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I discuss recent developments in the spread of the Coronavirus via a critique of alt-media commentary. The commentator in question is a Romanian citizen who goes by the internet name “Vee.”

Background Info:

(Note: Italy is mentioned because it is experiencing an outbreak and many Romanians travel between Italy and Romania.)

Recent Developments in Coronavirus News:

Italy has only a moderate level of air traffic with China – approximately comparable to Russia and France, lower than Germany and the UK, fivefold lower than the US.
Italy was the only country in Europe to ban all direct flights from China on January 31. (This appears to have actually no less hard a response than Russia’s ban on Chinese citizens on February 20, which however excluded transit and business visitors).
Belying stereotypes, the Italian epidemiological response has been highly competent (if by unexacting global standards), with most or all people displaying flu-like symptoms apparently being tested.

Source: https://www.unz.com/akarlin/corona-will-kill-millions-crater-the-world-economy/

Why Corona Is Worying:

Most cases are asymptomatic; in cases where symptoms do appear, which can happen as much as 2 weeks after infection, they are easily confounded with the flu. From the earlier days, it has been estimated – and repeatedly confirmed – that COVID-19 has only a 10% detection rate (BTW, Davide Piffer estimates it at 18%). Meanwhile, carriers need not be symptomatic to transmit. At such early stages, you are only going to identify these clusters by intensive testing, which as I understand nobody apart from Italy and South Korea is really doing yet. One might make a comparison to a tsunami. Undetectable when it’s out in the deep ocean, unless you’re specifically looking for it… until it comes to shore and crashes down on local healthcare systems.

Source: https://www.unz.com/akarlin/corona-will-kill-millions-crater-the-world-economy/

How Romania is being affected:

BBC on Chinese study that finds that sick and elderly are most at risk:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51540981

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