Please be very aware of fake news doing the rounds in WeChat groups and on other social media channels such as Youtube and Facebook. If there is no link to a verified and trustworthy source but only text — however official it may sound — a screenshot — however real it may look — or a blurry video — however dramatic the scene — it is likely fake or not relevant to the situation here in Yunnan.
Please check the original source and don't spread it until you can vouch for it being 100% real. If you are not sure or concerned please feel free to forward the picture/message/video to us and we'll verify or debunk it for you.
Be also aware of the fact that spreading panic and fake news is illegal in China and that there might be serious consequences if you engage in this.
Here is a link to an article (in Chinese) that debunks some of the untruths that were doing the rounds when the virus first became a national emergency: www.i-km.com.cn/[...]
@herenow
I am dismissive to the extent that its an "either/or" and not a "pick and choose". I agree with you that complacency is bad but given what is known about the new disease, does it warrant the attention and fear attributed to it? There are already many known viruses and diseases out there that has a higher mortality rate but where is the fear and panic over those? You either promote a general hygienic living standard and be vigilant to all diseases or treat this new disease as you would normally, but don't treat it specially just because it is new and unknown.
We need to separate two perspectives here, that of the health agencies and the average citizen. The health care agencies and health care providers should be vigilant at all times regardless of any occurrences of new diseases. The sudden change in protocol at the hospitals only speaks to the general lax attitudes during normal times and that can't be.
I don't want to generalize so I will only speak of my wife and her family. There are things they do on a daily basis that are rather unhygienic, spitting in public (or just spitting in general), leaving leftover food uncovered at room temperature, not bathing for several days at stretch because "it winter and we don't sweat", etc. Now with the heightened awareness we are wearing masks even at home, she is going around rewashing every item of clothing with bleach just in case. I am willing to bet once everything blows over, they would all go back to their regular unsanitary routine blissfully unaware of the hidden dangers that is still present.
So for the average citizen, if you are unafraid of the known dangers around you, I do not see anything yet in Kunming that would warrant a departure from our daily routine. That said, I would probably be more cautious if I am currently living in Wuhan but again, I wouldn't be living in fear, I would still take walks in the park away from people and refrain from touching things, things I already do during any other flu season. Last thing I would do is to hole up in my apartment with a tinfoil hat on my head.
Bottom line, all I am saying if you are living a generally sanitary and hygienic lifestyle then there is nothing new you should be doing. If you are only going to implement hygienic practices during times of outbreaks than you are bound to get something in between, maybe something even more deadlier. Either way live your life as you normally would as you should be very cautious of catching disease Corona or otherwise,on a daily basis anyway.
A list of verified, official WeChat accounts you can follow for regularly updated information has now been added to the main article 'Live: Coronavirus Updates For Yunnan And Kunming' here www.gokunming.com/[...]
Can we please keep the purpose and intent of the two threads separate and not conflate them? The "New Coronavirus" thread should be where FACTUAL information go, this thread is reserved for discussions and opinions of the virus.
Moderator, can you please "tidy up" the posts asking for updated information as it is irrelevant to this discussion. Thank you.
For those interested in the mortality rate of the new Corona Virus, here is a good video analyzing the numbers and providing a perspective. Because it is not an official video, I will provide the link here and not in the Corona Virus thread.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN9-UXsvPBY
As the original question about where Wechat information can be found was on this thread, the response also belongs on this thread. The question falls into both camps. Some convergence is inevitable.
In all forum threads there is often deviation from the intended purpose of the original poster. That is normal. The discussion has not deviated to the point of needing tidying up at this stage.
@Trumpster wrote " There are already many known viruses and diseases out there that has a higher mortality rate but where is the fear and panic over those? ... don't treat it specially just because it is new and unknown."
I think this represents a misunderstanding of risk. It is precisely because the virus is unknown that we should be more concerned about it.
We worry less about known high-mortality viruses because we have a track record of having successfully contained them in the past, so we have good reason to think we can do so again. Also, the mechanics of their transmission have been intensively studied by epidemiologists, and treatment protocols have been developed. In short, they are known quantities for which we are relatively prepared.
Because the coronavirus is novel, we lack those elements of preparation to some degree. In particular, its apparent ability to spread during its longish pre-symptomatic incubation period is not fully understood. This means that the virus could be spreading more widely than is realized at any given time, by and among people who still don't realize that they're sick, which creates the risk of a pandemic. That is not speculation: the existence of this risk is a fact based on applying simple logic to credibly-reported information.
(See links in my previous post re incubation period and pre-symptomatic transmission)
There is reason to hope that such a scenario is improbable, as the containment of epidemics since the Spanish Flu has been relatively successful. And I agree that wearing face masks at home and such is excessive. But the risk of a widespread outbreak is nonetheless real, so I do think it's advisable to take reasonable extra precautions in one's daily life.
Risk assessments are just that, an assessment. Different people will have different data, factor in different things and have different weighting.
then balance the risk against the loss of freedom.
Looking at the current flu epidemic in the US, over 140k cases this winter, with a pop 1/4 that of China. Where is a safer place?
There is no right or wrong answer. Pointless arguing really, make your own mind what you are gonna do.
Yeh! I'm back from an extended stay at home.
