Thread: Corona Virus

Thanks to COVID-19 shutdowns and a world oversupply crashing crude oil prices, we were able to buy $94m of crude oil last week, equivalent to about five days of needs, and its being stored in the USA because we don't have the storage capacity.
So, let's build storage capacity on public land, maybe military bases. Call it a national security storage. Disperse it around several locations for security reasons, with access to our refineries, so it could quickly be turned into petrol, diesel and other fuels.
And let's put in place an annual program to expand the store to the recommended international standard of 90 days.
After all, aren't we serious about national security? Have we considered what would happen if we ran out of fuel and the trucks and trains stopped? Mass starvation.
Wouldn't this be a better use of our money than some other things we spend money on? I can think of one program, currently falsely justified on national security grounds, that could be scrapped and save $1b a year.
A billion dollars a year for several years would build a lot of fuel storage.
What do you think?

Analysis: There's a simple lesson in economics we can learn from Australia's $94m crude oil purchase
Australian Government's $94 million crude oil purchase offers a simple economics lesson - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Anyone remember the poetress Pam Ayres?

Well, she's 73 and still going strong. This is her latest ode to coronavirus...

I'm normally a social girl
I love to meet my mates
But lately with the virus here
We can't go out the gates.
You see, we are the 'oldies' now
We need to stay inside
If they haven't seen us for a while
They'll think we've upped and died.
They'll never know the things we did
Before we got this old
There wasn't any Facebook
So not everything was told.
We may seem sweet old ladies
Who would never be uncouth
But we grew up in the 60s -
If you only knew the truth!
There was sex and drugs and rock 'n roll
The pill and miniskirts
We smoked, we drank, we partied
And were quite outrageous flirts.
Then we settled down, got married
And turned into someone's mum,
Somebody's wife, then nana,
Who on earth did we become?
We didn't mind the change of pace
Because our lives were full
But to bury us before we're dead
Is like a red rag to a bull!
So here you find me stuck inside
For four weeks, maybe more
I finally found myself again
Then I had to close the door!
It didn’t really bother me
I'd while away the hour
I'd bake for all the family
But I've got no flaming flour!
Now Netflix is just wonderful
I like a gutsy thriller
I'm swooning over Idris
Or some random sexy killer.
At least I've got a stash of booze
For when I'm being idle
There's wine and whiskey, even gin
If I'm feeling suicidal!
So let's all drink to lockdown
To recovery and health
And hope this awful virus
Doesn't decimate our wealth.
We'll all get through the crisis
And be back to join our mates
Just hoping I'm not far too wide
To fit through the flaming gates!

I saw Pam in a performance in Melbourne years ago.
Not a swear word in it but honestly I have never laughed so hard and long ever.
Her "Please will you take your children home before I do them in" is still my favorite.
Mjs

Brazil's health care system close to break down.

Brazil's coronavirus cases jump as health system begins to buckle | The New Daily

This is a worry.
The WHO says there is no evidence that people who have recovered from the virus are immune to catching it again.
How can researchers develop a vaccine to stimulate our immune systems to resist the virus if having the virus and recovering doesn't stimulate a natural immunity?
Are we going to have to isolate infefinitely to avoid carriers?

'No evidence' people with coronavirus are immunised, says WHO
'No evidence' people with coronavirus are immunised, says WHO | SBS News

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

This is a worry.
The WHO says there is no evidence that people who have recovered from the virus are immune to catching it again.
How can researchers develop a vaccine to stimulate our immune systems to resist the virus if having the virus and recovering doesn't stimulate a natural immunity?
Are we going to have to isolate infefinitely to avoid carriers?

'No evidence' people with coronavirus are immunised, says WHO
'No evidence' people with coronavirus are immunised, says WHO | SBS News

I admit that to me this doesn’t make sense - how can you have coronavirus, your body beat it and not be immune?

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

....
'No evidence' people with coronavirus are immunised, says WHO
'No evidence' people with coronavirus are immunised, says WHO | SBS News

This is the actual WHO report:

"Immunity passports" in the context of COVID-19

“Some governments have suggested that the detection of antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, could serve as the basis for an “immunity passport” or “risk-free certificate” that would enable individuals to travel or to return to work assuming that they are protected against re-infection. There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection.

“Most of these studies show that people who have recovered from infection have antibodies to the virus. However, some of these people have very low levels of neutralizing antibodies in their blood,⁴ suggesting that cellular immunity may also be critical for recovery. As of 24 April 2020, no study has evaluated whether the presence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 confers immunity to subsequent infection by this virus in humans.”


The issue WHO appears to be concerned about is that some people who recovered had low levels of antibodies - that’s old news, and the explanation for it hasn’t been settled. WHO is then saying that all people with antibodies may not be immune - but there’s no evidence of that either way - it hasn’t been shown in the case of the people with low antibodies and it’s not been shown in the case of people with strong antibodies.

It’s an incredible stretch to then say, from that, that vaccines won’t work, which is what I’ve seen in other news reports.

Originally Posted by Arapiles

I admit that to me this doesn’t make sense - how can you have coronavirus, your body beat it and not be immune?

Possibly no one knows enough about the virus to make a definitive statement on it. Or manufacture a vaccine.[ yet]. I'm sure it was stated that COVID-19 was the disease caused by the virus, and most deaths were caused by an over reaction of people's immune systems to Covid-19 in the lungs.