h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Strange to call a bat virus RaTG13 instead of BaTG13.

I doubt that the bats are too thrilled about it either.

I saw a very similar version of this on social media, which was more or less the same, or very different, depending on where I live.

It just about sums up all the various bits of advice I've seen over the last few weeks, although that advice was also different.

Deb

I was listening to NPR the other day and they interviewed a virologist that does a lot of work in the field with bats. There's definitely no link to eating bats, but the family of viruses did originate in bats. Bats are very good hosts for viruses. This is linked to their evolved ability to fly. As they developed the physiology to fly, they altered how their cells work. The rapid movements involved in flight are very damaging at the cellular level. To mitigate this, they basically lost susceptibility to inflammation. Inflammation is also evoked in response to infection. So bats can get infected by a wide range of viruses without being significantly effected. Most of the symptoms of infection are related to our immune responses.

But yeah, there is no reported direct link to bats, it's just an assumption based on the virus and the location of first noticed outbreak.

China ad the U.S.have been pointing fingers at each other about where viruses originate for more than 100 years.

And the 1918 "Spanish" flu likely originated in the U.S.
That moniker was also politically motivated.

Yes, a small farm community in Kansas.

The theory that it originated in China could be supported by the fact that a group of Chinese workers worked their way across Canada, to be shipped to the battlefront from one of the maritime provinces. Shortly after they got to Europe, all heck broke loose with illness.

Spanish newspapers were the only ones reporting on it at first, because Spain was neutral in World War I. The Allies and the Central Powers both suppressed information about it because they didn't want their armies to look weak.

So initially people thought it originated in Spain.

All very saine, and 'normal' here, perhaps worringly so... - watching with some amusement as society seems to dissolve into some primitive form of itself, over on those there social-media things like twitter and FB... - everyone seems to be not be getting properly dressed, living off takeaways, and drinking themselves into oblivion.
The only differences for us, really is no visits to pubs, and no gym- So I've drunk no alcohol, as I don't drink on my own, only in pubs, and with no gym, we've taken up some serious walking... - largely the walking consists of walking all over the city at night; no-one about at all, except the fast food/takeaway delivery people on bikes/motorbikes, and of course tramps/druggies/down-and-outs, trying to beg from us

We walked 50 miles, 112000 steps in the last 7 days, and I've lost 2 KG in weight so far - The other main difference for us, is eating less fresh food; we useually shop each day for fruit and veg, and meat, but instead we're limiting of course, our trips into supermarkets as they are the only places that close-ish contact with others is happening and I've read 30 books so far which has really taxed my short term memory and concentration very up-to-date with laundry, housework etc, and all food and household items are well stocked though for a while we found it difficult finding soap supplys, but luckily had sufficient in store
and... still no sign of nighthoover…. yet

That's not staying inside, 2Legs.


Stay inside.

Or upside down.

Just stay sane!

Trying to ignore the idiots on our local FB page who are rabidly counting the people out walking,running,cycling,shopping and driving insisting that it is NOT ALLOWED despite it actually being allowed under the T&Cs as set out by the guvermint. Sadly it's only too easy to poke the bear and not really sportsmanlike. Fun though.


Too much and I'm going to have to look out looser trousers from my wardrobe.

I've lost about eight pounds, much of it upper body muscle because the pool I swim in has been closed since mid-March.

Well, since my goal is a stable weight, defined as the weight I was at in February, I have taken this as an excuse to eat that delectable chocolate brownie I got from Whole Foods a few days ago.

If I'm six to ten feet away from other people at all (or most) times,
it's not likely that I will catch the virus, and even less likely if the people I encounter don't have it to spread. And let's be realistic: after five weeks of everybody taking their ow temperatures pbsessively and being aware of every sore throat or tightness of breath, the people who are symptomatic are likely not the ones I pass on the street. Nor are the extremely old people who caught the virus because they were in close quarters with other extremely old peoplpe in nursing homes.

The purpose of social distancing and working from home and not going to meetings with more than ten people is to reduce the infectious people who are out on the streets. It doesn't reduce the number of them to zero, but ironically the streets might be safer than they were a month ago. Just sayin'.

Go on your walks with my blessing, 2Legs.

The people who scold others are acting like the superstitious 15th century peasants who feared plagues because they knew nothing about disease organisms. They can be forgiven. We know so much more, and are learning more every day, along with the world of science and the other people who are learning to cope with this.

Governments and private investors all over the world are throwing money at finding a cure or a temporary fix that buys time for people's immune systems to ramp up for defeating the virus. by next week, we should have final results on the studies of a wonder drug in China. Other drugs are in many,many tests as we speak, and might be finalized within a month or two.

There will be light at the end of this tunnel. If those promising drugs pan out, the companies that make them have awesome production capabilities. There's a been an almost miraculously fast expansion of medical resources for treating the very ill. Germany can teach the rest of us how to give the gravely ill the best chance for survival.

Please do not despair. Even for the very oldest and most vulnerable, there may be as much as an 80% chance of recovery. If this turns out to be optimistic, maybe it will only be 70%, which is better than with Ebola for even healthy people. And about on a par with Smallpox.

We can still feel some glimmers of hope, however small.

I'm at increased risk of complications if I catch the virus... and, similarly, if I remain at home, completely then my resting HR goes up over 10 BPM, and I get fluid retention, both of which put my heart at increased risk of rupture. aorta rupture is fatal, full stop. People can survive the virus, and, going outside does not 100% mean someone will catch the virus I'm sure further increasing depression caused by my hormone defeciencies, by no outside at all, is probably also a bad idea; when outside I'm touching no surfaces; surface to face transmittion is now regarded as the main route of infection, second to person-to-person transmittion (mind, a direct hit of someone coughing/sneezing is as good a way as any), and, outside, we are separate from everyone.

According to government guidelines, as an at risk person I have to use a different bathroom to my husband. - we only have one bathroom in the house I've already died 5 times in my life, and going well on it so far, I don't quite get why some people are so worried about dieing anyhow, its inevitable anyhows Husband went to get grocerys today and I remained at home, as I'm avoiding shops, as they can involve close proximity to others; will get out for a walk later, evenings see the city streets empty of everything, cept fast food delivery cycles and motorbikes At least with the extra walking I've done the past week, I have shoes I can wear again, as I've dropped down two shoe sizes, back to normal (luckily I had an old pair of the extra large shoes I had to by when the fluid retention was at its worse, a few years back)

I could use all this indoor time to do some house cleaning, but I prefer to pretend he clutter isn't really there.

I'm getting very good at frittering away the time without good purpose. Although I suppose that's a purpose in itself...

Mmmm...

Must go pick up my mail.

13 miles one way.

Maybe pick up some groceries as well.

How much time does it take to make fritters?

Or can you make thyme fritters?

Back.

Current reading, "The Shadow Out Of Time" by H.P. Lovecraft.

And, behold, the Lord say Yith.