenkin jo alkanut helpottaa, ja toimituksetkin on saatu käyntiin.
SARS, sikainfluenssa, Creutzfeldt–Jakobin tauti, lintuinfluenssa, ebola.
Suomella ja Euroopalla on ollut 2000-luvulla monta mahdollisuutta oppia epidemioista. Ja varautua niihin. Näistäkin taudeista pelättiin globaalia pandemiaa, mutta ne jäivät pääosin alueellisiksi tappajiksi muihin maailmankolkkiin.
Euroopassa selvittiin pitkälti säikähdyksellä. Se on saattanut ohjata ajattelemaan myös keväällä 2020, ettei tilanne varoitusmerkeistä huolimatta olisi uuden koronaviruksen suhteen erityisen paha. On vaikea ennustaa, mikä tauti pääsee ryöpsähtämään tappavaksi pandemiaksi.
Keskustelua varautumisen puutteesta käydään tällä hetkellä muissakin Euroopan maissa. On oltu sinisilmäisempiä kuin monissa Aasian maissa
Puutteellisesta varautumisesta ja haparoinneista huolimatta Suomi on toistaiseksi selvinnyt koronaepidemiasta pelättyä paremmin. Potilasmäärät ovat jääneet ennusteisiin nähden alakanttiin, ja ihmiset ovat vähentäneet kontaktejaan jopa odotettua enemmän.
moni Kiinassa toimiva suuryritys alkaa tarjoamaan maksutta osaamisensa ja kontaktinsa Huoltovarmuuskeskuksen käyttöön. Mukana ovat esimerkiksi Nokia ja Kone.
Kotimaista tuotantoa selvitetään nyt hengityssuojainten ja maskien, suojavisiirien ja suojalasien, suojavaatetuksen, testaamismateriaalien sekä potilasmonitorointilaitteiden ja hengityskoneiden osalta.
Tarpeesta voi vielä tulla nykyistä suurempi, sillä pelkona on, että jos Kiinassa käynnistyy pandemian toinen aalto, suojavarusteiden tuonti hyytyy jälleen.