Covid 19 - Updates from your zones

[Mirasol]

Oh no Yastreb, please get well soon!

We had a spike in Nordrhein-Westfalia too, more than 1400 of 6600 workers in a meat processing factory got infected due to low hygiene standarts and ignoring of social distancing rules. Now while everywhere else things are opening again, the local governments locked down the entire area in panic and sent everyone into quarantine. Still some idiots tried to "escape" the quarantine or refused to get tested for Covid-19. Now everyone is wondering: "How did this happen?"
Society wanted low meat prices, that´s how. A problem that has been known for ages. At least it seems as if the politicians are trying to do something about that now.
(I luckily don´t live in Nordrhein-Westfalia by the way, so don´t worry.)

Stay safe and butter good!

[wavewright62]

New Zealand had 24 days with no new cases, and most of that time with no active cases.  After that, we opened the border a bit to allow New Zealand citizens and permanent residents to come back, and have had 16 new cases from that (5 from Australia, 1 from USA, 10 from India).  Those cases arrived on 6 different flights. 
I'm fairly comfortable with those numbers; although I don't know what the percentage is among returnees (I understand the flights weren't full, but don't have numbers of actual passengers & crew.)
There has been some outcry about quarantine, ie housing persons from different flights in the same hotel, questions surrounding availability of quarantine hotels to meet the demand for returnees, releasing some persons on compassionate grounds without a final test, the necessity of not requiring a full 14-day stand-down quarantine regimen for flight crews, etc.  So far there is no evidence of community transmission.

[Yastreb]

Oh no Yastreb, please get well soon!

Thank you!  I got tested today, and it wasn't pleasant to have a swab shoved deep into the nostrils while trying to recall the words of the Philosopher's Song (OK, that last bit didn't hurt, but you try to make light of things...) Results are due in 1-3 days.

[Róisín]

Good luck, mate!

[JoB]

(I luckily don´t live in Nordrhein-Westfalia by the way, so don´t worry.)

(Well, I do, but luckily the prohibitions to travel elsewhere are assigned by county, not by state.)

[Mirasol]

Oh yeah, I should have clarified... Anyway, good to hear that you are safe!

[wavewright62]

The test is not nice - the second one I had was taken while I already had inflamed sinuses and a sore throat, so it was much worse than the first.  (Fortunately, both were negative.)  Still, better than a blood test or stool sample!

[thorny]

The test is not nice - the second one I had was taken while I already had inflamed sinuses and a sore throat, so it was much worse than the first.  (Fortunately, both were negative.)  Still, better than a blood test or stool sample!

From the sound of it, I would much rather have either a blood test or stool sample. Or both.

[Vulpes]

From the sound of it, I would much rather have either a blood test or stool sample. Or both.

I'm with thorny on this.

[Yastreb]

2356 last night, a text from my GP; result is negative.

Much relieved. But I won't be relaxing my precautions.

Thanx for your kind words and regards.

[Róisín]

Yastreb, so glad you are clear. I was worried, having been following the news from your area - it is downright scary. I think it will be awhile before any of you folk get over here to visit again. Though if the lockdowns are over, Miriam plans to visit in early October. May you continue lucky!

[Jitter]

Good to hear! Thanks for letting us know, Yastreb!

I haven’t taken the test but what I’ve heard it’s horrible! Researchers in Finland are now testing a method of detecting it from exhaled air - I very much hope it will work!

[Róisín]

Here they have started experimenting with saliva tests - far gentler!

[Yastreb]

My GP took a saliva swab as well as a nasal swab - just to be sure, I suppose.

I looked at todays' figures from the Coronavirus update Worldometer site. COVID-19 Cases 10,435,321, deaths 508,844. Imagine if that had been the toll from a worldwide terror campaign, in wounded and dead. Imagine the speeches, the mobilisation, the calls for action!

[Jitter]

Also, to develop the testing they need to take a sample using the established method (the nasal swab) and compare the saliva test result to see if it gives the same result?