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https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2020/01/27/coronavirus
As the world knows, we face an emerging virus threat in the Wuhan coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak. The problem is, right now there are several important things that we don't know about the situation. The mortality rate, the ease of human-human transmission, the rate of mutation of the virus (and how many strains we might be dealing with – all of these need more clarity. Unfortunately, we've already gone past the MERS outbreak in severity (which until now was the most recent new coronavirus to make the jump into humans). If we're fortunate, though, we'll still have something that will be worrisome, but not as bad as (say) the usual flu numbers (many people don't realize that influenza kills tens of thousands of people in the US each year). The worst case, though, is something like 1918, and we really, really don't need that.
[Ed note: The linked story is by Derek Lowe who writes a "commentary on drug discovery and the pharma industry". He is perhaps best known for his "Things I Won't Work With" blog entries which are as hilarious as they are... eye opening. I have found him to be a no-nonsense writer who "tells things as they are", holding no punches. The whole story is worth reading as he clearly explains what a coronavirus is, about the current one that reportedly originated in Wuhan, China, what could be done about it, how long that would likely take, and what can be done for those who have already been infected. --martyb]
Previous Stories Referencing Derek Lowe:
Machine Learning Comes to Biochemistry
Ignition! The Funniest, Most Accessible Book on Rocket Science is Being Reissued
Another Failed Alzheimer's Disease Therapy
Marathon Pharmaceuticals is Part of the Problem
Lobbying Results in FDA Approval for Controversial Drug
"Right to Try" New Experimental Medicine and the Value of Experts
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A Terrific Paper on the Problems of Drug Discovery
Things I Won't Work With
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday January 29 2020, @02:45AM (5 children)
Just give them vitamin C at the door. That will sort it out.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 29 2020, @02:55AM (4 children)
No, I mean you are saying that the Chinese are specifically not testing the patients most likely to die, or are hiding those test results. This is a level of corruption above and beyond what most are proposing.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by takyon on Wednesday January 29 2020, @03:11AM (3 children)
I would agree with that conclusion, but I don't have any hard evidence to support it.
You can find unverified videos floating around on social media of doctors and nurses contradicting official numbers and painting a grimmer picture than ~132 deaths.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/deadly-coronavirus-throws-china-hospitals-into-chaos [thedailybeast.com]
There is undoubtedly heavy censorship on Weibo et al. no matter what the real situation is.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 29 2020, @03:26AM
There are also a bunch of disturbing videos of people supposedly suddenly fainting/collapsing due to this virus but that is not a symptom according to any authority (WHO/CDC/etc).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 29 2020, @05:37AM (1 child)
If you are going to accept that degree of lying why not assume it is all fake and mean to suppress protests?
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday January 30 2020, @03:13PM
Coronavirus: China accused of 'burning bodies in secret' [nzherald.co.nz] (Associated Press)
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