CORONAVIRUS CONTINUED and MY EPICUREAN SUPER BOWL BRUNCH

The Wuhan Coronavirus cases number around 17,500 in more than two dozen countries, with 361 deaths, still only one outside of China:

• China            17,307
• Rest of Asia        96
• Europe                21
• North America   15
• Hong Kong        15
• Australasia         12
• Taiwan               10
• Macau                  8
• Rest of World      7

Among the latest:

• Amazingly enough, Wuhan did build a new 1000-bed hospital in ten days or so to hold those ailing.  Another one for 1500 should be finished in a few days.

• In the USA, Fort Carson Colorado, Lackland Air Force Base Texas, Travis Air Force Base near San Francisco and Marine Corps Air Station near San Diego have been selected as quarantine facilities.

• Russia is monitoring more than 4000 people for this virus.  They will deport infected foreigners.  But what airline will take them?
• As in the SARS epidemic, the Wuhan version originated in a bat.

• Pakistan has resumed flights to China.  Really.  Something to do with paying back China for helping build local infrastructure.  Although 500 nationals live in Wuhan, there has been no confirmed cases in Pakistan.  That's a photo of the Wuhan Airport.

• The World Health Organization, which has been notorious in the past for taking action mostly to cover their rear, has actually warned AGAINST restrictions that interfere with trade and travel.
• Cruise lines worldwide have began to deny the boarding of passengers and crew who travelled in China the previous 14 days.

• Hong Kong has banned travel from China into Hong Kong.
• Do all pandemics start in China?  No.  The 2009 swine H1N1 flu originated in central Mexico.

In case you didn't know, an epidemic is a sudden increase in the number of disease cases in a city or region.  A pandemic is an epidemic that has spread over at least two countries, affecting large numbers.  The H1N1 flu virus of 2009 is considered to be a pandemic

How many do you need in another country to warrant pandemic status?  Not sure, although Thailand's 19 is not enough.  Also, a Thai official said a cocktail of antiviral drugs used for HIV and the flu, lopinavir and ritonavir, more popularly known as Kaletra, Oseltamivir and Tamiflu, seem to be affective in treating a seriously ill coronavirus patient.  Kaletra is said to have previously worked in treating MERS patients.  Also 8 of those 19 Thai victims recovered and returned home.  No one has died of the Wuhan virus in Thailand.

From bad fortune to good fortune, my Super Bowl meal was fabulous and totally different from what happened nationwide.  Not sure if mine was much healthier, but it was epicurean, and featured a variety of vegetable, with copious libations.  Here were the opening ingredients:

I started the brunch and watched the Waste Management Phoenix Open:

The joy of this assortment was the virtual infinite number of combinations you can craft to match with the four drinks:

Over the four hour lunch I had I must have made twenty different "sandwiches."  The best?  Probably, the two kinds of foie gras, wagyu fat and blue cheese over Peking Duck Chinese bun, flavored with horseradish.

Yes, there was a football game, with entertainment:

The Chiefs beat the 49ers, with Patrick Mahomes being named Most Valuable Player, as predicted.  Did Jennifer Lopez show butt cleavage during the halftime show?  Here are Shakira and Lopez TWERKING, but is that butt cleavage I saw?  Not sure.  If I find out, I'll later make this adjustment here.  So return for the ultimate truth.

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