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Sunday, April 12, 2020

COVID-19: Is Wuhan Purgatory?

Worldometer:

The coronavirus COVID-19 is affecting 210 countries and territories around the world and 2 international conveyances. The day is reset after midnight GMT+0. The list of countries and territories and their continental regional classification is based on the United Nations Geoscheme. Sources are provided under "Latest Updates". Learn more about Worldometer's COVID-19 data 

New deaths:

DAY     China   Italy   USA   Spain   Germany   S. Korea  WORLD

Mar 23          9  601       85      435            24               7        1631
        24         7  743     100      489            33               9        1983
        25         4  683     129      454            47               6        1987
        26         6  712       73      498            33               5        1801
        27         5  919     182      569            71               8        2782
        28         3  889     241      674            52               5        2609
        29         5  756     169      624            49               8        2706
        30         4  812     271      537            19               6        2849
        31         5  837     439      553            37               4        3661
Apr    1         7  727     589      463            83               3        3239
          2         6  760     522      709          158               4        4183
          3         4  766     716      587          123               5        3822
          4         4  681     769      546            55               3        4755
          5         3  525     909      471          106               6        3595
          6         2  636     874      528            78               3        4414
          7         ?  604   1371      556            95               6        6291
          8         2  542   1400      628          176               8        5431
          9         2  610   1286      446            82               4        3779
        10         1  570   1739      523          121               4        6506
        11         3  619   1476      399             ?                3        5358
        12         ?  431   1090      366            74               3        4533

Summary:
  • A very happy Easter Sunday for Humanity:
    • The World has now had two straight days of new deaths decline:  6506...5358...4533
    • The USA also has dropped for two days:  1739...1476...1090
    • Spain, Italy and German all dropped.
  • Prime Minister Boris Johnson survived, but the UK is now #2 in new deaths:
    • U.S.  1090
    • U.K.   737
  • India, Russia, Philippines, Indonesia and Mexico are showing relatively small (1/20th that of the U.S.) and minor upward movements in new deaths.  They have major populations so you worry about a sudden exponential explosion.
  • Japan has not officially reported for four days.
From Politico:

The nation’s health secretary was warned about a possible pandemic — and, he admits now, he didn’t take that first warning seriously enough. But he studied with experts at the Centers of Disease Control. He read papers on virology. He took his concerns to the president. And months later, the administration unveiled a plan to tackle the virus emerging out of Asia, investing in therapies and warning Americans to stock up on canned goods.
“Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt recommended that Americans store canned tuna and powdered milk under their beds for when bird flu hits,” host Jay Leno said on the Tonight Show in 2006, a recurring bit where he ridiculed Leavitt’s warnings. “What? … Powdered milk and tuna? How many would rather have the bird flu?”
Speaking to POLITICO this month, Leavitt described a trap that health and national security officials know too well: Prepare too early and you’re called Chicken Little. Act too late — and millions may die.




I never thought much of him, but here is a video clip of President George W. Bush in 2005 warning the nation about a flu pandemic, and actually proposing a $7 billion budget to prepare for a coming inevitable.  He actually showed personal interest because after reading a book on the Spanish Flu, he became truly concerned, like Leavitt.  He asked citizens to go to PandemicFlu.gov.  It still exists today.  A quote from a People article:
“He (Bush) said, ‘Look, this happens every 100 years. We need a national strategy,’ ” Fran Townsend, who served as an adviser on Homeland Security, told ABC in an article published Sunday. “He said to me, ‘It may not happen on our watch, but the nation needs the plan.’ ”

So what happened fifteen years ago?  Congress actually appropriated nearly $7 billion.  Here is a recent article from Fox News by Michael Leavitt, who, of all the things, now works for them.  He said he spent the period from 2005-2008 enhancing the nation's readiness.
Well, its Easter Sunday, so I thought I'd have a religious title.  I trust you are staying home from church to avoid getting infected by this novel coronavirus.  Most are creatively avoiding crowds.

The city that puts fear in your heart, Wuhan, is not what you think it really is.  In a bizarre way, it might well be Purgatory.  Certainly, Wuhan is not a shanty town, although it does have outdoor markets, one which probably started the COVID-19 Pandemic.  Click on this to watch a travelogue that makes you wonder why your city isn't as beautiful and progressive.  Not kidding.  On your next trip to China, I can predict some of you will try to include this infamous Province of Hubei in your itinerary.

With a population of 11 million, Wuhan is the largest city in Hubei Province.  How large is this?  Well, Chicago only has a population 2.7 million, with a metropolitan area of 10 million people.  New York City?  Only 8.4 million.  Los Angeles...maybe 4 million.

Wuhan is 14th on this list as the worst city for air pollution in China.  Right behind Beijing at #13.  Xian is #9 and Shaghai #48.  The worst six cities are in Hebei (not Hubei) Province, with Xingtai #1 with an annual average of PM2.5 level of 155.2.  If Beijing is #13, I know I don't want to go to Xingtai.  Incidentally, in a list of the most polluted cities in the world, Xingtai only comes in #26.  Kanjur in India is at the top with 172.
Not many tourists go to Wuhan, for a typical tourist only has so much time, and the city is not close to Beijing (716 miles) nor Shanghai (520 miles) nor Xian (485 miles).  So why would you want to go to Wuhan and tolerate some air pollution?
  • While Guangzhou is a paradise for eating and Shanghai for dressing, Wuhan is a combination of both.  About cuisine, especially if you like spicy fried frogs, as I do.  Duck's neck is popular.  Very low on my experimental list.
  • Yellow Crane Tower (right).
  • Called "hundreds of lakes city."
  • The lakes produce fish for the city.
  • But you got to worry about overfishing, for their paddlefish might well be the first official freshwater fish extinction this year.  Grows longer than 20 feet.  I might be part of the problem because I've had caviar from this fish.
  • In the springtime, these lakes support a garden of flowers, especially cherry blossoms, plus lotus.
  • Fabulous structures
    • three buildings exceed 1000 feet in height, with #1 at 1437 feet
    • the 25th tallest is 638 feet high
    • the 59th is 590 feet
    • the 100th is 528 feet
    • the tallest building in Hawaii is 429 feet
    • currently under construction are five buildings taller than 1000 feet, with Wuhan Greenland Center at 1558 feet (only One World Trade Center at 1776 feet is taller than that in the U.S.)
Totally changing the subject, for this will be kind of gross, especially on a Sunday, so I warn you not to click on that.  If you do, it is only 47 seconds long, and you need to watch the ending.  Shows how language is not a barrier to humor, if you can call it that.  It does have a link with COVID-19.

No way to end with that on a Sunday, so here is some good news for those who watch TV.  If you use Roku, they are allowing free streaming of films and documentaries from HBO, but only for a limited period.  Click on this for the list.  Then again, maybe don't because I did and essentially it's one of those cons where you first need to sign up, get it free for a short while and if you don't want to continue, quit.  Sure, try to quit.  They make it as difficult as possible.

Whoops, can't finish without an obligatory Donald joke sent in by viewers:

1. The iceberg is a hoax
   2. We won’t hit the iceberg; everything is under control
   3. It’s a very small iceberg, nothing to worry about
   4. We barely touched the iceberg; nothing to worry about

 5. Nobody could’ve seen that iceberg coming
   6. If I hadn’t acted so quickly, there would have been a lot more deaths
   7. It’s not our job to provide a lifeboat for each passenger; they are primarily responsible for their own safety

 8. Only the passengers who are nice to me will get a lifeboat
   9. I’m the best captain ever. Nobody has ever done as much as I am doing right now. Aren’t I great?
   10. Why didn’t we have more lifeboats on board? Well, that’s a very mean and very nasty question. You should be ashamed for asking such a nasty question. You are a nasty woman.

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