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Wuhan Ordered To Round Up Infected Residents For Mass Quarantine Camps: Pandemic Updates
Wuhan Ordered To Round Up Infected Residents For Mass Quarantine Camps: Pandemic Updates
Summary:
- Senior CCP official orders Wuhan to round up infected residents for mass quarantine camps
- Beijing completes second coronavirus hospital in Wuhan
- Wuhan hospital confirms that doctor who was one of first to warn about virus died on Thursday
- Economists warn China faces difficult dilemma in deciding when workers should return to work
- Total cases stand at 30,814 as death toll climbs to 635
- Taiwan halts visas for citizens of Macau and Hong Kong
- Germany confirms 13th case
- 2 suspected cases found in South Africa
- Dubai reports 3rd death outside China
* * *
Update (1615ET): A senior Chinese official has ordered Wuhan authorities to immediately round up all residents infected with the novel coronavirus and place them in isolation, quarantine camps, or designated hospitals, according to the New York Times.
City investigators have also been ordered to go to each home and check the temperature of every resident, as well as conduct interviews with infected patients’ close contacts.
“Set up a 24-hour duty system. During these wartime conditions, there must be no deserters, or they will be nailed to the pillar of historical shame forever,” said Sun Chunlan, a vice premier in charge of leading the CCP’s response to the outbreak.
The city’s authorities have raced to meet these instructions by setting up makeshift mass quarantine shelters this week. But concerns are growing about whether the centers, which will house thousands of people in large spaces, will be able to provide even basic care to patients and protect against the risk of further infection. –NYT
* * *
Update (1440ET): Dubai just reported that a woman from the Philippines has died in the UAE. In response, the UAE has suspended flights to China except to Beijing. The Manila Times reported the death, citing the Philippines’ labor secretary.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Code blue: Pandemics and hospital surge capacity in a just-in-time world
Code blue: Pandemics and hospital surge capacity in a just-in-time world
We may be about to see the sad fruits of so-called just-in-time (JIT) inventory systems applied to hospitals in the United States and elsewhere. Fourteen years ago I first wrote about the vulnerabilities of such systems across society including health care systems. (Other observers have more recently noted this problem in health care.) If the corona virus spreads rapidly around the world, those hospitals which have adopted such systems will be least able to cope.
Here’s why: JIT systems are designed to minimize inventories in order to free up cash for other useful and profitable purposes. If you no longer have to store large inventories, you don’t need to build and maintain substantial rooms and storage areas for that purpose. And, the money actually invested in those inventories, whether for auto parts or for medical supplies, can be deployed elsewhere to make a profit. With JIT, supplies arrive at your door as you need them. The “storage room,” if it can be called that, is a delivery truck on its way to your loading dock.
The trouble is, a wave of corona virus victims showing up at hospitals could quickly exhaust lean inventories of medical supplies. And, the supplier providing those supplies may quickly run out as demand surges. After all, a smart supplier will be practicing JIT as well.
The JIT mentality has also crept into the area of bed capacity in hospitals. The number of hospital beds available in the United States has dropped dramatically in the past 20 years. The reasons are understandable: more outpatient procedures, earlier discharges, and more home care. Why have extra unused beds sitting empty? Get rid of the excess inventory of beds and all the resources needed to maintain them can be used elsewhere.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Foxconn Extends Delay, Won’t Restart iPhone Production Until Late February
Foxconn Extends Delay, Won’t Restart iPhone Production Until Late February
Everything is wonderful Wednesday morning, because an unverified report from Chinese state television sparked a massive surge in equity futures as the Communist Party-controlled media intimated that the coronavirus might soon be cured.
Cure or no cure, it’s clear the Chinese are going all-in on propaganda for the sake of preserving ‘social cohesion’. It might sound crazy, but it’s beyond the grasp of algos to process the likelihood that Beijing is simply trying to regain control of the narrative as they struggle to get in front of the inevitable reckoning with the true.
Economists have been trying to gauge the blowback from the outbreak as the virus begins to disrupt global supply chains, but as more factories on the mainland announce extended shutdowns and delays, that’s getting increasingly difficult to do.
Yesterday, we noted how Hyundai Motor Co. and its sister Kia Motors Corp. suspended production lines in South Korea after it was hit with a parts shortage from China as the virus outbreak broadened.
Now there is a new report that could create huge problems for America’s most valuable company: Apple supplier Foxconn said Wednesday that its facilities in China could take several weeks to resume full production, or at least that’s what one source with insider knowledge told Reuters.
Foxconn is responsible for assembling Apple iPhones in China.
We noted Monday that Foxconn halted “almost all” of its production lines until Feb. 10.
Any production delays after that could dramatically impact Apple’s iPhone shipments abroad.
Reuters’ source said full resumption for production at the company’s factories might not arrive until late February or early March.
Reports of Foxconn halting factory output in China have yet to be adequately addressed by the company, nor has Apple given details on the potential financial impact.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Discovery Of Coronavirus On Doorknob Of Infected Patient Sparks Transmission Concerns
Discovery Of Coronavirus On Doorknob Of Infected Patient Sparks Transmission Concerns
Until now, the prevailing conventional wisdom was that China’s coronavirus epidemic, which has spread to over 20,600 people around the globe as of February 3, did so by air or, according to some recent and unconfirmed speculation, human feces. That may be about to change.
According to the Global Times, new ways of transmitting the coronavirus have been reported, and virus nucleic acid has been detected outside human bodies, sparking public fears that the virus could be transmitted in unknown and undetected ways. Concerns emerged after scientists found coronavirus nucleic acid on the doorknob of a confirmed Guangzhou-based patient’s house, the first case of novel coronavirus detected outside the human body, Guangzhou Daily reported Monday. The finding was confirmed by China’s Health Commission, which said on Monday that the coronavirus can survive for five days maximum on smooth surfaces under suitable circumstances.
That would mean that mobile phone screens, computer keyboards, faucets and other household objects may indirectly transmit the virus, experts said.
A man from Northeast China’s Jilin Province, who was confirmed with coronavirus infection on Monday, shared his experience, saying he had used the same microphone with another confirmed patient during a meeting in January.
In another case, a 40-year-old man from North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, who lives upstairs of a confirmed patient, was also diagnosed with coronavirus infection on Saturday. Aside from respiratory droplets and contact transmissions, the person has no clear contact histories with people from other cities, patients, or wild animals and has never been to a market, according to the local health authority on Sunday.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Brace for Impact: Global Pandemic Already Baked In
Brace for Impact: Global Pandemic Already Baked In
If we accept what is known about the virus, then logic, science and probabilities all suggest we brace for impact.
Here’s a summary of what is known or credibly estimated about the 2019-nCoV virus as of January 31, 2019:1. A statistical study from highly credentialed Chinese academics estimates the virus has an RO (R-naught) of slightly over 4, meaning every carrier infects four other people on average.
This is very high. Run-of-the-mill flu viruses average about 1.3 (i.e. each carrier infects 1.3 other people while contagious). Chris Martenson (PhD) goes over the study in some detail in this video.
Let’s say the study over-estimates the contagiousness due to insufficient data, etc. Even an RO of 3 means the number of infected people rises geometrically (parabolically).
This matters because it negates any plan to track every potentially infected person who came in contact with a carrier.
Coronaviruses tend to be contagious in relatively close contact (within two meters / six feet) but masks may not be enough protection, as it may spread by contact with surfaces and through the eyes.
All available evidence supports the conclusion that this virus is highly contagious, i.e. it isn’t that difficult to catch.
2. Along with its contagiousness, the most consequential feature of this virus is that asymptomatic carriers can transmit it to other people, who will also be unaware they’ve been infected with the pathogen.
This means carriers have no reason to self-quarantine until they develop symptoms, which may be a week or more after they’ve begun spreading the virus to others.
It’s easy to imagine a situation where an asymptomatic carrier from Wuhan took a flight to Beijing, infecting passengers and people in the airport, who then got on flights going to international destinations, where a few days later they become asymptomatic transmitters of the virus.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
CDC “Preparing For Coronavirus Pandemic” As It Confirms 11th US Case In California: Virus Updates
CDC “Preparing For Coronavirus Pandemic” As It Confirms 11th US Case In California: Virus Updates
Update (1140AM ET): The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the US is starting to increase at a concerning pace, and moments ago, the CDC confirmed in a telebriefing that there are 11 cases in the US.
- U.S. CDC CONFIRMS 11 CONFIRMED CORONAVIRUS CASES IN UNITED STATES – TELEBRIEFING
More ominously, the CDC said that the new Coronavirus case is close contact of other California case, and was spread person-to-person.
And while traders were not happy with this latest confirmation that the disease is anything but contained, it is what the CDC aid said next that sent stocks and yields both sliding:
- CDC: PREPARING AS IF CORONAVIRUS WERE THE NEXT PANDEMIC
Judging by the market reaction, it appears that algos are not fans of that word.
Finally, the CDC also said at its briefing that it has added four more airports for screening of Coronavirus.
* * *
Late last night, we reported that the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak had surpassed 360 as more suspected cases popped up in New York. Though no deaths have been reported overnight, Chinese officials warned yesterday that many more cases and deaths would be confirmed on Sunday/Monday.
In the meantime, Chinese markets finally faced their inevitable reckoning. Despite the best efforts of the PBOC and the government, the Chinese market bloodbath was about as bad as expected.
But over in the US, investors ignored the latest news out of China and have seemingly bought into the WHO’s optimistic message and China’s accusations about an ‘alarmist’ Washington.
This is surprising, since anybody who has been paying close attention to the situation in China should know that this is far from the truth.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
How Xi Jinping will Save the World from Coronavirus
How Xi Jinping will Save the World from Coronavirus
In 1349, when Black Death was ravaging Europe, many of the day’s best and brightest banded together in pursuit of a common cure. They had little choice. Black Death was rapidly spreading across the continent. Nothing could stop it.
Boils were lanced with precision. Blood was let with vigor. But there was no escape from the plague’s instant death. It was efficient. It was relentless. People would go to bed at night perfectly healthy; by morning, they’d wake up perfectly dead.
Then, at the exact moment of maximum death and despair, flagellants came to the rescue. Processions marched to and fro, seeking relief through forcefully whipping themselves in public displays of self-mutilation. According to the History Channel:
“Some upper-class men joined processions of flagellants that traveled from town to town and engaged in public displays of penance and punishment: They would beat themselves and one another with heavy leather straps studded with sharp pieces of metal while the townspeople looked on.
“For 33 1/2 days, the flagellants repeated this ritual three times a day. Then they would move on to the next town and begin the process over again.”
This may seem strange, weird, and, quite frankly, a bit nuts. But something miraculous happened. The Black Death epidemic soon exhausted itself. The flagellants saved Europe from the mid-14th century onslaught of Black Death.
Or did they?
Probably Nothing, Possibly Everything
To be clear, flagellants had no influence on the eventual relenting of Black Death. Remember, correlation does not imply causation. Post hoc ergo propter hoc – “after this, therefore because of this” – or simply the post hoc fallacy, recognizes that just because one event happened to follow another, doesn’t mean the initial event caused the later event to occur.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
The One Number That Could Reveal A Chinese Coronavirus Cover-Up
The One Number That Could Reveal A Chinese Coronavirus Cover-Up
The Wuhan coronavirus continues to wreak havoc across the globe. It caused a 600 point sell off in the Dow Jones on Friday, prompted the first U.S. quarantine in a half century and has resulted in various travel bans around the globe. Famously, even tourist “hot spot” Iraq doesn’t want Chinese citizens coming into the country.
In addition, it appears as though the numbers coming out of Hubei province are accelerating, with the area reporting 1,921 new cases and 45 new deaths as of Saturday night.
Yes, I already saw the numbers and put them in a graph!! This is MUCH higher than any previous report from the Province of Hubei, the epicenter of #Wuhan #Coronavirus. Very alarming! Starting to get out of control now!
While I am not going to comment about various theories regarding the viruses origin that have been circulating the internet, I will say that these reactions to the virus have all been (mostly) to numbers provided to us by the Chinese government.
The skepticism around the Chinese government’s data comes as no surprise to me. I have spent more than a half decade researching U.S. listed China based companies and working daily and directly with Chinese nationals to uncover fraud being perpetuated on American capital markets.
The research of our firm and the story of our firm’s partner, Dan David, was featured in a documentary called The China Hustle that was produced by Academy Award winner Alex Gibney and backed by Mark Cuban’s film company, Magnolia Pictures. While not an expert, I consider myself to have a better understanding of the ethos coming out of the country than most people.
And in my opinion, I believe people should harbor a skeptical opinion of anything that comes out of the Chinese government.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
WHO Warns “Countries Should Prepare For Local Outbreaks” As Pentagon Increases Quarantine Housing
WHO Warns “Countries Should Prepare For Local Outbreaks” As Pentagon Increases Quarantine Housing
Summary:
- 14,550 confirmed cases worldwide, 19,544 suspected cases, 304 deaths, 2,110 in serious/critical condition, 328 in China treated and released; 138,000 under observation
- First death outside China recorded in the Philippines
- 24 countries reporting cases
- Philippines, New Zealand join list of countries several restricting travelers from China
* * *
Local officials in Hubei weren’t kidding when they warned that Saturday would be the worst day so far for confirmed cases/deaths related to the coronavirus outbreak. China’s body count climbed above 300, and the first death outside the mainland was recorded in the Philippines.Scientists predict that exponentially more cases are active in China, but the true number either haven’t yet been diagnosed, or the Chinese government is simply suppressing it for obvious PR purposes. Anecdotal reports also claim the death toll is higher than the 304+.
Even though the man who died in Manila was from Wuhan, now that the virus has proved lethal outside the confines of China’s deeply overburdened health-care system, even more countries have decided to defy the WHO and restrict entry for travelers from China. New Zealand, Iraq, Indonesia and the Philippines have joined the growing list of countries – including the US, Japan, Australia, Canada, Taiwan, etc. – who are imposing travel restrictions on people who have either recently been to China, or recently traveled to Hubei Province (or if they have a passport from Hubei).
“This is the first reported death outside China,” Rabindra Abeyasinghe, the World Health Organisation representative to the Philippines, said.
But that wasn’t all we heard from the WHO on Sunday. The organization, which just declared the outbreak a dangerous global pandemic, warned governments around the world to prepare for controlling domestic outbreaks.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Mayor Of City With 6 Million People Next To Wuhan Warns Of “Significant Increase” In Coronavirus Cases This Weekend
Mayor Of City With 6 Million People Next To Wuhan Warns Of “Significant Increase” In Coronavirus Cases This Weekend
One month into the worst viral pandemic in decades, China appears woefully unprepared to respond appropriately and decisively to a disease that has infected over 12,000 around the globe. This became obvious after several Chinese officials recently had media interview mishaps, in which their lack of knowledge about measures to contain the coronavirus were on full display, The Epoch Times reported.
On Jan. 29, the Beijing government sent a working team to Huanggang, a city with over 6.3 million people located just 30 miles east of the coronavirus epidemic in Wuhan in the Hubei province.
The team held a meeting with Tang Zhihong, chief of the city’s health commission, and Chen Mingxing, director of the city’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) accompanied the working team and recorded the meeting. When prompted with questions by the experts from Beijing, Tang couldn’t answer.
In the CCTV video, the Beijing experts asked the current capacity of hospitals in the city. Tang kept silent. When pressed again, Tang answered: “We have an official who is in charge of this issue.”
The experts asked what was the current number of confirmed cases in Huanggang. Tang first said it was “more than 200,” but Chen chimed in and said: “118.”
It quickly went downhill from there: the team also asked, “How many patients are being treated in the hospitals?” Both Tang and Chen didn’t answer. This angered Chinese netizens, who commented on the news segment on social media.
The next day, the Huanggang government announced that Tang has been dismissed from her position.
Then, in response to the rising wave of public outrage, on January 30 the Huanggang government announced new lockdown measures.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Suspected Case Of Coronavirus Discovered In New York As Death Toll Nears 300
Suspected Case Of Coronavirus Discovered In New York As Death Toll Nears 300
Summary:
- Death toll jumps to 294, 13,983 cases reported
- Suspected case being tested in New York City
- 8th US case confirmed in Massachusetts
- Vietnam, Japan, Australia limit travel to China
- Hong Kong health-care workers threaten to strike unless border to mainland closed
* * *
Update (1900ET): Death toll jumps to 294 as China reports 1,921 new infections, bringing the new global total to 13,983, according to Johns Hopkins CSSE.
Here’s a map of known cases:
* * *
Update (1645ET): The New York Times reports that NYC has yet another suspected case of the coronavirus. This is at least the third report of a suspected coronavirus patient in NYC or New Jersey.
The scares have made the sight of people wearing masks more common throughout the Five Boroughs.
The suspected patient is in their 40s and recently returned from China suffering from telltale symptoms including fever, cough and shortness of breath.
The suspected virus carrier is undergoing testing at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan.
- NEW YORK CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT TESTING PATIENT FOR CORONAVIRUS
- NYC HEALTH OFFICIALS SUSPECT A PATIENT HAS CORONAVIRUS: NYT
- NYC OFFICIALS AWAITING CONFIRMATION FROM FEDERAL AGENCY: NYT
- SUSPECTED NYC CORONAVIRUS PATIENT IS AT BELLEVUE HOSPITAL: NYT
City health officials have been bracing for a case given NYC’s large population of Chinese immigrants.
“An individual with a travel history to China felt unwell and sought help from a medical provider who promptly contacted the Health Department,” said the health commissioner, Dr. Oxiris Barbot.
NYC has already struggled with outbreaks recently, including an outbreak of measles in the ultra-orthodox Jewish community.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
China Outraged As World Cancels Flights And Shuts Borders Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
China Outraged As World Cancels Flights And Shuts Borders Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
Countries that surround China have closed their border crossings and halted trade this week, air carriers across the world have also suspended flights to and from the country because of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Beijing has responded with outrage, by saying the measures enacted by the global community to limit the spread of the deadly virus goes way beyond standards accepted worldwide, reported R.T. News.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Saturday that “we have adopted the most comprehensive and strictest prevention and control measures, and many of them go far beyond the requirements of the International Health Regulation.”
“China’s efforts are [aimed at] not only protecting the health of its own people but also safeguarding the health of people worldwide. Governments and the World Health Organization (WHO) have given full recognition to this,” Wang said.
The minister also said that Beijing “does not agree with the approach adopted by individual countries to create tension or even panic” by closing borders, trade, and flights to and from China.
He pointed out that the WHO “did not approve of travel or trade restrictions on China.”
For anyone who didn’t listen to officials at Thursday’s emergency conference, it sounded like they were reading a script from Beijing, with consistent praises of the Chinese regime for their efforts in “containing” coronavirus.
WHO officials during the meeting also emphasized that global flights, borders, and trade must remain open with China, again it sounds like these officials were widely pressured by Beijing to keep the global economy open for business despite the known fact of a deadly virus outbreak.
Second Chinese City Bars Residents From Leaving Their Homes, Apple Closes All Offices & Stores In China
Second Chinese City Bars Residents From Leaving Their Homes, Apple Closes All Offices & Stores In China
Since our last update Friday evening, the situation on the ground in China has reportedly gone from bad to worse. The true extent of Beijing’s ‘quarantine’ has been exposed – and not just the ridiculously oppressive tactics exercised on sick people simply out trying to buy food so they don’t starve, but the even more bizarre notion that the WHO has decided to try and validate Beijing’s response when all evidence suggests that public relations is and always will be Beijing’s No. 1 concern.
By most recent count, total cases have eclipsed 12,000, while confirmed deaths inside China have hit 259. More than 100,000 people are still under observation, as we reported last night. The 46 new deaths announced last night (Saturday morning in China) was the largest daily death toll (that was the total from Friday) since the start of the crisis.
To that end, a report reportedly signed by hundreds of doctors blaming the Communist Party’s leadership for waiting a month to inform the Chinese public and the international community that the virus could spread from human-to-human contact. The leadership was apparently aware of this fact as early as mid-December, yet they actively concealed it until the situation started getting out of hand and cases were being confirmed in neighboring countries.
London celebrates Chinese New Year in spite of coronavirus fears
China’s finance ministry has finally announced that it’s going to lift import taxes on American-made medical products needed to help combat the outbreak (it’s interesting how it took them nearly – checks notes – two months since the start of the outbreak to lift the trade-war tariffs).
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Second Chinese City Bars Residents From Leaving Their Homes, Apple Closes All Offices & Stores In China
Second Chinese City Bars Residents From Leaving Their Homes, Apple Closes All Offices & Stores In China
Since our last update Friday evening, the situation on the ground in China has reportedly gone from bad to worse. The true extent of Beijing’s ‘quarantine’ has been exposed – and not just the ridiculously oppressive tactics exercised on sick people simply out trying to buy food so they don’t starve, but the even more bizarre notion that the WHO has decided to try and validate Beijing’s response when all evidence suggests that public relations is and always will be Beijing’s No. 1 concern.
By most recent count, total cases have eclipsed 12,000, while confirmed deaths inside China have hit 259. More than 100,000 people are still under observation, as we reported last night. The 46 new deaths announced last night (Saturday morning in China) was the largest daily death toll (that was the total from Friday) since the start of the crisis.
To that end, a report reportedly signed by hundreds of doctors blaming the Communist Party’s leadership for waiting a month to inform the Chinese public and the international community that the virus could spread from human-to-human contact. The leadership was apparently aware of this fact as early as mid-December, yet they actively concealed it until the situation started getting out of hand and cases were being confirmed in neighboring countries.
China’s finance ministry has finally announced that it’s going to lift import taxes on American-made medical products needed to help combat the outbreak (it’s interesting how it took them nearly – checks notes – two months since the start of the outbreak to lift the trade-war tariffs).
ABC News is the latest American media outlet to collect footage from Wuhan via drone. The haunting footage clearly shows the scope of the lockdown. An entire city as big as New York, with almost nobody outside or in the streets.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
“They All Knew!” – Chinese Furious At Virus-Fighting Officials Who Lied About Human Transmission
“They All Knew!” – Chinese Furious At Virus-Fighting Officials Who Lied About Human Transmission
They lied, and 200+ died.
For reasons that haven’t been shared with the public, the WHO has chosen to lavish praise on Beijing, insisting that travel to China isn’t dangerous even as more governments impose restrictions, and claiming that Beijing has been completely transparent and a ‘model’ for how countries should handle outbreaks like this.
When pressed by a reporter, Dr. Tedros, the director general of the WHO, replied that local authorities in Wuhan had been “very transparent” with the Chinese people by publishing up-to-date notices about new cases and deaths. First of all, many suspect that Beijing hasn’t been entirely truthful as far as these tallies are concerned.
Second, it’s not so much about what Beijing told the Chinese people. Everybody knows the government censors anything that might reflect badly upon the Communist Party. So to claim that the government has been completely transparent with the people is almost disingenuous. Of course that’s not true. But the real issue is what they did and didn’t tell the international news media, and their international partners.
Now, a new study has exposed the Communist Party’s lies.
The research has once again moved back the timeline of when senior Chinese leaders knew about the outbreak in Wuhan, suggesting that they waited longer to act, and longer to inform the international community, than they had led the world to believe. The claim appeared in a top American medical journal.
From Nikkei Asian Review:
The deadly new coronavirus from Wuhan was spreading from person to person as early as mid-December, weeks before China officially confirmed such transmission, government-funded Chinese researchers report in a top American medical journal.
The paper in the New England Journal of Medicine analyzes data on the first 425 confirmed cases in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the outbreak originated.
