Nutty Flavor Virus Blog

Good afternoon - sorry I'm a bit late with the new blog today. Busy day. Let's continue the conversation.

Good morning! There are some reports from the UK that the rate of infection is beginning to slow down, although a number of people will still, unfortunately, develop symptoms. And, on the lighter side, men are being told to shave their beards for hygiene reasons, and because a ventilator might not fit well over a beard or moustache. Here's a fun story of an ex-Marine whose wife had never seen him without facial hair - until now.

Good morning!  A bit of good news today, as both the US and UK seem to be ramping up domestic production of their own protective gear, coronavirus testing kits, and ventilators. A much better idea than waiting for a supply to arrive from abroad, particularly since many Chinese-provided items have proven to be defective. The Netherlands recalled hundreds of thousands of masks purchased from China, while the Czech Republic said up to 80% of the testing kits it had received from China were faulty. In an in-depth article yesterday , the New York Times reported: HONG KONG — One man made fake Honeywell N95 respirators at a makeshift factory on a farm. Pharmacies sold ineffective knockoffs of a Chinese version of Clorox. In one Chinese province, authorities seized more than seven million masks that were substandard, mislabeled or counterfeited. China’s vast manufacturing machine has moved into overdrive to supply the country and the world with masks, testing kits, respirator...

Good morning! It's another day with shocking news, not least that Boris Johnson and his two top team members dealing with the Coronavirus crisis have been diagnosed with the virus themselves. I've also read numerous news stories indicating that the US is now the world leader in terms of the number of infections. This is true only if you believe the Chinese government's figures, such as that they have had "no new infections" among their 1.3 billion people over the past few days. If so, I'm not sure what those thousands of urns being delivered to Wuhan are going to be used for. China also closed its cinemas again yesterday , after opening them up because the pandemic was "under control." Finally, Chinese social media been sharing scenes of civil unrest , something I think we can expect to see in the West at some point. (It's on the border of Hubei province, the capital of which is Wuhan, on the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge, if anyone want...

Amid the heartening turnout to applaud the NHS yesterday all over Britain , I also read one of the scariest stories I've seen since the beginning of the Corona Virus pandemic. According to the Washington Post, doctors are considering a universal Do Not Resuscitate order for Corona Virus patients, because resuscitation is simply too dangerous for the hospital staff. From the WaPo: Health-care providers are bound by oath — and in some states, by law — to do everything they can within the bounds of modern technology to save a patient’s life, absent an order, such as a DNR, to do otherwise.  But as cases mount amid a national shortage of personal protective equipment, or PPE, hospitals are beginning to implement emergency measures that will either minimize, modify or completely stop the use of certain procedures on patients with covid-19. Some of the most anxiety-provoking minutes in a health-care worker’s day involve participating in procedures that send vi...

Scary news today, as London converts its ExCel convention center to hold 4000 critical care beds, and New York City hospitals are increasingly overwhelmed. Some sociologists are even suggesting that the Corona pandemic will mark the end of high-density cities . Let's continue the conversation.

The shocking news has just been released that Prince Charles is inflected with the Corona Virus. He is one of thousands around the world, and London, New York, Paris, and Madrid remain shut down. Let's continue the discussion.

Good morning, all! Saw an interesting comment on Twitter today: The mostly Asian " countries that fought this pandemic to a standstill were previously 'vaccinated' by SARS and developed health systems and personal habits that mobilized early against SARS-CoV2. "Countries that never faced SARS have to fight its far deadlier cousin without a primed immune response." On another note, our regular commenter @JocelynsBellinis has been struggling with sudden-onset pain that appears to have been Corona Virus. You can read more (and send your get well wishes) on yesterday's blog post .

Good morning! Another day with lots more Corona Virus news. People who have recovered from the virus are beginning to speak out, so let's hope there is some light on the horizon. Here's one account from the New York Post - "Florida man with coronavirus says drug touted by Trump saved his life." Trigger warning if you cannot stand Trump, because the author of this article loves him.

It's a new day - and it's Mother's Day in the UK.  Prime Minister Boris Johnson has specifically asked people not to visit their mothers  but to call them or Skype with them instead. Let's continue the conversation.

Good morning!  London, New York, and California are now shut down. Let's hope this means the escalation is coming to a close and the de-escalation is on its way....but you never know. Let's continue the conversation.

Sorry for the late posting time folks - took a long walk in the sunshine today - in nature, with full social distancing! - and was able to forget about the virus for a little while. Let's continue the conversation.

Good morning!  Let's continue the conversation. Thank you for all your kind words yesterday - I am feeling much better. My great hope is that I have been through a mild form of the virus and am now immune, but I won't know that until Corona virus tests are widely available to everyone.

So, another day as the world seems to spin out of control. We've been debating on the other board about the role of the Royals in this crisis, and noted that the Norwegian and Belgian monarchs had already spoken to their populations. I just read a local report about the Queen of Denmark's speech last night. She was tough. She said it was "thoughtless and inconsiderate" for people to continue to hold social gatherings. "It is totally unacceptable." FWIW, Queen "Daisy" is 80 years old and a good friend and cousin of QEII.  No word from the Swedish or Spanish monarchs, but the latter is mired in scandal. The Dutch king is quiet too, but he has been traveling in Indonesia. ---------- Also, on a personal note, for the past 12 hours I've been experiencing the headache, low-grade fever and aches that is a common symptom of the virus. My best friend had the same a few days ago and she is now much better. We spent time together right b...

These are difficult times, and only getting more difficult. Let's continue the conversation.

Well, it looks like things may get worse before they get better. Let's continue the discussion. On the other board, we are discussing what the British Royal Family should be doing right now to help out. Come join us if you're interested.

Good morning!  Let's hope for good news today - or, at least, less bad news.

Good morning!  Thanks for a good discussion last night. Here's a fresh board for Saturday, March 14. Let's hope for good news today!

Several posters on the Nutty Flavor discussion board about the Sussex saga have asked for a place to discuss the Corona Virus epidemic. Here's an open post to get started.