Trump is a man who demanded actual costings for a moat along the US border filled with snakes and alligators, working on saving America from the virus led by Pence whose religious fundamentalism created a spike in HIV cases.
Thoughts and Prayers America, you’re going to need them.
4 cases of community spread in America suggests a full blown pandemic is just a matter of time – remember the fun old days of January and February when amateur woke Virologists on Twitter were telling us this was all overblown xenophobia?
Oh those were fun days, don’t worry, Dr Trump’s on it.
Who woulda thunk it – NZ Twitter elites and Dr Trump are both on the same page re the virus – nothing to fear here?
TDB was pointing out from the beginning that a novel virus being contained by an authoritarian regime that had an appalling human rights abuse record and a history of lying was the perfect recipe for a full blown pandemic, but there’s little joy in ‘I told you so’, this is too serious for that.
The panic buying we are currently seeing in Auckland is silly when we have one contained case, but people are frightened because the assurances given in January that this wasn’t a big issue (stated as fact by many twitter elites) has imploded.
I know it’s terribly fashionable to mock the panic of ordinary people but isn’t the coronavirus a supply shock that can’t be fixed with economic stimulus?
Isn’t a 2% mortality rate compared to a .1% influenza mortality rate a serious issue?
Isn’t the West’s inability to use force the way China did going to see pandemics?
It’s funny how those on twitter mocking frightened Aucklanders panic buying this weekend are the same arseholes claiming in January that the Wuhan virus wasn’t a big deal.
Maybe people are frightened because they remember the incompetence of how NZ handled the measles epidemic, an epidemic that has been savagely criticised.
Our Scientists and Drs who were telling us in January and February that there was nothing to see here have all been proven wrong…
…this is why people have limited faith in government agencies…
Coronavirus: Passengers near Covid-19 patient on plane will have to self-isolate
Passengers who were on a flight with a person who now has Covid-19 coronavirus in New Zealand will not be tested for the virus, unless they display symptoms.
…WTF? It’s not about ‘feeling empowered’ to choose quarantine, it’s a fucking public health demand!!! They are choosing ‘individual empowerment’ over strict monitoring protocols because ‘individual empowerment’ is cheaper.
Like everything else in this fucking country, the regulation is voluntary and overseen by a Wellington bureaucracy that is threadbare and hands off.
Facetiously I think panic is needed for the adrenaline required to outrun incompetent public servants.
The reality is that a full blown pandemic is weeks away and that we will see waves of this during flu season and a vaccine isn’t due until half way through next year.
So.
There will be enormous economic fallout, there will be a lot of extra deaths and if incompetence can be linked to Government agencies it will have an impact during the election.
There will be a new normal for 18 months until a vaccine that will feel far from normal.
Boomers, Gen Xers and Millennials have never experienced a real crisis before, and it will test everyone in ways we simply are not prepared for.
Remember, due to the climate crisis, the destruction of habitats and cheek to jowl overpopulation, more viruses will jump from animals to humans, so what we are seeing here is just a glimpse of the future, not a one off unique event. These types of pandemics will become regular.
Oh and throughout all of this, shhhhhh, China is listening and censoring NZ media.
I’ve argued that the current political spectrum simply can’t adapt fast enough to the new threats the climate crisis will throw at us, this looming pandemic is the first reverberation of that.
If you aren’t concerned, you aren’t paying attention.
Too be fair the panic buying is in the Chinese strongholds of NZ, aka North Shore of Auckland are the places shutting down the supermarkets because they have been cleaned out. But might create a follow on effect.
Great news for Grocery and consumerism!
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1808/S00537/oh-thats-where-they-get-their-profits-from.htm
I live in Auckland (not on the North Shore) and the panic buying frenzy by the new migrant Chinese community worries me. Not because they’re strip-mining the supermarkets (Royal Oak Pak-n-Save looks like it has been hit by a tsunami), but because I think the reason they’re scared is because they’ve been hearing about the real situation in China from relatives there, and it’s far worse than we’ve been told by the CCP.
The realisation that the stories we’ve been fed about the coronavirus being very well contained in China and how there’s absolutely nothing to worry about here were complete bullshit, is extremely concerning.
So should I buy a house now then Bomber?
Only if it’s no more than 5x your annual income
I share your concerns Bomber. How irresponsible of the government to leave a fortnight’s isolation a CHOICE for the newly arrived vulnerable. Reports from school principals that the early returning Chinese students were out and about when they should have been confined, also irresponsible. I’ve written to David Clark urging him to make isolation MANDATORY.
Kim Hill’s interview with Dr Chris Smith, a noted British virologist was excellent. Research shows how the new virus is much deadlier than flu. Also commented on big profits from cheap masks which are useless, and liquid hand cleaner which is not as effective as washing your hands with soap and water. A/NZ’s high rates of asthma make our population more vulnerable. Access the interview by googling Kim Hill, RNZ 29 Feb interview starting after 10.
You are correct that NZs bureaucracy is incredibly incompetent, but incorrect that boomers xers, millennials haven’t seen crisis, some have:
The top of the South Island has had repeat natural disasters and ample evidence of government ineptitude and “top down” cluelessness.
But Auckland, yeah your lives might get a shake up.
Some things I can note from kiwis in a crisis:
1) Wellington bureaucracy is both out of touch with real people, and grossly inefficient
2) Most people show their true nature in survival mode and most people are amazing and help each other to a degree you wouldn’t expect, but some people’s true nature is bad, more if that sort surface in the city.
3) The crisis will make some people very rich at the interface of clueless government money and private enterprise.
4) Lessons will not likely be learned as management bed swapping in government departments ensures in the unlikely event someone up top learned something, they are now in charge of another department.
Panic buying is almost akin to offering sacrificial virgins to the gods on some alter. Jesus wept, what next, witch burning and flagellation. You think we have advanced from the dark ages and nek minute, the Herald et al are predicting the end of the world.
Fuck sake, how is a cupboard full of hand sanitiser and Weet Bix going to stave off the four horsemen?
When ever there is a power cut. I like that I’m the only house with in 600sqkms with power
@XRAY. You haven’t been to Balclutha yet have you?
( I have no idea why this is coming up from deep within my tiny brain-part.)
Why bash the Chinese again? Serious question?
Human rights abuses? Lying? Power grasping psychopaths with unimaginable wealth?
Why does that sound familiar???
Aah…? Guantanamo Bay anyone? Weapons of Mass Destruction anyone? Many hundreds of military bases scattered throughout the Pacific region anyone? A secretive military air force base in Christchurch anyone? An entire society of multi-billionaires anyone? A sobering cluster of rich Jesus cultists happy clapping the Drumph anyone? A dodgy as fuck pack of greedy freaks supporting the Israeli invasion of Palestine anyone?
Did trump get his fingers shortened to make his little yellow mushroom look bigger?
Allow me…
hypocrisy |hɪˈpɒkrɪsi|
noun (plural hypocrisies) [mass noun]
the practice of claiming to have higher standards or more noble beliefs than is the case: his target was the hypocrisy of suburban life | she was irritated to be accused of hypocrisy | spokesmen unversed in the smoother hypocrisies of diplomacy.
Who says the Chinese were responsible for the C-Virus outbreak? Who fucking says? The above?
When a crisis like this is on the horizon I think it pays to spread ones thinking across a broader pallet or we’ll get head-fucked into making unwise decisions while leaping to confusing conclusions and those thinkings are readily exploitable by the scurrilous.
When you are right you’ re right, Countryboy….
…. and
Preparing makes sense.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D_MmRz8gsU
Preparing makes sense.
Yep. NZ Gov recommends it here:
Get Thru Emergency Items
Food and water for at least three days
Non-perishable food (canned or dried food)
Food, formula and drinks for babies and small children
Water for drinking. At least 3 litres per person, per day
Water for washing and cooking
A primus or gas barbeque to cook on
A can opener
Given that any sudden lockdown would be for at least two weeks, the three days seems a bit optimistic.
Also, – for power outages etc:
EMERGENCY SURVIVAL ITEMS
Torch with spare batteries or a self-charging torch
Radio with spare batteries
Wind and waterproof clothing, sun hats, and strong outdoor shoes.
First aid kit and essential medicines
Blankets or sleeping bags
Pet supplies
Toilet paper and large rubbish bags for your emergency toilet
Face and dust masks
Nigel Latta: Proof that in New Zealand you can fail upwards.
“…an authoritarian regime that had an appalling human rights abuse record and a history of lying…” … USA bashing does not help this situation. Trump is a BEAUTIFUL person of HUGE intellectual abilities, and this trusted by at least 350 MILLION of Americans.
HUGE intellectual abilities, and this trusted
Which is why the Senate decided to pass this resolution, I guess
The 200 million Americans who think Trump is an asshole shout it loudly everyday without fear of any consequences. Those who share even mild criticism of China’s unelected leadership are never so lucky:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/01/li-zehuajournalist-wouldnt-stay-quiet-covid-19-coronavirus
Probably no one knows the answer to the question of buying a house under present conditions but it is possible to make some guesses. Bear in mind that money (notes, coinage etc) has no intrinsic value. Money is just a token that enables the distribution of real wealth (i.e. housing, cars etc) .
However if there is an economic crash, that real wealth will fall without any corresponding change in the money supply. That suggests devaluation of our money supply, so perhaps one should buy a house before that occurs. Unfortunately I doubt if its that simple. What happens to immigration will have a bearing on the outcome. I have a feeling that NZ is going to be forced to put up the shutters some time soon.
I’m on the North Shore and what we witnessed first hand on the weekend with panic buying was ridiculous. Same demographic in every example I’m aware of. Even nappies and baby formula being selfishly stockpiled by the same people. Have family in our health system very worried about mothers not being able to provide the basics for their babies. Only a matter of time now until “limit 2” is introduced. No doubt certain types will have multiple family members etc circumventing that.
It’s inevitable the one case of this virus will increase in the next 2 weeks. If we get 20+ cases and God forbid a death, this will go nuts, especially around Auckland.
I must admit that I don’t have confidence in our border control. It must be remembered that in the UK they have had people arrive from overseas showing no symptoms at all, then nek minute 10-14 days later they show symptoms. It’s also my understanding that the most at-risk time for the virus being spread is when the carrier has had it for around 4 days, even if they are not aware they even have the virus.
Very disturbing they let flights in from Iran and passengers walk through unchecked here despite the alarming situation in Iran which is unquestionably being under-reported. We’ve known about this for 7-10 days but it was only Friday that action was taken after a confirmed case from that part of the world.
Our borders should be shut down from every country with reported cases. As for “self-isolation”…. do me a favour. I wonder if the people advising that as NZ’s defence also still put teeth under pillows waiting for the tooth fairy to arrive.
For the record, despite North Korea being on China’s border and with enormous amounts of trade etc occurring all day every day, there are no deaths reported in NK or even a single person with the virus. With huge question marks over the NK health system, that is ….unbelievable. Coincidently, there have been reports of many bodies being burned there.
The press conference filled me with apprehension. They seemed to miss the point that in the event of an outbreak, even on a modest scale, the solution is two weeks quarantine. Its a bit late to take a trip to the supermarket then and would on the face of it not be recommended at that stage. Stocking up gradually over the next few weeks when you go shopping is not a stupid idea. Could the NZ government arrange deliveries of food to suburb scale quarantines? Is the potential need to do this even on their radar? Not the time to start a working group to look into it. I suspect that would be the answer given the lack of action action in other areas.
Countdown down does free delivery for purchases over $200
When Auckland eventually gets quarantined, do you think Countdown will be able to have sufficient staff to make deliveries to 1,400,000 people? Will they still have sufficient toilet paper, soap and sanitisers?
The govt can say whatever they like to ‘calm down’ the public but when lockdown comes, it comes suddenly and by that time it will be too late to go to the supermarket.
Just look at Italy.
One case of corona and it totally wrecks treasuries well laid out calculous for austerity and doing fuck all.
Every A&E ward has one or two negative pressure quarantine rooms the rest are in intensive care units (ICU) ICU can quarantine patients. And ICU have been running over capacity for 5 years the waiting lists just keeps growing and just one corona case and all the calculous just falls down.
Until there is a global roll out of a vaccine, testing regimes have to be a lot greater than what it is now to filter the most acute patients otherwise because corona symptoms are so close to the flu symptoms, scarce medical resources will be overwhelmed immediately if not managed with care, finesse and efficiencies that does not come natural to bureaucracy.
And the absolute worse thing to do is to stick people in the same house. When in self imposed quarantine it means just that. The transmission rate of corona is up there with AIDS so everyone’s just going to have to adopt a tactical mindset, check all your flanks, wash hands like a machine and treat flu like symptoms with a higher sense of urgency until you’re vaccinated.
Long life food bars, meals, dehydrated stuff and canned stuff has a shelf life of about 6 months and should be rotated out and replaced but of stored properly in a dry ventilated area can be edible out to 5 years but initially you still want to keep rotating stock. This panic buying is a bit of a buzz word because eventually you’ll have to replace everything. And I honestly couldn’t imagine us running out of toilet paper or hot running water but if you was stuck at home in self quarantine solely reliant on your own wits and neoliberal personal responsibility then pack for a war of one because society ain’t helping.
Slowly stocking up makes sense. Panic buying does not and only makes things worse at a much faster rate. Very unhelpful.
Capitalism(Capitalists) just loves a hiccup in the Market! They’ll make money either way!
If this virus carries on in to a NZ winter. We’ll then see how prepared we really are.
Right smack bang in the middle of the general election!
QUICK! CORONA BEERS ON SPECIAL AT COUNTDOWN! $24 A BOX! SAVE $7bucks!
this is a copy of an email I just sent to Stuff.
Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield is lying to the public
“Dear Stuff
Please hold this government bureaucrat to account , he is directly lying to the new zealand Public and putting everyone in danger by providing a false information and a false sense of security
He stated in your article below”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/120025480/coronavirus-third-confirmed-case-for-new-zealand
at 4:57 on the Morning report “evidence is very strong that People do not transmit this disease unless they are symptomatic” this is a direct lie and he is not in any position to say this when that is been found in other studies to not be true.
and last night in your article
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/119994409/coronavirus-second-confirmed-new-zealand-case
His press briefing Update 4 at 5:53 he said the same thing.
Compare this to :
From the Harvard School of Medicine
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/as-coronavirus-spreads-many-questions-and-some-answers-2020022719004#q4
Can people who are asymptomatic spread coronavirus?
“A person who is asymptomatic may be shedding the virus and could make others ill. How often asymptomatic transmission is occurring is unclear.”
From the Medical Journal Lancet
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30520-1/fulltext
Furthermore, transmission from asymptomatic infected individuals has been documented for COVID-19, and viral load is particularly high at early disease stage.
Pharmaceutical Technology
https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/covid-19-asymptomatic-transmission/
Asymptomatic Covid-19 patients can transmit virus, study finds
If you search medical journals there is plenty of evidence that contradicts his statements.
This person may be a Doctor but clearly he has become a “government stooge” trying to lower panic.
The best antidote to panic is the truth.
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