• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Mask Efficacy |OT| Wuhan!! Got You All In Check

Status
Not open for further replies.
I think everybody who says not to worry doesn't see the significance of china's reaction which to my knowledge is unprecedented.

I mean 56 million people in quarantine, no group travel abroad or within China, public transportation non existant in a wide array of areas. Fever screenings everywhere. Cinemas closed, Starbucks, McDonald's... All closed. No new year celebration.

Also Chinese people are stuck abroad. My wife said 7000 people are stuck in survanabhumi Airport in Bangkok who can't fly back to China because of the quarantine. She is thai so she knows more what's going on there. And it's also the number 1 topic in Thailand right now...

If this isn't something hugely dangerous this reaction makes no sense because China is cripleling its economy which is their no 1 priority always.

Weapons testing. All these OTT drills are just that; to see the response times of what would happen during the busiest time of the year, if a major outbreak of an uncontrollable contaminant.

We (the UK) saw the a similar thing with the Heathrow/Gatwick drone over Xmas. People said it wasn't a weapons test/drill because "Why would they do it at the busiest time of the year when it would affect the most people?". That's precisely why.

It's also the reason not to panic, because this is a drill.

If this really was something to worry about, the % of fatalities would be much higher and the Chinese government wouldn't be spouting off on social/traditional media.
 

Alebrije

Gold Member
The recent developing story i heard is something like this this...

Coronavirus is a man made virus created in an underground wuhan secret laboratory facility...

It infect numerous lab experiment ( in this case a bat) as part of their trial programme..

A lab experiment somehow manage to escape....

Killed by hunters....sold in market..eaten by random wuhan guy...and now here we are...

leaked image....

384082-raccoon_city_and_the_hive.png
 

Ma-Yuan

Member
Weapons testing. All these OTT drills are just that; to see the response times of what would happen during the busiest time of the year, if a major outbreak of an uncontrollable contaminant.

We (the UK) saw the a similar thing with the Heathrow/Gatwick drone over Xmas. People said it wasn't a weapons test/drill because "Why would they do it at the busiest time of the year when it would affect the most people?". That's precisely why.

It's also the reason not to panic, because this is a drill.

If this really was something to worry about, the % of fatalities would be much higher and the Chinese government wouldn't be spouting off on social/traditional media.
I don't think this is it. Why damage ur economy most likely to a point where it doesn't grow for a drill? A drill that affects a population bigger then most European countries... Also damaging the reputation of the cpc and government in a way that's dangerous for their own good. Nope really can't see that.
 
Last edited:
lol, the article doesn't corroborate the tweet at all

Stop with this nonsense or do like the Chinese and self-quarantine yourselves (in a separate thread)

Xiangguo Qiu works in level-4 containment at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. (CBC News)

Qiu is a medical doctor from Tianjin, China, who came to Canada for graduate studies in 1996. She is still affiliated with the university there and has brought in many students over the years to help with her work.

Currently head of the Vaccine Development and Antiviral Therapies section in the Special Pathogens Program at the lab, Qiu's primary field is immunology. Her research focuses on vaccine development, post-exposure therapeutics and rapid diagnostics of viruses like Ebola.

She is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology at the University of Manitoba.

Cheng also works at the lab as a biologist. He has published research papers on HIV infections, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), E. coli infections and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome.

When asked for a response to the latest details, Morrissette said there would be no further comment "for privacy reasons."

A spokesperson for Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor said she is aware of an "administrative investigation" at the lab but has no comment.

"China and Canada's relationship right now stems from China using espionage to advance its strategic interests, be that its security interests or its economic interests," West said. "How Canada deals with that going forward, especially given that we have two Canadians who remain in Chinese custody, will be very interesting to watch."

So Canadian officials will not talk about why a Chinese agent, with a speciality in a similar coronavirus and developing vaccines, was removed from her position in an infectious disease research facility because of privacy reasons, but also because China has Canada by the Canuts.

Just look away, nothing to see here. I'm sure none of those students who infiltrated were invited by her to work there carried anything back. The Chinese have proven themselves trustworthy!
 
I don't think this is it. Why damage ur economy most likely to a point where it doesn't grow for a drill? A drill that affects a population bigger then most European countries... Also damaging the reputation of the cpc and government in a way that's dangerous for their own good. Nope really can't see that.

To sell a vaccine to norovirus'. Imagine China having a cure for 90% of all influenza, a cure that would cost other economies 100's of billions of dollars (think of all the crap on the market from Lemsip to paracetamol to God knows what other crap people buy when they're feeling bad). China could sell this cure to high bidders for Trillions or be paid to keep it under wraps.

That's just one scenario.

Another is; drills cost money, but real attacks/outbreaks cost substantially more.

As crazy as my idea/theory sounds, this of this; If bats spread the coronavirus and it's so deadly that China has to be locked down during the busiest period of the year, why haven't we seen this response from Africa, South America or the many other places that eat bat, all over the world?

Added bonus that could be something of nothing; Auto-correct already auto-corrects a misspelling of the coronavirus.
 

eot

Banned
So Canadian officials will not talk about why a Chinese agent, with a speciality in a similar coronavirus and developing vaccines, was removed from her position in an infectious disease research facility because of privacy reasons, but also because China has Canada by the Canuts.

Just look away, nothing to see here. I'm sure none of those students who infiltrated were invited by her to work there carried anything back. The Chinese have proven themselves trustworthy!
I read the article, do you have something concrete to say, rather than simply insinuating that it's 'suspicious'?

Let me guess, China plants a researcher in a Canadian laboratory so she can smuggle out hitherto undiscovered viruses back to the homeland, where they'll test them on the masses, because China is communist and they're cartoonishly evil. Is that about right?

Or how about this, China, in an attempt to catch up technologically and scientifically, conducts industrial and scientific espionage wherever they can. China didn't have a BSL-4 lab until a handful of years ago, so it's especially interesting to them. Since they are a potential national security risk, the people working in those labs (foreigners from countries with antagonistic regimes in particular) are going to be monitored, hence they'd be more likely to get caught doing suspected espionage. Furthermore, the vast majority of her research is about Ebola, despite what the news-piece said I didn't find any papers about SARS.
 
Last edited:
I read the article, do you have something concrete to say, rather than simply insinuating that it's 'suspicious'?

It's just strange that the first case happened miles from a Chinese infectious disease research facility, and then you had little covered-up incidents like that regarding Chinese espionage.

Let me guess, China plants a researcher in a Canadian laboratory so she can smuggle out hitherto undiscovered viruses back to the homeland, where they'll test them on the masses, because China is communist and they're cartoonishly evil. Is that about right?

I mean, it is self-evident that China is cartoonishly evil from their treatment of the Uyghurs (forcing their women to marry Party loyalists), harvesting organs from political prisoners and dissenters to give to Party loyalists, social credit system, etc.

I think developing a virus to selectively cull "unproductive" eldery Chinese is right up their alley. At least until a bat they were testing it on escapes and ends up in someone's soup.

Or how about this, China, in an attempt to catch up technologically and scientifically, conduct industrial and scientific espionage wherever they can. China didn't have a BSL-4 lab until a handful of years ago, so it's especially interesting to them. Since they are a potential national security risk, the people working in those labs (foreigners from countries with antagonistic regimes in particular) are going to be monitored, hence they'd be more likely to get caught doing suspected espionage. Furthermore, the vast majority of her research is about Ebola, despite what the news-piece said I didn't find any papers about SARS.

The Chinese have been hilariously incapable of invention since their culture was ruined by Communism; their tech is always backwards unless they steal it, and even when they steal it their leadership lacks the ingenuity to utilize it. That's why their military is like 70s-80s level.

So they just developed a lab they can barely run and have no experience in managing it. Sounds like a great way for an infected bat to escape by flying through a crack in the wall of the glorious Communist construction. Maybe one of Qui's "students" was working on it?
 
Last edited:

llien

Member
Situation looks pretty bad.
It's the strongest virus of that kind that we have faced so far.
Actually most of them are deadly: people, mostly older ones, who are already ill, routinely die from them.

However, this one is particularly strong and who knows if it can mutate into something that is worse.

This map looks quite grave, they haven't managed to contain it:, it is entire China:

eNVaSMr.png



It's just strange that the first case happened miles from a Chinese infectious disease research facility
It is way to weak to be used as biological weapon, in my humble opinion.
 
Last edited:
It is way to weak to be used as biological weapon, in my humble opinion.

Unless that is the point - make a virus that is very selectively lethal towards the elderly and that you have an effective vaccine for to give to the elderly Party officials and other comrades, and then release it around in different areas as needed to cull the elderly.

It is a very archetypal Communist solution to China's looming problem of having a generation of hundreds of millions of elderly people without adequate youth (thanks to the one child policy) to support them. China will just make epidemics that kill large swathes of those they deem "inefficient" and "unproductive".
 
Last edited:

eot

Banned
The Chinese have been hilariously incapable of invention since their culture was ruined by Communism; their tech is always backwards unless they steal it, and even when they steal it their leadership lacks the ingenuity to utilize it. That's why their military is like 70s-80s level.

So they just developed a lab they can barely run and have no experience in managing it. Sounds like a great way for an infected bat to escape by flying through a crack in the wall of the glorious Communist construction. Maybe one of Qui's "students" was working on it?
That lab was built with support from other countries. Be honest with yourself, you have no concrete knowledge about the lab. Why are you jumping to these ridiculous conclusions?

Also, FWIW I work in a lab (not microbiology) and I've visited a lot of Chinese labs in my field, I've read many peer reviewed papers from those labs, and it's preposterous to suggest that they don't have capable people over there, many of them educated at top universities in the west.
 
Unless that is the point - make a virus that is very selectively lethal towards the elderly and that you have an effective vaccine for to give to the elderly Party officials and other comrades, and then release it around in different areas as needed to cull the elderly.

It is a very archetypical Communist solution to China's looming problem of having a generation of hundreds of millions of elderly people without adequate youth (thanks to the one child policy) to support them. China will just make epidemics that kill large swathes of those they deem "inefficient" and "unproductive".

giphy.gif
 
Also, FWIW I work in a lab (not microbiology) and I've visited a lot of Chinese labs in my field, I've read many peer reviewed papers from those labs, and it's preposterous to suggest that they don't have capable people over there, many of them educated at top universities in the west.

I'm sure they have people who understand it, and did not say otherwise. However, their culture has broadly stunted invention, and "official" projects like that facility are going to be controlled by Party officials. I do not believe that the Party officials are capable of making good decisions or planning or even understanding risks.

So when I hear that this disease started popping up miles from a research facility, it makes sense that there would be an accident. I expect there to be shoddy construction, containment systems, etc.

I don't trust the Chinese, as country, in the slightest, and I don't see any reason to start now.


"I'm just throwing it out there!"

But yeah, that is just a theory I developed. No evidence, of course, just putting bits of the story together along with China's typical behavior.
 
Last edited:
We get those viruses annually for free, no research needed.

Obviously, but having one ready and modified for improved selectivity, improved vaccine effectiveness (perhaps by artificially adding more antigens into the viral structure), longer asymptomatic period to promote spreading, etc. would be more useful to the Chinese government than relying on nature.
 

cryptoadam

Banned
Seems the Virus originated in Bats, like Ebola. Some poor sob got dracula'd. So all that talk of muh exotic street food was as usual, fake news.



Some of the cleanest and hygienic food prep in the world, certainly cleaner than in the west. They have to wear face masks in fast food outlets for example. And a monthly ranking system that has to be publicly visible regulates cleanliness of every single legal food shop. The three rankings are great, mediocre and poor. So you always know where you're eating. Both of these are missing in the west. Ironically, you're the oblivious one.

except for babies of course


The 2008 Chinese milk scandal was a widespread food safety incident in China. The scandal involved milk and infant formula along with other food materials and components being adulterated with melamine. Of an estimated 300,000 victims in China,[1] six babies died from kidney stones and other kidney damage and an estimated 54,000 babies were hospitalized.[2][3] The chemical gives the appearance of higher protein content when added to milk, leading to protein deficiency in the formula. In a separate incident four years prior, diluted milk had resulted in 12 infant deaths from malnutrition.[4] The scandal broke on 16 July 2008, after sixteen babies in Gansu Province were diagnosed with kidney stones.[cm 1] The babies were fed infant formula produced by Shijiazhuang-based Sanlu Group. After the initial focus on Sanlu—market leader in the budget segment—government inspections revealed the problem existed to a lesser degree in products from 21 other companies, including an Arla FoodsMengniu joint venture company known as Arla Mengniu, Yili, and Yashili.[5]

The issue raised concerns about food safety and political corruption in China, and damaged the reputation of China's food exports. At least 11 countries stopped all imports of Chinese dairy products. A number of criminal prosecutions were conducted by the Chinese government. Two people were executed, one given a suspended death penalty, three people receiving life imprisonment, two receiving 15-year jail terms,[6] and seven local government officials, as well as the Director of the Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), were fired or forced to resign.
[7]

Hopefully shits improved since 2008. But there is a reason why mainlanders smuggle Baby formula out of Hong Kong and there was even quota's placed on it.


And that’s been terrible for Hong Kong parents. The milk formula shortage in Hong Kong first developed in December 2010. Since then, rising prices and scarcity—the latter caused by pharmacists reserving stock for mainlanders, whom they can charge more—have left them struggling to keep their infants fed.

The Hong Kong government has finally stepped into the fray. Just before Chinese New Year in early February—the most popular time for giving gifts—setting a two-can limit for mainlanders returning to China via Shenzhen, the border checkpoint. Today, that rule became permanent. It also set up a hotline for Hong Kongers to order formula from overseas manufacturers.
 
Seems the Virus originated in Bats, like Ebola. Some poor sob got dracula'd. So all that talk of muh exotic street food was as usual, fake news.



Some of the cleanest and hygienic food prep in the world, certainly cleaner than in the west. They have to wear face masks in fast food outlets for example. And a monthly ranking system that has to be publicly visible regulates cleanliness of every single legal food shop. The three rankings are great, mediocre and poor. So you always know where you're eating. Both of these are missing in the west. Ironically, you're the oblivious one.

You realize they eat whole bats in soup, right? I'd call soup with a bat in it "exotic".

And I'm sure those restaurants never pay bribes to inspectors to overlook actual hygiene issues along with the regular bribes they pay to not get shut down over trivial or invented issues. It's all on the up and up in China.
 

eot

Banned
I'm sure they have people who understand it, and did not say otherwise. However, their culture has broadly stunted invention, and "official" projects like that facility are going to be controlled by Party officials. I do not believe that the Party officials are capable of making good decisions or planning or even understanding risks.

So when I hear that this disease started popping up miles from a research facility, it makes sense that there would be an accident. I expect there to be shoddy construction, containment systems, etc.

I don't trust the Chinese, as country, in the slightest, and I don't see any reason to start now.
Maybe the outbreak is related to the lab, maybe it isn't, it's obvious enough that I'm sure it'll come up. However, as of now there's nothing concrete pointing towards it. For example, it's not a new outbreak of a known virus, and there are afaik no reports of employees of the lab (or related personnel) being infected, which are the most likely people in the event of a containment failure.

In any case, how is this now concretely related to the Canada story?
The claim on twitter was that she exported pathogens to China (not supported by the story), and that her husband is a coronavirus expert (he has a single publication related to SARS). It's a load of bull. Then the implication here is that she's involved in a conspiracy to ... kill off Chinese elderly?

This is C-tier conspiracy nut "none sense". The problem conspiracy theorists have is that they think they're applying critical thinking and rational arguments, when they're actually not. What you're doing is handwaving to support a conclusion you probably believed in advance.
 
Last edited:
Maybe the outbreak is related to the lab, maybe it isn't, it's obvious enough that I'm sure it'll come up. However, as of now there's nothing concrete pointing towards it. For example, it's not a new outbreak of a known virus, and there are afaik no reports of employees of the lab (or related personnel) being infected, which are the most likely people in the event of a containment failure.

An escaped animal would not necessarily infect personnel in its escape.

In any case, how is this now concretely related to the Canada story?
The claim on twitter was that she exported pathogens to China (not supported by the story), and that her husband is a coronavirus expert (he has a single publication related to SARS). It's a load of bull. Then the implication here is that she's involved in a conspiracy to ... kill off Chinese elderly?

I see that story as more of an indication of the Chinese strategy - put their agents in places where they can gather technology. I did not mention any connection to my theory that China may be making a virus designed to kill off the elderly. I started forming my theory because the very long asymptomatic/incubation period stands out as something that would be beneficial for an engineered pathogen. While their research could indirectly further that, any research on an engineered pathogen would be compartmentalized away from the "gathers" like Qui and her husband or the students they work with. All their status as spies demonstrates is that China has a specifically furtive interest in a wide range of virology and immunology topics including coronaviruses.

I did not even realize that their research that as nascent as you described; that bolsters the idea that this was an accidental release.

This is C-tier conspiracy nut "none sense". The problem conspiracy theorists have is that they think they're applying critical thinking and rational arguments, when they're actually not. What you're doing is handwaving to support a conclusion you probably believed in advance.

Why shouldn't people theorize, as long as they acknowledge that their theories are just theories? Examining possibilities and rearranging data in unconventional ways is crucial to critical thought.
 
Last edited:

Furlong

Banned
Interesting discussion from two Westerners with close ties to China. It's book-ended with talk about the current Coronavirus situation, but the middle section is about the cultural differences in China towards basic hygiene, why every city has wet markets, traditional Chinese medicine, etc that cause these viruses to spring up there in the first place.

 
It does have a 50% hospitalization rate, though, so even if widespread death is off the table, the added strain to health services could have a cascade effect in countries that lack the infrastructure to handle it.

And in those scenarios, the 3% mortality rate is certain to jump up.


This is why you lift weights, do cardio, eat plenty of meat and vegetables, and drink alcohol gentlemen. I won't be part of the 3% or the 50% even if 100% of the planet gets this.
 
F

Foamy

Unconfirmed Member
China needs to forward their thinking a century in regards to hygiene and eating or they're going to be the demise of us all.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Breakage

Member
China's president Xi Jinping warns of 'grave situation' as killer coronavirus accelerates, doctor dies and US evacuates its citizens from hotspot Wuhan after death toll jumps to 42 with 1,372 cases and 56 million on lockdown
 

MadAnon

Member
As always we have panic spreaders trying to paint this as some apocalyptic level event just like bird flu, Ebola etc. when in reality seasonal flu claims way more lives each year. Conspiracy theorists talking about purposefully released virus and population control plans. People never change. Feels like some people can't wait for world to burn and events like this is their holiday. :pie_roffles:
 
Last edited:
As always we have panic spreaders trying to paint this as some apocalyptic level event just like bird flu, Ebola etc. when in reality normal flu claims more lives each year. Conspiracy theorists talking about purposefully released virus and population control plans. People never change. Feels like some people can't wait for world to burn and events like this is their holiday. :pie_roffles:

Shock sells.. And gets likes and favorites and retweets.. So it persists.

Will be curious to see how it plays out over the next week.

There is also a certain segment that seems into 'disaster porn' who can never get enough out of bad things happening in the world, for various reasons.
 
Since the incubation period is two weeks and you have no noticable symptoms during it and thousands upon thousands of people went on vacation from Wuhan to Europe, Asia and the States there is no escaping infection in the west. Flights are still going from Wuhan, the lack of urgency from the west is startling.

Also lol at people beliving the ccp numbers, if people knew anything about the chinese you would know they are trying to save face. you can take the official number and multiply it by 10-15, at least.

Also considering that they are sending people in droves home and not testing them, baracading roads so people dont escape, banning use of cars speaks volumes, but hey at least the official "infected" statistics dont go up that much and the party saves face. Also 19 major cities with a combined population of 55 milion is on lockdown
 
Last edited:
Is anyone else feeling some anxiety now? Theories aside (because they are practically meaningless) we have a disease that is asymptomatic but contagious for up to two weeks popping up immediately after the biggest Chinese holiday with lots of international travel. I'm sure a few people from Wuhan went to, oh, Chinatowns in NYC and SF and LA. If you know anything about how Chinese travel in the US, a lot of ethnic Chinese take Greyhounds regularly to the different Chinatowns. So what happens if the Chinatowns become infection centers? Potentially contagious people have been in confined spaces going cross country stopping at who knows where.

I have a meeting next week with some Europeans and I am kind of freaking out. Did they go through France on the way here? Will they stop in New York and brush up on some CNY traveler who is contagious?
 

How can you tell? Not questioning, just want to tell how. I'm seeing videos of doctors saying the government is hiding the real stats and of nurses breaking down and hospital corridors filled with body bags. If you can translate or tell dialect/language or something it's helpful in separating signal from noise.
 

nush

Member
How can you tell? Not questioning, just want to tell how. I'm seeing videos of doctors saying the government is hiding the real stats and of nurses breaking down and hospital corridors filled with body bags. If you can translate or tell dialect/language or something it's helpful in separating signal from noise.
As I said yesterday, that's store brought gear meant to look like a hazmat suit. But the big giveaway is the ceiling is too low commercial and public buldings always have higher ceilings.
 

MadAnon

Member
Is anyone else feeling some anxiety now? Theories aside (because they are practically meaningless) we have a disease that is asymptomatic but contagious for up to two weeks popping up immediately after the biggest Chinese holiday with lots of international travel. I'm sure a few people from Wuhan went to, oh, Chinatowns in NYC and SF and LA. If you know anything about how Chinese travel in the US, a lot of ethnic Chinese take Greyhounds regularly to the different Chinatowns. So what happens if the Chinatowns become infection centers? Potentially contagious people have been in confined spaces going cross country stopping at who knows where.

I have a meeting next week with some Europeans and I am kind of freaking out. Did they go through France on the way here? Will they stop in New York and brush up on some CNY traveler who is contagious?

Wait until you find out how many get infected by seasonal flu and how many die from it. You will probably jump into a giant condom and never leave your home.
 
Last edited:

Kadayi

Banned
As I said yesterday, that's store brought gear meant to look like a hazmat suit. But the big giveaway is the ceiling is too low commercial and public buldings always have higher ceilings.

Do you think every hospital has enough hazmat suits on hand for a national pandemic? It could well be fake, but may well be the case they are working with what they have.
 
To give an idea of the intense misinformation currently being propagated as news;

There was a video circulating with an alleged Wuhan medical worker on Weibo behind full hazard suit claiming the government was lying and that 100,000 people have been infected and dying on the streets. She tried to fake her Wuhan accent but was ousted as fraud.

She was wearing a bathing cap as part of her biohazard uniform. :messenger_tears_of_joy:

Edit: Ah yes there it is, made it to this thread. Trending on Twitter of course.
 
Last edited:
Wait until you find out how many get infected by seasonal flue and how many die from it. You will probably jump into a giant condom and never leave your home.

The flu doesn't have roughly equal amounts of dead/recovered three weeks after infection starts. The death rate is much lower.

I also get a flu shot every year and keep disinfectant around when I am out and about, and stay away from people who are noticeably sick. Can't do that with this.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom