Anyone hear anything about a confirmed case of the China Virus? (Birmingham: mover, hotels)

[TimCity2000]

Issued in May 2015:

World Health Organization Best Practices for the Naming of New Human Infectious Diseases

[RocketDawg]

Originally Posted by TimCity2000

Issued in May 2015:

World Health Organization Best Practices for the Naming of New Human Infectious Diseases

I suppose we'll have to rename the Spanish Flu then ....

[TimCity2000]

i don't think anybody is advocating to retroactively name things. however, if you want to rename the spanish flu... maybe we should call it the kansas flu, as that is actually where it's believed by many to have originated.

just because we've done something one way in the past doesn't mean there isn't a better way to do things now.

do y'all really think the president has no ulterior motives when he insists on referring to it as "the chinese virus"?

[GreggT]

Originally Posted by TimCity2000

y and maybe because asians and chinese in particular in this country have had a history of being marginalized. also, china is a huge place... does "china virus" really identify it properly or correctly?

Since when? You must be looking at different news sources than the rest of us!

[Teko03]

Originally Posted by TimCity2000

do y'all really think the president has no ulterior motives when he insists on referring to it as "the chinese virus"?

This is pretty much what it boils down to. He's going out of his way to call it the 'Chinese Virus', which is just another divisive tactic...just like the bullseye he placed on Mexicans by blaming them for American job loss, murders and rapes. He does this fully knowing the repercussions. There's simply no positive outcome by calling it the "Chinese Virus", he just wants someone to place the blame on & he wants America to be angry at China in this case, which inevitably will result in ignorant Americans attacking Asian Americans.

[dwhisent]

Originally Posted by Teko03

he just wants someone to place the blame on & he wants America to be angry at China in this case...

Well, yes, he said so himself in a press conference. He also said it was because China was putting out propaganda trying to blame it on us. I agree that the blame should be placed on China, and they bear responsibility because they withheld information. I have seen reports (and yes, I know you can do anything with numbers) that if China had been forthcoming, the infection around the world would have been a fraction of what it is. I have no way to prove this.
I have no clue why anyone would blame Chinese Americans, or any of the Chinese people for that matter, as you say there are ignorant people. The blame is on the Chinese government.

[RocketDawg]

TimCity - I'm not going to argue what to call the virus, primarily because I agree with you in principal. China was the source, yes, but the more scientific names appear to be "novel coronavirus" ("novel" meaning one we've never had before) or COVID-19. I don't think most people in Alabama hold any prejudice toward Chinese people or Asians in general.

My question for you is - why do you think there are so many more cases in Jefferson County? As of yesterday Jefferson has 34 cases and Madison 5, and that is highly disproportionate compared to the populations.

Is it because of test results being returned more slowly in north Alabama, or even that access to testing is more difficult here? Or are people in north Alabama following the isolation recommendations more closely? Perhaps it's because Birmingham is the travel center of the state and visitors traveling the Interstates stop there for lunch, shop, whatever, and unsuspectingly pass it along to the locals?

There has to be a reason, or a combination of reasons.

[RocketDawg]

Originally Posted by dwhisent

Well, yes, he said so himself in a press conference. He also said it was because China was putting out propaganda trying to blame it on us. I agree that the blame should be placed on China, and they bear responsibility because they withheld information. I have seen reports (and yes, I know you can do anything with numbers) that if China had been forthcoming, the infection around the world would have been a fraction of what it is. I have no way to prove this.
I have no clue why anyone would blame Chinese Americans, or any of the Chinese people for that matter, as you say there are ignorant people. The blame is on the Chinese government.

That is absolutely the truth. I can't imagine anyone holding any ill feelings toward Chinese people as a whole because of the virus or any other reason. Their system of government and their actions is another matter entirely.

[columbusboy8]

"China virus" sounds fine to me. On the other hand, China claiming it has no more cases doesn't sound fine to me.

[BamaDave]

Originally Posted by RocketDawg

My question for you is - why do you think there are so many more cases in Jefferson County? As of yesterday Jefferson has 34 cases and Madison 5, and that is highly disproportionate compared to the populations.

Is it because of test results being returned more slowly in north Alabama, or even that access to testing is more difficult here? Or are people in north Alabama following the isolation recommendations more closely? Perhaps it's because Birmingham is the travel center of the state and visitors traveling the Interstates stop there for lunch, shop, whatever, and unsuspectingly pass it along to the locals?

There has to be a reason, or a combination of reasons.

It's hard to know for sure. Jefferson County announced its first case just nine days ago, so things boomed quickly. Madison County could have 50 in just a few days.

Testing is still a major boondoggle and huge f-up in this country. My wife works in a microbiology lab at a hospital in Birmingham, and they are still having trouble getting tests completed efficiently. Theirs are still mostly being sent to the state microbiology lab in Montgomery, which is still operating on bankers' hours and only last weekend started running tests on the weekends. Supposedly this will all be corrected shortly, and they will be able to do lots of in-house testing. But meanwhile we've had at least a few weeks of COVID-19 spreading through the population, mostly undetected, and the case load is going to explode for awhile. With the long incubation period of the virus, and currently exposed people transmitting to others in their own households, even with social distancing I would expect several weeks before any flattening of "the curve" will be realized.