#Japan Nepal China warning | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jedi-anakin · 4 years

Text

2020 – what happened so far

(it’s impossible to include all, but I try my best)

January

January 1 – Palau became the first country to ban sun creams containing ingredients that are harmful to coral and marine life.

January 2 – The government of New South Wales, Australia, declares a state of emergency whilst the government of Victoria, Australia declares a state of disaster amid large bushfires that have killed as many as 500 million animals.

January 3 – A US drone strike at Baghdad International Airport kills Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

January 5 – Iran pulls out of the 2015 nuclear deal, will not limit its uranium enrichment.

January 7 – 56 people are reported killed and over 200 injured in a crush at the funeral of general Qasem Soleimani in the city of Kerman, Iran.

January 7 – A 6.4 magnitude earthquake in Puerto Rico, island's largest in a century, kill 1 person and destroy 800 homes.

January 8 – Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 is shot down by Iran's armed forces shortly after takeoff from Tehran Imam Khomeini Airport, killing all 176 people on board.

January 8 – Duke and Duchess of Sussex announce they are stepping back as "senior" royals, will work towards becoming financially independent.

January 16 – The impeachment trial of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, begins in the US Senate.

January 26 – Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant dies in a helicopter crash.

January 30 – The World Health Organization (WHO) declares the outbreak of the disease as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

January 31 – The United Kingdom and Gibraltar formally withdraw from the European Union at 11PM (GMT), beginning an 11-month transition period.

January 2020 was the hottest January in recorded history according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

February

February 3 – Cruise ship Diamond Princess with 3711 passengers quarantined in Yokohama port, Japan after cases of coronavirus found on board.

February 5 – The US Senate acquits US president Donald Trump on articles of impeachment.

February 8 – 20 people dies in a mall shooting in Thailand.

February 9 – Deaths from the Coronavirus overtake those of Sars (2003) with 813 deaths worldwide.

February 10 – More than 30 bushfires put out by heaviest rainfall for 30 years in New South Wales, Australia, helping end one of the worst bushfire seasons ever, 46 million acres burnt, over 1 billion animals killed, 34 people dead.

February 11 – Snow falls in Baghdad, Iraq, for only the second time in a century.

February 23 – First major coronavirus outbreak in Europe in Italy with 152 cases and three deaths, prompting emergency measures, locking down 10 towns in Lombardy.

February 23 – China's Supreme Leader Xi Jinping describes the country's coronavirus outbreak as the China's largest health emergency since 1949.

February 24 – Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein found guilty of rape and a criminal sexual act.

February 29 – Luxembourg becomes the first country in the world to make all public transport in the country (buses, trams, and trains) free to use.

February 29 – A conditional peace agreement is signed between the United States and the Taliban in Doha, Qatar. The U.S. begins gradually withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.

March

March 8 – Italy places 16 million people in quarantine, more than a quarter of its population, in a bid to stop the spread of COVID-19. A day later, the quarantine is expanded to cover the entire country, becoming the first country to apply this measure nationwide.

March 9 – International share prices fall sharply in response to a Russo-Saudi oil price war and the impact of COVID-19. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) plunges more than 2,000 points, the largest fall in its history up to that point. Oil prices also plunge by as much as 30% in early trading, the biggest fall since 1991.

March 11 – The World Health Organization declares the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic with 121,564 cases worldwide and 4,373 deaths.

March 11 – Harvey Weinstein is sentenced to 23 years in prison for a criminal sex act and rape in New York.

March 12 – Global stock markets crash. The Dow Jones Industrial Average goes into free fall, closing at over −2,300 points, the worst losses for the index since 1987.

March 13 – The government of Nepal announces that Mount Everest will be closed to climbers and the public for the rest of the season due to concerns from the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia.

March 14 – Spain goes into lockdown after COVID-19 cases in the country surge.

March 16 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 2,997, the single largest point drop in history and the second-largest percentage drop ever at 12.93 percent, an even greater crash than Black Monday (1929).

March 17 – European leaders close the EU's external and Schengen borders for at least 30 days in an effort to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.

March 17 – The island of Luzon, the largest island of the Philippines, is placed under the enhanced community quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

March 18 – The European Broadcasting Union announces that the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 will be cancelled due to COVID-19 in Europe, the first cancellation in the contest's 64-year history.

March 20 – The worldwide death toll from COVID-19 surpasses 10,000 as the total number of cases reaches a quarter of a million.

March 20 – Smoke from Australian bushfires killed more people than the fires - 417 vs 33 according to new study published in "Medical Journal of Australia."

March 22 – A prison riot in Colombia, which was sparked by coronavirus fears, left 23 inmates dead and another 83 injured.

March 24 – Indian PM Narendra Modi orders a 21 day lockdown for world's second most populous country of 1.3 billion people.

March 26 – Global COVID-19 cases reach 500,000, with nearly 23,000 deaths confirmed. American cases exceed all other countries, with 81,578 cases and 1,180 deaths.

March 28 – North Korea launched an unidentified projectile off the coast of Japan. This is the sixth launch in the last month.

March 30 – The price of Brent Crude Oil falls 9% to $23 per barrel, the lowest level since November 2002.

March 30 – The International Olympic Committee and Japan suspend the 2020 Summer Olympics and are rescheduled for July 23 to August 8, 2021.

April

April 2 – The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 1 million worldwide.

April 5 – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted to hospital suffering from coronavirus COVID-19.

April 7 – Japan declares a state of emergency in response to COVID-19, and finalises a stimulus package worth 108 trillion yen (US$990 billion), equal to 20% of the country's GDP.

April 10 – The death toll from COVID-19 exceeds 100,000 globally.

April 14 – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says it expects the world economy to shrink 3%, the worst contraction since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

April 14 – US President Donald Trump freezes funding for the World Health Organization pending a review, for mistakes in handling the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and for being "China-centric", prompting international criticism.

April 15 – The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 2 million worldwide.

April 16 – 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment in 4 weeks (5.2 million in the last week), wiping out 9 1/2 years of job gains.

April 20 – Oil prices reach a record low.

April 25 – The global death toll from COVID-19 exceeds 200,000.

April 27 – The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 3 million worldwide.

April 28 – US Department of Defense releases three declassified videos of possible UFOs from 2004 and 2015.

April 30 – British Captain Tom Moore, who raised more £30 million for the National Health Service walking in his garden, turns 100 and made an honorary colonel by the Queen.

May

May 5 – The UK death toll from COVID-19 becomes the highest in Europe.

May 6 – Irish organisation repays a 170 year old favor, raising over $2 million (to date) for US Navajo Nation and Hopi Reservation badly affected by coronavirus. In 1840s Choctaw Nation sent $170 to aid Irish potato famine.

May 6 – Hungary has become the first EU member state to lose their democractic status according to the NGO Freedom House.

May 10 – The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 4 million worldwide.

May 12 – Gunmen storm a maternity hospital and kill 24 people, including two newborn babies, in Dashte Barchi, a majority-Shia neighborhood of Kabul, Afghanistan.

May 13 – Every African country now has cases of coronavirus COVID-19.

May 14 – The UN warns of a global mental health crisis caused by isolation, fear, uncertainty and economic turmoil.

May 16 – 118-year old American department store JC Penney files for bankruptcy.

May 19 – Greenhouse gas emissions dropped 17% worldwide in April 2020 when world was in lockdown, in study published in "Nature Climate Change."

May 19 – Two dams on Tittabawassee River in central Michigan breached by floodwaters, forcing evacuation of thousands of residents.

May 21 – Cyclone Amphan makes landfall in eastern India and Bangladesh, killing over 100 people and forcing the evacuation of more than 4 million others. It causes over US$13 billion in damage, making it the costliest cyclone ever recorded in the North Indian Ocean.

May 26 – George Floyd, an African-American man dies after he was handcuffed and lying face down on a city street during an arrest, Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer kept his knee on Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds despite he was pleading for breath.

May 26 – Costa Rica becomes the first Central American country to legalise same-sex marriage.

May 26 – Twitter adds warning labels to warn about inaccuracies in US President Donald Trump's tweets for the first time.

May 26 – After a recording by a bystander about the arrest of George Floyd went viral the four officers who were present were fired. The same day a demonstrations and protests took place in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area.

May 27 – The Chinese National People's Congress votes in favour of national security legislation that prevents subversion, terrorism, separatism and foreign interference in Hong Kong.

May 27 – Spain begins 10 days of mourning for victims of COVID-19.

May 28 – The United States Department of Justice released a joint statement with the FBI, saying they had made the investigation into George Floyd's death "a top priority".

May 29 – Derek Chauvin was arrested and charged him with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, becoming the first white officer in Minnesota to be charged for the death of a black civilian.

May 30 – The first crewed flight of the Dragon 2 is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the first manned spacecraft to take off from U.S. soil since 2011. The next day the spacecraft successfully reached the International Space Station (ISS).

May 31 – Since May 26 over a 100 city in all 50 states in the US was held supporting those seeking justice for George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement, and speaking out against police brutality.

May 31 – The hacktivist group Anonymous released a video after remaining silent for 3 years demanding justice for George Floyd.

May 31 – The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 6 million worldwide.

#2020 #covid19 #coronavirus #black lives matter #politics #history #protest #economy #justice #environment #long post #very long post #text post #I hope some of yall will find something you didn't know of #(I did)#also stay safe and healty!

12K notes · View notes

vesperlionheart · 4 years

Note

do you have any fairytale/myth/legends/etc books you would recommend? :)

Hell yes I do. (It’s the weekend so I’m allowed to use my brain for this ask.)

My interests lean more towards the Fairy Tale side of things but if what you’re interested in is knowing more about monsters and creatures, my favorite encyclopedia is by Carol Rose: Giants, Monsters, and Dragons. It is a great book for flipping through and reading a little bit about different ‘around the globe’ monsters and creatures from older stories and myths.

The Grimm brothers are basic bitches but they’re a digestible starting point for someone who wants to dip into fairy tales. Plus, all their stories are up in public domain hang out spaces so feel free to go buck wild and read a few online without paying a penny. There are a few really obscure ones and it’s kinda like panning for gold, searching through the stories until you find one that fits you! Here is another link: Wiki

In my opinion Andrew Lang is an upgrade to Grimm bros, thanks in no small part to the fact that his wife played a role in helping him translate a lot of his fairy stories into the colored fairy book collection. (They do bear the language of the time so don’t think he’s woke or whatever for just working with his wife, still kinda racist, but not Grimm.) There are 25 colored fairy books and I don’t have all of them yet, but most of them can be read in part online. My fav is props the yellow fairy book:

Another fun and easy (free) resource thanks to Lang is: The Arabian Nights Entertainments or Project Gutenberg's The Arabian Nights Entertainments, by Andrew Lang: it’s a bite sized sampling of The Arabian Nights

My all time favorite book from my childhood (and one that probably shaped me more than I care to admit right now) is this BAMF story book: The Serpent Slayer and Other Stories of Strong Women by Trina Schart Hyman. It’s an anthology of 18 stories about heroines being strong, smart, kind, and brave. Each story is badass in a different way. It’s a harder to find book in print but if you can, I wish I could convince every family with kids to read this one. It really helped me see fairytales as stories with ‘fleshed’ out characters as opposed to just archetypes. My fav story is probably the Old Woman and the Devil-it’s a good one!

If you’re really serious about getting into myth and maybe wanna academically study these stories you could check out this beast of a headache: The Golden BoughBook by James George Frazer. It’s a monster of a text-be warned! You could also just play these youtube videos of an old dude reading ‘em in a fun, stuffy accent while you clean or paint.

And HEY! If you like videos and you’re tired from reading, try these Crash Course Mythology youtube videos. There are 42 fun videos you can go off on. Start here~

Now, if you’re brokeAF and don’t wanna go out to buy books or rent books or sit too long with books there are a ton of free resources on the web that you can get lost following down: WIKI IS MY FRIEND These are bite sized and fun but not too overwhelming.

Go to:

Africa

Arabia

Armenia

Australia

Bohemia

Brittany

Bukovina

Bulgaria

Catalonia

Celtic

China

Czech

Denmark

England

Estonia

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Iceland

India

Ireland

Isle of Man

Italy

Japan

Korea

Lithuania

Nepal

New Zealand

Norway

Persia

Portugal

Romania

Russia

Sami

Scandinavia

Slavic areas

Slovak

Sweden

Scotland

Serbia

Spain

Turkey

United States mainland

Vietnam

Wales

HAVE FUN!!!

#fairytales #asks #writing #Anonymous

227 notes · View notes

newstfionline · 3 years

Text

Saturday, March 13, 2021

Lawmakers consider keeping daylight saving time year-round (Washington Post) After a long, dark winter, our noticeably sunnier evenings are about to turn even brighter. At 2 a.m. Sunday, the clocks will “spring forward” one hour as we return to daylight saving time (DST). The time shift means we lose an hour of sleep, but in exchange we’ll enjoy more evening light for the next eight months — until we “fall back” to standard time again in early November. But what if we advanced the clocks this weekend and never had to turn them back? The idea is gaining some traction after a bipartisan group of U.S. senators this week reintroduced a bill that would eliminate standard time and keep daylight saving time year-round. The Sunshine Protection Act, proposed by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), along with four Republican and three Democratic senators, says we should ditch standard time since we only use it four months of the year, from November to March. “The call to end the antiquated practice of clock changing is gaining momentum throughout the nation,” Rubio said in a statement. The United States experimented with year-round DST during the 1970s energy crisis, from January 1974 to October 1975. The dark winter mornings were not too popular, however, and ever since, we’ve switched the clocks back to standard time during the winter months.

With ‘big one’ coming, quake alert system launches in Oregon (AP) People in Oregon will be better prepared for earthquakes—particularly important in the Pacific Northwest because experts say “the big one” is coming—as an early warning system launched Thursday, the 10th anniversary of a devastating quake and tsunami in Japan. California already has the system, while Washington state will join in May to complete coverage of the West Coast. The ShakeAlert system operated by the U.S. Geological Survey uses seismographic sensors to detect significant earthquakes quickly so alerts reach smartphones and people can seek cover before the shaking starts. “It’s very important that (the three states) are all partners in ShakeAlert, because earthquakes don’t respect geographic boundaries, and we have huge population centers all across the West Coast where earthquake risk is the highest in the contiguous U.S.,” said Gabriel Lotto, ShakeAlert user engagement facilitator for the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network. Earthquakes in the Cascadia subduction zone, which extends from the ocean off Northern California to Canada’s Vancouver Island, have an average magnitude of around 9, making them among the world’s biggest. A quake in that zone has a 37% probability of happening off Oregon in the next 50 years, with a slightly lower chance of one striking near Washington state, according to Chris Goldfinger, an Oregon State University professor and earthquake geologist. When an earthquake is detected, people who have alerts activated on their smartphones will get a message saying, “Earthquake detected! Drop, cover, hold on. Protect yourself.” Mobile apps also carry the alerts.

Rage Spreads in Paraguay as Virus Surges, Exposing Corruption (NYT) For nearly a year, Paraguay was a leader in keeping the pandemic at bay, and despite its persistent troubles, the country remained fairly calm. Not any more. Paraguay’s coronavirus infection rate has soared, becoming one of the worst in the Americas, and its already shaky health system has been stretched to the breaking point. In the last few days, demonstrators by the thousands have filled streets, demanding the ouster of President Mario Abdo Benítez, and in a few instances there have been bloody clashes with the police. For many Paraguayans, corruption and elite entitlement that were once just unpleasant facts of life have become intolerable in the face of the pandemic. There is a shortage of basic drugs that doctors and nurses blame on graft; nonemergency surgery has been suspended because of a shortfall in medical supplies, and there are few vaccines to be had. The crisis has spilled into the streets with a level of rage the county’s leaders have not faced in years. Daily protests started last Friday with medical workers, who were quickly joined by other frustrated people. Most have been peaceful, but in some cases security forces have met the demonstrators with rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons. “There are so many deaths and it is all the fault of the thieves who run our corrupt institutions,” said Sergio Duarte, who joined a demonstration outside of Congress on Saturday in Asunción, Paraguay’s capital and largest city.

Amid pandemic, ‘an international epidemic’ of childhood pain (AP) By the time his parents rushed him to the hospital, 11-year-old Pablo was barely eating and had stopped drinking entirely. Weakened by months of self-privation, his heart had slowed to a crawl and his kidneys were faltering. Medics injected him with fluids and fed him through a tube—first steps toward stitching together yet another child coming apart amid the tumult of the coronavirus crisis. For doctors who treat them, the pandemic’s impact on the mental health of children is increasingly alarming. The Paris pediatric hospital caring for Pablo has seen a doubling in the number of children and young teenagers requiring treatment after attempted suicides since September. Doctors elsewhere report similar surges, with children—some as young as 8—deliberately running into traffic, overdosing on pills and otherwise self-harming. In Japan, child and adolescent suicides hit record levels in 2020, according to the Education Ministry. Pediatric psychiatrists say they’re also seeing children with coronavirus-related phobias, tics and eating disorders, obsessing about infection, scrubbing their hands raw, covering their bodies with disinfectant gel and terrified of getting sick from food. Also increasingly common, doctors say, are children suffering panic attacks, heart palpitations and other symptoms of mental anguish, as well as chronic addictions to mobile devices and computer screens that have become their sitters, teachers and entertainers during lockdowns, curfews and school closures. “There is no prototype for the child experiencing difficulties,” said Dr. Richard Delorme, who heads the psychiatric unit treating Pablo at the giant Robert Debré pediatric hospital, the busiest in France. “This concerns all of us.”

Everest reopens (NYT) Nepal has reopened to foreign tourists who test negative for the coronavirus and spend one week in quarantine, meaning an often-overcrowded Everest has reopened to climbers. The decision to reopen the peak is proving controversial, with at least one tour company canceling its spring expeditions over safety concerns. Meanwhile, some in Nepal want to see restrictions eased even further, as many of the cooks and porters who typically make a living as support staff for Everest climbs have struggled to feed their families amid the sudden loss of income.

Myanmar junta kills more protesters, adds Suu Kyi accusation (AP) Myanmar’s security forces shot to death at least 10 people protesting the military’s coup Thursday, spurning a U.N. Security Council appeal to stop using lethal force and as an independent U.N. expert cited growing evidence of crimes against humanity. The military also lodged a new allegation against the deposed government leader Aung San Suu Kyi, alleging that in 2017-18 she was illegally given $600,000 and gold bars worth slightly less by a political ally. She and President Win Myint have been detained on less serious allegations and the new accusation was clearly aimed at discrediting Suu Kyi and perhaps charging her with a serious crime.

China legislature endorses reducing public vote in Hong Kong (AP) China’s ceremonial legislature on Thursday endorsed the ruling Communist Party’s move to tighten control over Hong Kong by reducing the role of its public in picking the territory’s leaders. The measure drew condemnation from Britain and the U.S. and accusations it will disenfranchise Hong Kong’s people. It adds to a crackdown against a protest movement in Hong Kong calling for greater democracy. The crackdown has prompted accusations Beijing is eroding the autonomy it promised when the former British colony was returned to China in 1997 and is hurting its status as a global financial center. Beijing’s crackdown on Hong Kong has added to irritants in China’s relations with Washington, Europe and other governments that also include trade, technology and the party’s treatment of ethnic minorities.

Japan to tighten border control against variants (AP) Transportation minister Kazuyoshi Akaba says Japan will tighten border controls and limit the number of entrants to up to 2,000 per day to guard against the more contagious variants of the coronavirus. The health authorities have found the cases of the new variants to have quadrupled over the past month. They said the cases have been found in about half of Japan’s 47 prefectures but need to be closely watched and precautions should be increased. Tokyo and its three neighboring prefectures are under a non-binding state of emergency since Jan. 7. The measure, which was to end on March 7 in those areas, has been extended for two weeks as the infections have not slowed enough.

‘People are starving’: New exodus in Ethiopia’s Tigray area (AP) Skinny, hungry, fleeing threats of violence, thousands of people who have been hiding in rural areas of Ethiopia’s Tigray region have begun arriving in a community that can barely support them—and more are said to be on the way. For months, one great unknown in the Tigray conflict has been the fate of hundreds of thousands of people in vast rural areas beyond the reach of outside aid. With the region largely cut off from the world since November, fears of violence and starvation have grown. Now those people are starting to arrive, many by foot, in the community of Shire, aid workers who are there and who have visited say. Some 5,000 people had arrived between last Wednesday and Sunday, and humanitarian teams are being sent to find those said to be on the way, Oliver Behn, general director for Doctors Without Borders-Holland, told the AP. “They are coming in very bad conditions … very exhausted, dehydrated, skinny,” Behn said after a visit. “It’s becoming a desperate situation very quickly.” The people arriving bring an idea of the deprivation gnawing at the Tigray countryside. Aid workers say some describe surviving by eating leaves—or the seeds they had put aside for planting, in a sign of even worse hunger to come.

#headlines #news

4 notes · View notes

mysticalmusicwhispers · 4 years

Note

if it’s not too much to ask... india/china hcs pls? i know u ship it so i’d love to hear what ur opinions are!!

Thank you for asking friend!! It’s never a bother :)

Length Warning: Very, Very Long, A Lot Of Rambling

Preface: I honestly don’t know much in-depth stuff about India-China history (all the “history ramblings” is based on my previous knowledge + Wiki), so I don’t have a lot of grounding in what their relationship is like. Also, when writing their history I realized I still see them as a brotp (so the first part isn’t very shippy) but there are romantic ship headcanons at the end. See this cool post for other hcs!

+++

HISTORY RAMBLINGS

- I guess in Ancient Times, I see them having a friendly trading partner vibe; my personal hc of Ancient China is of someone who builds friendships for convenience, and then starts getting attached with time, so I think this is how his attitude was at first. He and India probably had some vague contact through diplomats and travellers who brought back tales to their own country, and then once trading and influence and religious imports (ex. Buddhism) really kicked off, they started actually interacting with each other (as people, not nations) and over time, that just kicked off into being closer and closer friends until they were basically lovers.

- In Hetalia canon China goes along with Zheng He (Ming Dynasty, early 1400s) on his voyages around the world (the episode with a giraffe), and historically they did make stops at India, where they traded and visited Buddhist temples and stuff; this would be fun to examine in terms of Indchu. I’m sure they had more opportunities to visit each other in person (in contrast to Romechu, the true long-distance relationship) but I’d like to see them just checking in on each other, talking about the news of the day and stuff! Talking about trade and the places they’ve seen; Yao rambling on and on about where he’s headed next, India interjecting time to time about things he’s heard about places far away from them. A moment of peace where they’re just super comfortable and relaxed with each other would be amazing

- Ok fast forward a bit to the 1850s-60s: Qing Dynasty is resting in pieces, the Opium Wars have thoroughly beaten China, the government is unstable from the Boxer Rebellion and there’s a bunch of hate at the ruling people, stuff happens. India has been taken by Britain and it’s Not Fun; these two old men are down in the dumps and being bitter together. I don’t think they’re “dating” or whatever rn because there’s just too much on both of their plates, but they are still close friends and still mutually hate England together. I can see them having tense arguments with each other out of pure stress, complaining about who has it worse: India, who has been made into a colony! *gasp* “My pride has been killed, Yao!” and China, who is basically a colony to 5 nations all at once and also reeling from losing HK to Britain. They know exactly how to hurt each other by this point, but they also know they don’t really mean it, and things usually blow over after they’re in their right minds again.

****Also, Indian sepoys were used by Britain to fight China, and Indian opium was shipped to China as well; I think that might have been a sticking point for a while, but I think Yao would’ve slowly accepted that India was not the one making decisions in the end.

- The World Wars: India is in the Gallipoli campaign, conscripted by Britain, China is fighting on the side of the British and French but does not gain a single thing from winning, and has also lost the First Sino-Japanese War (I think Hetalia canon says China got his scar from there). Then Japan invades China, and he and India are fighting together in WWII against China’s estranged sibling/brother/vague relation. Both are beaten to the core, still bitter, but they keep reminding each other that they will just have to weather the storm and wait for their moment. This too shall pass. Same mood as the beginning of imperialism, but more tired and more done.

- After India’s Independence and China’s Government Overhaul: 1950s: India was one of the first non-Communist countries to recognize the PRC instead of the old ROC, but I think they started distancing from each other a little while after? There were territorial disputes with Nepal and I think both countries’ governments might have told them to cut it out and be less friendly with each other because they had rather clashing agendas

- Things seem to be relaxing just a bit, but then the Sino-Indian border dispute (1962) happens, and then there are other clashes near the border, and they don’t know if they can trust each other. Additionally, there’s the Sino-Soviet split, and India is getting help from the Soviets, and it makes things more complicated between them. The relationship is on shaky ground right now, and if they meet in person, both are putting on an impersonal facade. Not very friendly. I think they’re still cooling off until at least the late 1970s, when China’s economic reform happens.

- Skipping to Modern Day: they are cool again and are close friends again. However, they know their countries are competing in population, economy, world status/power, but they’re still friends. They know it might end badly, but I think they’ve learned to roll with the good times and savor it; their pride and hearts have been stomped on already so they don’t care anymore and take risks even if they might come out feeling a bit broken. They are buddies, and they might be dating, and they don’t really care about the boundary between friends and lovers. They are comfortable with each other.

- This article, published in 2007 by Harvard Business Review, presents an interesting take on China and India’s relationship, and in particular, their economies: it says that although people think they’re destined to be rivals because of their competing business sectors, they have developed complementary strengths and it’d be foolish not to work together. I think that could somewhat summarize Indchu’s relationship with each other in the hetaliaverse; they complement each other, and even if they might become competitors, it won’t affect their friendship/relationship because they just fit together. They click; it’s not forced friendship or whatever, they just integrate into each other so well (it’s almost like they’re meant to be together).

- There are border skirmishes (ex. the incident in June 2020), but I’m not really sure how that would factor into their relationship? Maybe they’ve gotten over it and they both know the other personification doesn’t like the fighting, and that their government’s opinions come first? Or maybe it’s still unresolved between them, because India has known Yao for a long time and knows what he’s capable of, and Yao knows what a potent force India can be when he wants? Idk. I think the idea of unresolved tension is more accurate, but I also like this ship because it’s soft and /mostly/ pure in modern day and I sometimes really want to ignore historical accuracy

ONTO THE GENERAL SHIP HEADCANONS!

- They argue with each other a lot, basically like an old married couple; their jibes at each other don’t mean anything though. China insists it’s so their wits stay sharp.

- Also they have debates over various academic topics; it’s basically their fun hobby by now. They’re both intellectually matched and read rather voraciously, so it’s a fun challenge (and keeps their wits sharp)

- I mentioned it before but it’s worth bringing up again: they know exactly how to hurt each other with their words; they just don’t get into bad fights often so they don’t need to cut each other to pieces.

- China is the less sentimental one, but they’re both really good at picking out tasteful, meaningful gifts for each other. “Experiences over material items/gifts” doesn’t really appeal to either of them; they’d much rather stay home being cozy than “gifting” each other a week in the Caribbeans or something.

- T e a l e a v e s (No Teabags unless Strictly Necessary). No coffee, sugar, cream, or milk. Sometimes India jokes about switching over to coffee or drinking tea the British way, and Yao just goes “You’re canceled”, dead seriously.

- They wear each other’s traditional clothing sometimes. Occasionally Yao asks India to wear a hanfu instead of a changshan (men’s equivalent of qipao) because he thinks it’s more traditional (qipao was invented in the 1920s). India has managed to stuff Yao into a qipao at least three times, and has pictures to prove it.

- India likes running his fingers through China’s hair (he says it’s really soft, a comment that makes Yao scoff every time) and he sorta hates his ponytail for that reason alone. Yao knows this, and he tries to make up for it by letting it down more on weekends, when he doesn’t have to look presentable (also India insists Yao looks presentable all the time, another comment that always earns a scoff).

- They teach each other their own dishes. China has been getting in the habit of substituting beef and pork for other things, mainly tofu/chicken/shiitake mushrooms

- They take walks together in the evenings after dinner when they’re in the same place. As long as it’s still light out and the weather’s not too bad, they will do it every day (even if it’s raining, they might just bring an umbrella).

- Their way of showing affection is a) with gifts and b) just talking to each other about anything. It’s their way of winding down for the day and being comfortable with each other; they have long talks about random, silly little things that happened, perhaps a funny (or stupid) meme/joke their siblings sent, or dumb stuff that happened with their boss at a meeting.

- I think they’d call each other nicknames in private. It wouldn’t be something too “sickly sweet” I guess, but something to show they care. They use nicknames sparingly as well, so it doesn’t lose meaning through overuse. (I personally hate nicknames so I’m not giving out any suggestions here, but I think Yao would use something like “亲爱的” for India, basically means “dear/beloved”. Not too flashy or sweet, but still affectionate.)

- China gifts houseplants to India’s apartment/house because he knows India likes them (I think he’s a green thumb). China doesn’t really bother with decorative plants; he prefers to grow spring onions and other low maintenance shit that he can use in his cooking lol he’s all about the practicality

- During ancient times, they had lengthy, invigorating discussions about mathematics, either through letters or in person.

- They aren't really affectionate in public; PDA is limited to hand holding and occasionally a kiss on the cheek. Neither China nor India are the type to “show off” their relationship or their partner.

- Adding onto that, they don’t really announce their relationship to everybody but if you ask them, they’ll tell you. Basically you have to be the one to notice something’s up; they just don’t think it's necessary to share every little bit of information about their lives with people. They're the “secretly married” couple trope; signs of affection are rather subtle but still noticeable because they don’t act that way to other people.

- China forced India to get a Wechat so he can send India 10¥ red packets every week just because he has the app

- Not really a ship headcanon, but these two would throw the best parties??? Like if you want a party that’s really loud and noisy and fun, ask them. They may be old and “not fun” or whatever but they know how to organize large scale events effectively and how to achieve the correct atmosphere, and despite all Yao’s siblings’ trash talk, they usually pull off very stylish, sleek functions/events. Maybe it’s a little tacky here and there but it’s barely noticeable, and everyone is just. Awed.

Yeet that’s it; thank you for reading! This got really long, and I feel like a lot of the headcanons were rather platonic, but yeah! Hope you like it!

30 notes · View notes

bountyofbeads · 4 years

Text

Coronavirus Live Updates: Cases Up Nearly 60%, as Airports Expand Screenings https://nyti.ms/2RzxbfT

This seems to be getting a fair amount of media coverage. However, I am more concerned about what is NOT being said. Could this turn into a worldwide pandemic like the Spanish flu of 1918? With 1/5 of the population wiped out? If there was ever a time to err on the side of caution, it is now.

Videos on social media in China have appeared claiming that 70,000+ people are infected. The people in these videos say that they are medical professionals and that the Chinese government is engaged in a cover-up. Given China's history of covering up negative events, SARS, and their seemingly overkill public response, quartinting 10+ cities, I suspect the situation is a lot worse than is being portrayed.

Coronavirus Live Updates: Cases Up Nearly 60%, as Airports Expand Screenings

The number of known cases of the new virus rose by nearly 60 percent overnight. A shortage of test kits has led experts to warn that the real number may be higher.

By The New York Times | Published January 28, 2020 | Posted January 28, 2020 |

RIGHT NOW

After repeated offers of assistance, China will allow in international health experts to help with research and containment.

[ READ UPDATES IN CHINESE:

武汉疫情每日汇总中文版]

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

DEATH TOLL EXCEEDS 100 AS NUMBER OF INFECTIONS SKYROCKETS.

The outbreak of the mysterious new coronavirus is rapidly spreading, the Chinese authorities said on Tuesday, as the official account of known cases jumped nearly 60 percent overnight and the death toll exceeded 100 for the first time.

◆ China said on Tuesday that 106 people had died from the virus, which is believed to have originated in the central city of Wuhan and is spreading across the country. The previous death toll, on Monday, was 81.

◆ The number of confirmed cases increased to 4,515 on Tuesday, from 2,835 on Monday, according to the National Health Commission. The youngest confirmed case is a 9-month-old girl in Beijing.

◆ Most of the confirmed cases have been in the central Chinese province of Hubei, where several cities, including Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, have been placed under what amounts to a lockdown. Of the total cases, 2,714 are in Hubei.

◆ Thailand has reported 14 cases of infection; Hong Kong has eight; the United States, Taiwan, Australia and Macau have five each; Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia each have reported four; Japan has seven; France has three; Canada and Vietnam have two; and Nepal, Cambodia and Germany each have one. There have been no deaths outside China.

C.D.C. IS EXPANDING SCREENING FOR CORONAVIRUS AT U.S. AIRPORTS AND BORDERS.

The United States is expanding the screening of travelers arriving from Wuhan — to 20 ports of entry, from five, federal officials said on Tuesday.

“Right now, there is no spread of this virus in our communities at home,” said Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at a news briefing in Washington.

“The coming days and weeks are likely to bring more cases including the possibility of person-to-person spread,” he said. “Our goal is to contain this virus and prevent sustained spread of the virus in our country.”

The C.D.C. was already screening passengers from Wuhan at five airports. Now quarantine stations at 20 airports and land crossings will be equipped to test for the virus.

Officials also announced that after repeated offers of assistance, Chinese authorities agreed on Tuesday to allow in teams of international experts, coordinated by the World Health Organization, to help with research and containment.

GERMANY AND JAPAN SAY THE VIRUS HAS SPREAD IN THEIR COUNTRIES.

Health officials on Tuesday reported what appear to be the first known cases of human-to-human transmission of the virus in Europe — specifically, in Germany — and in Japan. Another case was recently reported in Vietnam.

The cases show that countries across the world are now faced with the task of limiting the spread of the disease on their own soil, not just seeking to identify and quarantine ailing patients who had traveled from China.

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said the first Japanese national — and the sixth person in Japan overall — to be diagnosed with the coronavirus was a man in his 60s. He had never been to Wuhan, but he had worked as a bus driver earlier this month for two different group tours from that city, officials said.

The man began experiencing symptoms on Jan. 14, was hospitalized on Saturday and was confirmed to have the coronavirus on Tuesday.

The infected German, whose case was also confirmed on Tuesday, is a 33-year-old man from Bavaria who had been in contact with a Chinese woman in Germany, officials said. The woman was diagnosed with the virus after flying home to China. The man was in good condition, German officials said.

“It was to be expected that the virus would come to Germany,” Jens Spahn, Germany’s health minister, said in a statement on Tuesday. “But the Bavarian case shows us that we are well prepared.”

The World Health Organization said on Friday that there appeared to have been a case of human-to-human transmission in Vietnam, where a person who had never been to China, but who had a relative who had visited Wuhan, was confirmed to have the virus.

HONG KONG PUTS SIGNIFICANT LIMITS ON TRAVEL FROM THE MAINLAND.

Hong Kong on Tuesday put in place a broad series of restrictions aimed at controlling the spread of the coronavirus by limiting the number of mainland Chinese travelers entering the territory, one of Asia’s busiest travel and financial hubs.

The restrictions — which included the suspension of high-speed and other train services between Hong Kong and the mainland, a 50 percent reduction in the number of flights — and a ban on tourism visas for many travelers — were announced by Carrie Lam, the city’s chief executive.

The regulations, which apply to some plane, rail, bus and ferry arrivals, will begin on Thursday. They follow days of rising pressure from health care workers, epidemiologists and even pro-Beijing politicians who have traditionally supported Mrs. Lam’s government.

Hong Kong has so far recorded eight confirmed cases of the virus.

Tibet, the only region in China that has yet to report any cases, has temporarily closed all tourist sites, state news media reported. Major Chinese cities, including Shanghai and Beijing, have suspended long-distance bus services.

The medical faculty of the Chinese University of Hong Kong called for more restrictions on border checkpoints as the virus spreads across China.

Workers from Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority have planned a strike for next week to demand a law requiring the wearing of masks in public and banning all visitors from entering the city through the mainland.

ETHIOPIA AND IVORY COAST TEST SUSPECTED CASES.

Numerous African countries are shoring up coronavirus screening efforts at major airports, and samples from at least five potentially infected patients were being tested.

Ethiopia’s state minister of health confirmed on Tuesday that four potential cases were isolated in the capital, Addis Ababa, pending laboratory tests. On Monday, officials in Ivory Coast said they were testing a suspected case related to a female student who had traveled from Beijing to the capital, Abidjan.

The epidemic comes as travel between China and African states has increased at a rapid pace. As Beijing has ramped up its diplomatic, economic and political support for African states, Chinese firms and migrants have been setting up shop in cities from Nairobi to Johannesburg.

Data from the China Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University put the number of official Chinese workers as of 2017 at over 202,000. African entrepreneurs have moved to Chinese cities, while African students now make up a large percentage of the foreign student body in China.

On Tuesday, Kenya Airways announced that the health authorities had quarantined a passenger who traveled from Guangzhou.

Because of the Chinese New Year celebration, “a good number of African students living in Wuhan or Hubei traveled home before the extent of the virus became clear,” said Hannah Ryder, chief executive of the Beijing-headquartered consultancy Development Reimagined.

“It’s unclear how exposed they may have been and if governments have the resources to check on them,” she said.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION BURIES UPDATED GLOBAL RISK ASSESSMENT IN A FOOTNOTE.

The World Health Organization revised its global risk assessment for the coronavirus outbreak from “moderate” to “high,” but concealed the change in a footnote buried in a report published on Monday.

The change to the report, which coincided with a visit to China by the organization’s director-general, risked confusing the public about the severity of the outbreak, which has killed more than 100 people in China and been found in at least 14 countries.

In a statement, the organization said the director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and Chinese officials “discussed measures to protect the health of Chinese and foreigners in outbreak areas, including possible alternatives to evacuation of foreigners if there are ways to accommodate them and protect their health.”

Chinese state-run media reported that Dr. Tedros met with President Xi Jinping of China and spoke highly of Chinese efforts. Mr. Xi urged the health organization to assess the epidemic in an “objective, fair, calm and rational manner.”

In Hubei, medical workers have complained about a desperate need for resources to treat thousands of patients who have at times overwhelmed hospitals.

The group, which is a United Nations body, was criticized when it refused twice in recent days to declare the outbreak a global emergency, despite its spread.

SHORTAGE OF TEST KITS IN CHINA PROMPTS CONCERN THAT CASES HAVE BEEN UNDERREPORTED.

A shortage of medical kits in China needed to quickly diagnose the coronavirus has slowed the country’s ability to respond to the outbreak and fueled concerns that the number of cases has been underreported.

China’s Medical Products Administration said on Sunday that it had approved four new virus detection kits, including one that sequences the genetic makeup of the disease.

But China’s three leading medical device manufacturers said they did not have the capacity to quickly produce the products, according to state news media reports.

Residents in Wuhan who arrived at hospitals to seek testing were told that medical workers did not have the kits needed to confirm a diagnosis.

“For any new emerging virus, most local hospitals or public health laboratories will not able to make a diagnosis” said Yuen Kwok-yung, the chairman of the infectious diseases department at Hong Kong University. “Thus many cases will not be investigated at all if they are mild.”

A woman in Wuhan told The South China Morning Post that her uncle learned he had viral pneumonia after a CT scan, but that the doctor could not confirm it was the new virus because no testing kits were available.

China may have to rely on outside technical support as front line responders battle to contain the virus’s spread, experts said. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation said Sunday that it would commit $5 million to help China respond to the crisis, including “efforts to identify and confirm cases.”

U.S. HEALTH OFFICIALS RECOMMEND AVOIDING CHINA, AND BUSINESSES FOLLOW SUIT.

As the outbreak continues to spread, global companies have begun to limit their workers’ travel to mainland China, and China’s biggest companies have urged employees to work from home.

On Monday, health officials in the United States urged travelers to avoid any nonessential travel to China, and many companies cited that as justification for internal travel bans. The new guidance, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warned that transportation in and out of Hubei Province, the center of the outbreak, is restricted, and that there is “limited access to adequate medical care in affected areas.”

Companies with large operations or interest in China, like General Motors, Honeywell, Bloomberg and Facebook, have all warned employees not to travel within mainland China in a flurry of emails in recent days.

Honeywell, which has offices and operations across China, said it had restricted travel to certain regions, without specifying them. A spokesperson for General Motors said the company had issued a global ban on travel to China, under which only “business-critical” travel would be allowed.

Bloomberg told its employees in Hong Kong and mainland China to work remotely until further notice, and it barred other employees from traveling to either place for the next 30 days, according to an email seen by The New York Times. Facebook said it asked all employees to suspend nonessential travel and asked those who had recently been in China to work from home for a period of time.

The authorities in China have extended the Lunar New Year holiday to Feb. 3, and some of China’s biggest cities have gone further, telling businesses not to open until the next week. The country’s biggest technology companies, including Alibaba, Tencent, Bytedance, Sina, Maimai, Netease and Didi, told employees to work from home from Feb. 3 to Feb. 10.

Netease, an internet and entertainment platform, asked employees returning from another city within China to quarantine themselves for 14 days.

WORRIES RISE ABOUT THE OUTBREAK’S ECONOMIC IMPACT.

After sharp losses around the world on Monday, investors on Tuesday continued to assess the long-term economic effects of the coronavirus epidemic.

The verdict was mixed. Investors abandoned stocks in Asia, while markets in Europe rebounded modestly from the previous day’s sell-off. Stock market futures in the United States rose as well.

Many of Asia’s stock markets were closed for the Lunar New Year holiday, but those that were open — Japan’s and South Korea’s — fell as futures trading in China slumped. Money poured into safe-haven assets like gold and pushed up the value of the United States dollar.

Japan’s state economy minister said on Tuesday that the Chinese outbreak would affect Japan’s tourism industry and warned that it could also hurt Japanese exports and corporate profits. Chinese tourists traveling to Japan accounted for 30 percent of all tourists in 2019, he said at a news conference.

“There are concerns over the impact to the Chinese and global economy from the spread of infection in China, transportation disruptions, cancellation of group tours from China and an extension in the Lunar Holiday,” said the minister, Yasutoshi Nishimura.

In Tokyo, investors pushed stocks down by nearly one percent. In Seoul, stocks fell by more than 3 percent. Hong Kong’s stock market will reopen on Wednesday. In China, where authorities have extended the New Year holiday by a week, the major exchanges in Shenzhen and Shanghai said they would remain closed until Feb. 3.

“The coronavirus is the No. 1 threat to financial markets currently as global investors are becoming jittery on the uncertainty,” said Nigel Gre, the founder of the investment group deVere Group.

BACK IN NEW YORK FROM WUHAN … AND INTO A SELF-IMPOSED QUARANTINE.

Some of the last passengers who arrived at Kennedy International Airport before direct flights from Wuhan were canceled have quarantined themselves at home.

Scott Liu, 56, who leads an association for immigrants from Hubei, said he confined himself to his house in Queens. He said he and his fellow passengers on the Wuhan flight learned of the lockdown in that city mid-flight.

He said he has not felt sick, but is taking precautions because he knows symptoms take time to appear. His friends have dropped off on his doorstep traditional Lunar New Year dishes like lotus root and pork rib soup, salted fish and dumplings. Last year, they were host to a big New Year celebration at a banquet hall in Flushing.

This year, Mr. Liu said, “all the events here are canceled.”

“Everybody is in a state of panic,” he added.

________

Reporting was contributed by Chris Buckley, Russell Goldman, Elaine Yu, Raymond Zhong, Austin Ramzy, Sui-Lee Wee, Alexandra Stevenson, Cao Li, Eimi Yamamitsu, Tiffany May, Joseph Goldstein, Jeffrey E. Singer, Peter S. Goodman, Roni Caryn Rabin, Motoko Rich, Paul Mozur, Christopher F. Schuetze, Abdi Latif Dahir, Simon Marks and Aurelien Breeden. Jin Wu, Zoe Mou, Albee Zhang, Amber Wang, Yiwei Wang and Claire Fu contributed research.

*********

Coronavirus live updates: U.S. seeks to send expert team to China to combat coronavirus outbreak; Xi defends response

By Gerry Shih, Simon Denyer and Siobhán O'Grady | Published January 28 at 3:38 PM EST | Washington Post | Posted January 28, 2020 |

BEIJING — A top U.S. health official said Tuesday that he offered to send a team from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to China to help with the coronavirus outbreak. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar did not describe the Chinese health minister’s response but said he hopes that Beijing will accept the offer.

Earlier Tuesday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said that his country is being “open, transparent, responsible” in its handling of the coronavirus outbreak, as the number of cases continues to increase. Here’s what we know:

● The death toll has risen to 106 in China, with more than 4,565 cases of infection. Other countries in the region also are reporting more people infected — nearly all of them tourists from China.

● Hong Kong announced dramatic measures to stem the flow of mainland Chinese into the territory, closing two railways, ferries and cross-border tour buses. Flights to mainland China will be slashed by half, and individual visas to Chinese will no longer be issued, starting Thursday. United Airlines suspended some flights from the United States to China after demand dropped.

● The U.S. stock market rebounded after the outbreak spooked the global investors Monday, causing serious losses. Asian markets opened down Tuesday after the Lunar New Year holiday, with markets in South Korea and Japan having dropped nearly 3 percent.

● Several countries, including France, South Korea, Canada, Britain and the United States, are putting together plans to evacuate their citizens from the outbreak epicenter in Wuhan.

● Germany has reported its first case, while Thailand has confirmed six more cases, bringing its total to 14 amid calls by many Asian populations to close the borders to Chinese visitors. Infections have been confirmed in France, South Korea, Japan, Nepal, Cambodia, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan, Canada and Sri Lanka. We’re mapping the spread here.

______

3:30 PM: IN CHINA, STILL MORE RISK OF DYING FROM FLU THAN THE CORONAVIRUS, EXPERT SAYS

WASHINGTON—As cases of the coronavirus continue to spread, global health experts say people in China — and around the world — are currently more at risk of dying of influenza.

“The flu is a big deal in China,” said Yanzhong Huang, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations.

People there are “more at risk of dying of the flu right now than they are of coronavirus,” he said, although incomplete government data makes it hard to assess the full effect of flu in China.

Flu takes a substantial toll around the world, including in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been at least 15 million cases of the flu and 8,200 deaths in the United States this season.

Huang said that getting a flu shot probably wouldn’t keep individuals from contracting the coronavirus, but could have systemic benefits by bringing down the rate of those presenting flu-like symptoms and seeking treatment, thus preserving hospital resources.

Fear, Huang said, “could itself be as contagious as the virus.”

By:Ruby Mellen

______

3:10 PM: ROBOT DELIVERS FOOD TO PEOPLE in QUARANTINE IN CHINA

WASHINGTON — Travelers who flew from Singapore to Hangzhou, China, are being held in quarantine in a hotel this week, where they received a visit from a special guest: Little Peanut, a food delivery robot.

“Hello, everyone. Cute Little Peanut is serving food to you now,” the robot said as it made its way down a hotel hallway. “Enjoy your meal. If you need anything else, please message the staff on WeChat.”

Little Peanut moved along the carpeted hallway with ease, pausing when a man in slippers and a face mask opened his door to retrieve his meal. As the robot moved ahead, another door opened, and another man reached for his meal. The robot continued down the hall, and two more men popped out of doors opposite one another, each retrieving their meals as well.

The delivery system, which reduces human contact with the people in quarantine, was captured in cellphone footage shared this week on Chinese state media.

By: Siobhán O’Grady

______

2:30 PM: CANADA CONFIRMS THIRD CASE OF CORONAVIRUS

TORONTO — A third person has tested positive in Canada for the novel coronavirus, the British Columbia Center for Disease Control said Tuesday.

The man, who is in his 40s, travels regularly to China for business and was in Wuhan during his most recent trip, said Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer. He began experiencing symptoms of the virus more than 24 hours after his arrival in Vancouver last week and contacted his primary health-care provider. He is being kept in isolation at home, where he is “doing well,” she added, and does not require hospitalization.

Henry said the case “is not unexpected to us,” given travel patterns and family ties between British Columbia and China, and is unlikely to be the last. She stressed that the risk of contracting the virus remains “extremely low.”

Despite claims from some Chinese officials, Henry said that there is no evidence that the coronavirus can be spread while a carrier is asymptomatic and that the virus is not as infectious as influenza or measles.

“You have to be in relatively close contact with somebody to inhale those droplets if they cough or sneeze,” she said.

The man’s case is considered a “presumptive positive” pending confirmation from the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Manitoba, but Henry said she is “confident” it is a case of the virus given the man’s travel pattern and symptoms.

By: Amanda Coletta

______

2:00 PM: WALL STREET BOUNCES BACK AFTER CORONAVIRUS-FUELED SELL-OFF

WASHINGTON — U.S. stock markets rebounded Tuesday after investors appeared to shake off immediate anxiety around the growing coronavirus outbreak.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 250 points at midday, one day after shedding more than 450 points in its worst one-day sell-off since October. The Standard & Poor’s 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq also rallied back, and were trading up 1.2 and 1.4 percent, respectively.

Still, investors are keeping close watch on the coronavirus. Analysts worry that China’s economy, which depends heavily on consumer spending, could take a hit given the massive slowdown in travel. There’s also concern that it could disrupt global supply chains.

The U.S. economy could be cushioned from any major damage, analysts say, especially if the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak is any indication. The spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which killed nearly 800 people and infected more than 8,000 others, temporarily stifled growth in CHINA.

By: Rachel Siegel

______

1:25 PM: UNITED AIRLINES SUSPENDS SOME FLIGHTS TO CHINA AS DEMAND DROPS

WASHINGTON — United Airlines, the largest U.S. carrier operating in China, said Tuesday afternoon that it is adjusting its near-term schedule and canceling 24 round-trip flights between the United States and China because so few people are traveling to China.

The cancellations affect flights from San Francisco International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, Dulles International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

“Due to a significant decline in demand for travel to China, we are suspending some flights between our hub cities and Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai beginning Feb. 1 through Feb. 8,” the airline said in a statement. “We will continue to monitor the situation as it develops and will adjust our schedule as needed.”

By: Hannah Sampson

______

12:50 PM: TOP U.S. HEALTH OFFICIAL SAYS EARLY CASES MAY ‘SKEW’ UNDERSTANDING OF CORONAVIRUS

WASHINGTON — Azar said experts are scrambling to understand how quickly the novel coronavirus spreads, as well as its lethality, based on limited information.

In a news conference on Tuesday, the health secretary emphasized that officials’ assessments are based on the publicly reported cases and that those “are naturally the most severe cases, because patients presented themselves to health-care providers.”

Another challenge is figuring out lethality without knowing what the total universe of cases might be. Right now, China is reporting more than 100 deaths from the more than 4,500 cases.

But Azar noted that those cases, too, “skew severe, including patients who are older or have other illnesses. The mortality rate may drop over time as we identify a broader set of cases.”

For those reasons, Azar said, “We are still determining the real speed of spread. … We are also still learning about the severity of the virus.”

By: Yasmeen Abutaleb and Lenny Bernstein

______

12:35 PM: AUTHORITIES IN GERMANY CAUTION AGAINST IGNORING FLU RISK AS CORONAVIRUS SPREADS

BERLIN — Authorities in Europe urged citizens Tuesday to not ignore risks posed by the flu, after public focus largely shifted to the spreading coronavirus.

In Germany, which confirmed its first coronavirus case in southern Bavaria on Monday night, officials have sought to keep the coronavirus in perspective by citing flu figures.

“Severe flu seasons can kill up to 20,000 people annually in Germany,” said German Health Minister Jens Spahn. But health officials said they also did not want to diminish the risks posed by the coronavirus, even as the threat level across Europe remains relatively low.

The growing focus on the new virus may skew perception of the real risks it poses, but that doesn’t mean the public interest has been unhelpful, said Susanne Glasmacher of the Robert Koch Institute, a German government health agency.

“Some of the means of protecting against influenza are the same as against coronavirus: keeping a distance, washing your hands,” she said.

Encouraging more citizens to take such measures seriously “might in fact be beneficial for keeping influenza numbers low — perhaps it might even help to increase influenza vaccination coverage,” she said.

By: Rick Noack

______

11:50 AM: TOP U.S. HEALTH OFFICIAL SAYS HE OFFERED TO SEND CDC TEAM TO CHINA

WASHINGTON — Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said on Tuesday that he reiterated an offer to China’s minister of health to send a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention team to China to aid with the public health response to the coronavirus outbreak.

In a news conference Tuesday, Azar said he spoke with the Chinese minister of health on Monday and repeated an offer he made on Jan. 6 to send a CDC team.

Asked about the minister’s response, Azar did not respond directly, saying he “hopes the Chinese government will take us up on” the offer. “We are urging China that more cooperation and transparency are the most important steps you can take toward a more effective response,” Azar said.

Azar said health officials wanted more isolates of the virus from China to help better understand its transmission and to help in the development of vaccines and diagnostics. Top health officials also said that no option was off the table on further restricting travel from China, but they did not announce any new limitations.

By: Yasmeen Abutaleb and Lenny Bernstein

______

11:30 AM: AS OUTBREAK SPREADS, AFRICA PREPARES FOR POSSIBLE CASES

WASHINGTON — Despite rapidly growing ties between China and many African countries, no coronavirus cases have been recorded anywhere in Africa since the outbreak began in China in late December. Still, John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warned Tuesday that it’s “very possible that there are cases on the continent that have not been recognized.”

Speaking to reporters in Addis Ababa, he noted that cases were suspected in several countries but that none has been confirmed. As is true elsewhere, preparedness for the virus will vary country by country, Nkengasong said.

“Some countries have very strong surveillance systems, some have weak surveillance systems, and some we are working with them to strengthen those systems there,” he said. “This will be a test case of how those systems have been strengthened over the years.”

Large numbers of Chinese citizens live and work in Africa, running shops and restaurants and working on Chinese infrastructure projects. And in the last decade, airlines have accounted for the rapidly growing exchange: Air traffic between Chinese and African cities surged more than 630 percent in the last decade, Quartz reported last year.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of African students are studying in China, with more than 4,000 believed to be studying in Hubei province alone, according to the Associated Press.

As of Tuesday, Nkengasong said, there is “no need to charter flights to evacuate Africans out of Wuhan city.”

But some African students have expressed concerns they are trapped in the epicenter of the outbreak. Samson Opoku, a Ghanaian student leader in Wuhan, told Ghanaian radio station Joy FM that he and others “want evacuation back home to Ghana.”

“When the outbreak subsides or ends then we return and continue our academic work,” he said.

By: Siobhán O’Grady

______

10:40 AM: MILLIONS TUNE IN TO WATCH LIVE STREAM OF CHINESE HOSPITAL CONSTRUCTION

WASHINGTON — Blocked from traveling and encouraged to stay indoors, millions of Chinese have found an unusual way to pass the time: watching hospitals get built — in real time.

On Tuesday, remarkable numbers of Chinese netizens watched grainy, wide-angle footage of workers flattening earth at the site of two temporary hospitals being built to treat the growing number of patients in Wuhan.

Twin live streams showcasing work on the Huoshenshan and Leishenshan hospitals together had an average of 18 million concurrent views on Tuesday, according the South China Morning Post. The footage was hosted by CCTV, China’s state broadcaster.

Facing public anger, authorities promised to build two hospitals in 10 days — a response calibrated to show resolve and showcase Chinese know-how. The live streams appear to be a nod to calls for transparency.

The fact that so many people chose to watch the slow-moving coverage shows both the extent to which boredom is taking hold, as well as public interest in how the Chinese Communist Party is responding.

China’s leaders have vowed to use the hulking architecture of the state to help those affected. The footage, boring as it may be, gives ordinary people a rare chance to show they’re keeping watch.

By: Emily Rauhala

______

10:10 AM: Xi DEFENDS CHINA’S HANDLING OF OUTBREAK IN MEETING WITH WHO

BEIJING — Chinese leader Xi Jinping defended his country’s handling of the coronavirus epidemic as “open, transparent, responsible” on Tuesday in a meeting with World Health Organization director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, even as the Chinese mayor at the epicenter of the outbreak apologized for withholding information from the public.

Calling the coronavirus a “demon,” Xi told Tedros that he would not “let a demon hide” as he vouched for his government’s ability to handle the crisis.

In return, China’s official Xinhua News Agency described Tedros as praising Xi for “personally commanding” the outbreak response and “showing excellent leadership.”

Although international experts have largely praised the speed and methods with which Chinese scientists have carried out research into the novel virus, the Communist Party leadership has come under growing criticism about its handling of the epidemic in its critical early days and its politicization of the international public health response.

Xi’s meeting with the WHO chief came a day after the mayor of Wuhan triggered a firestorm by publicly suggesting that he had not been allowed to speak out earlier about the epidemic.

China in recent days has also been criticized by Taiwan’s president for trying to block the self-ruled island from meetings at the WHO, a United Nations agency, for political reasons at a sensitive moment. China, which has considerable clout at the U.N., views Taiwan as its own territory and has sought to diplomatically isolate the island.

Taiwan reported late Tuesday that it had a first case of coronavirus transmission between two people on the island, raising fears of the virus’s spread. The majority of cases so far have involved people who became infected while traveling in central China.

By: Gerry Shih

______

9:30 AM: TAIWAN REPORTS FIRST CASE OF DOMESTIC TRANSMISSION

WASHINGTON — Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Centre confirmed Tuesday that one of its eight confirmed coronavirus patients appeared to be the first case of transmission on the island. All previous cases had been infected first in China, Taiwan said. But the new patient, a man in his 50s, was infected by his wife after she returned from working in China, Reuters reports.

Taiwan, despite its political divide with the government in Beijing, has close cultural and economic ties with mainland China. On Monday, an official at Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council told reporters that there were as many as 300 business people from Taiwan in Wuhan.

By: ADAM TAYLOR

______

8:45 AM: CHARTER FLIGHT CARRYING MEDICAL SUPPLIES LEAVES JAPAN FOR WUHAN AS EVACUATIONS BEGIN

TOKYO — A charter flight left Japan at 8 p.m. on Tuesday to evacuate around 200 people from Wuhan, officials said.

The plane is carrying masks, plastic gloves, protective clothing and food.

It was scheduled to leave Wuhan at 3 a.m. local time Wednesday and arrive back in Tokyo’s Haneda airport at 7:30 a.m. Officials said 650 Japanese citizens living in the worst-affected province of Hubei have asked to come home, with the initial 200 selected among those living closest to the airport and the market from which the disease is believed to have spread.

Those with symptoms will be taken directly to a hospital that specializes in treating infectious diseases, while those without symptoms will be taken to another hospital for tests.

The second group will then be allowed to go home, but urged not to venture outdoors for two weeks during the incubation period of the virus, with health officials visiting them on a daily basis to monitor their condition.

Other flights will be added as soon as possible, officials told reporters.

South Korea will send four flights to Wuhan on Thursday and Friday to evacuate around 700 of its nationals who have asked to come home.

The government plans to send provide some 2 million masks and other medical relief items, including 200,000 items of protective clothing and goggles, on the planes, Yonhap news agency reported.

By: Simon DENYER

______

8:30 AM: COUNTRIES MOVE FORWARD WITH EVACUATION PLANS

BERLIN — Several countries continued to move forward with plans to evacuate their citizens from the coronavirus epicenter Wuhan.

Among the nations pursuing or considering such plans are France, South Korea, Morocco, Britain, Germany, Canada, the Netherlands and Russia, Reuters reported.

French authorities said they will initially focus on the evacuation of citizens who are not showing any symptoms of the virus, with a flight from Wuhan expected to arrive back in France on Thursday. The second flight for infected citizens has yet to be scheduled.

In neighboring Germany, the Der Spiegel magazine reported that at least one military aircraft was expected to leave for Wuhan later this week to evacuate German citizens. The plans were not officially confirmed and the German Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

British authorities were still finalizing their own plans, too. Via its Twitter account, the British embassy in Beijing urged British nationals in Hubei province willing to leave the region to call a 24/7 hotline before 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

The British government had previously faced pressure to enact a plan. The opposition Labour Party’s Emily Thornberry accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson of “not doing whatever it takes to protect our citizens from harm,” according to the Evening Standard newspaper on Monday.

By: RICK NOACK

_______

7:30 AM: CHINESE EMBASSY IN COPENHAGEN DEMANDS APOLOGY OVER CORONAVIRUS CARTOON

BERLIN — The Chinese embassy in Denmark has demanded an apology over a coronavirus cartoon published in one of the country’s highest-circulation newspapers, Jyllands-Posten.

The cartoon showed a Chinese flag with what appeared to represent five coronavirus particles instead of the five typical yellow stars.

The illustration — published by the same paper that drew international attention with the satirical Muhammad cartoons in 2005 that sparked rioting across the Middle East — struck a nerve with Chinese officials in Denmark.

In a release, a spokesperson for the embassy called the cartoon “an insult to China” that “hurts the feelings of the Chinese people.”

“Without any sympathy and empathy, it has crossed the bottom line of civilized society and the ethical boundary of free speech and offends human conscience,” the statement read, adding that the cartoonist Niels Bo Bojesen and the paper should “reproach themselves for their mistake and publicly apologize to the Chinese people.”

The paper stood by the cartoon on Tuesday, with its editor in chief Jacob Nybroe saying that “there is no mockery or scorn in the drawing.”

“We can’t apologize for something we don’t think is wrong,” Nybroe added, according to the paper’s own coverage of the controversy.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen defended the country’s freedom of expression and satire, even though she did not directly comment on the cartoon in question itself.

By: RICK NOACK

______

6:00 AM: PHILIPPINES RESTRICTS VISAS FOR CHINESE NATIONALS

MANILA — In the Philippines, immigration authorities temporarily suspended the issuance of visas upon arrival for Chinese nationals. Immigration commissioner Jaime Morente said that this was “to slow down the influx of group tours,” and possibly prevent the entry of the virus.

China is one of the country’s top sources of tourists, accounting for over a million visits in 2018. The country is hoping to record 9.2 million international arrivals this year. Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat said that her department did not find it necessary to adjust tourism targets just yet.

14 notes · View notes

sciencenewsforstudents · 5 years

Link

KATHMANDU, Nepal — When mosquito season brought past dengue outbreaks to regions across the Asian tropics, Nepal hardly had to worry. The high-altitude Himalayan country was typically too chilly for the disease-carrying insects to live. But with climate change opening new paths for the viral disease, Nepal is now reeling from an unprecedented outbreak.

At least 9,000 people — from 65 of Nepal’s 77 districts — have been diagnosed with dengue since August, including six patients who have died, according to government health data.

“We have never had an outbreak like this before,” says Dr. Basu Dev Pandey, director of the Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Diseases Hospital in the nation’s capital, Kathmandu. With dozens of people lined up for blood testing on September 26 at the nearby fever clinic, set up this year to handle the outbreak, Pandey continues: “People are afraid.”

Dengue is carried by the Aedes aegypti and A. albopictus mosquitoes, and has long been associated with warmer, low-lying tropical climates where the insects thrive. But for years, researchers have warned that dengue and other mosquito-borne illnesses would spread into new regions, as climate change brings warmer temperatures and alters rainfall patterns so that cooler regions become more hospitable for mosquitoes (SN: 9/15/11).

At the Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Diseases Hospital in Kathmandu, the red and white “Fever Clinic” signs are new this year, as Nepal grapples with a dengue outbreak. CREDIT: GLORIA DICKIE

Nepal is proving to be a real-world example of this change. The country had its first-ever dengue outbreak in 2006, but only a handful of people were affected that year from lowland districts along the southern border with India.

“Climate change has created the conditions for the transmission of dengue at higher elevations,” says Meghnath Dhimal, chief research officer at the Nepal Health Research Council, a government agency based in Kathmandu. Atmospheric temperatures in the Himalayan Mountains have been increasing by an average of 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade. So across Nepal, there are increasingly more days each year that fall into the ideal temperature range for A. aegypti of 20° to 30° Celsius, Dhimal says. Areas like the capital are having fewer summer nights and days below 15° C, around where mosquitoes tend to stop feeding.

Nepal also saw its heaviest monsoon rainfall in a decade in July, with severe flooding reported across the country. Floods typically lead to the pooling of stagnant water, prime breeding grounds for mosquitoes. In recent years, the country started spraying insecticide to control mosquito populations in Kathmandu, which sits in a mountain valley about 1,400 meters above sea level.

The disease, which had caused severe outbreaks in only nine countries before 1970, is now endemic in more than 100 countries, according to the World Health Organization. An estimated 390 million people worldwide get dengue infections every year, with about a quarter developing symptoms, researchers said in a 2013 paper in Nature.

Some of that spread is explained by urbanization as well as global travel and trade. But studies show that atmospheric temperatures are the most important drivers for dengue distribution and risk, followed by rainfall patterns, according to a 2016 review paper in Environmental Research.

With climate change, “warmer temperatures can affect both the mosquito and the virus,” says coauthor Kristie Ebi, a public health expert at the University of Washington in Seattle. A hotter climate helps mosquito larvae develop faster into adulthood, while also increasing the rate at which the dengue virus replicates within the mosquito, she says.

“There seems to be dengue outbreaks worldwide this year,” Ebi says. In August, for example, the Philippines declared a national emergency after dengue killed some 300 people and was suspected of sickening another 77,000 in the first 20 weeks of 2019 — almost double the number of cases reported during the same period the previous year in the Southeast Asian island nation.

And worldwide, it’s only going to get worse, according to a study published June 10 in Nature Microbiology. In that work, researchers built a map of global dengue distribution in 2015, and then predicted how climate change as well as socioeconomic and population trends would make new areas suitable for dengue transmission. By 2050, those areas would include cities in coastal China and Japan, southern Africa and the southeastern United States, epidemiologist Janey Messina at the University of Oxford and her colleagues find.

Similar trends also are expected — if not already seen — for other insect-driven viral diseases, including West Nile virus (SN: 11/28/18), chikungunya (SN: 6/2/15) and tick-borne Lyme disease (SN: 8/9/17).

Scientists have been working to develop a vaccine against dengue (SN: 6/15/16), but there is still no proven cure. Doctors can only ease symptoms that include headache, high fever, severe muscle pain, nausea and skin rash. Without treatment for symptoms, the disease can be deadly, killing roughly 20,000 people a year, according to WHO. Even with treatment, people are typically sick and unable to work for several weeks if not months.

#science #scied #sciblr #dengue #dengue fever #mosquitoes #mosquito-borne diseases #climate change #climate crisis

11 notes · View notes

chopsticksorigin · 2 years

Text

Chopsticks

Chopsticks are formed pairs of equal-length Chinese sticks that have been used as kitchen and eating utensils for over three millennia in most of East Asia. To pick up food, they are held in the dominant hand, gripped by fingers, and wielded as extensions of the hand.

Chopsticks were invented by the Chinese and then expanded to other East Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Chopsticks were popular as eating utensils for particular ethnic foods in South and Southeast Asian nations including Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand as ethnic Chinese fled. Chopsticks are commonly used to eat noodles in India (especially in the Himalayan region), Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Nepal. Chopsticks have also gained acceptance in Hawaii, the West Coast of North America, and towns with Overseas Asian communities around the world in conjunction with Asian food.

Chopsticks are usually smoothed and tapered. They've traditionally been made of wood, bamboo, metal, ivory, and ceramics, but non-traditional materials like plastic, stainless steel, and even titanium are now becoming more common. Chopsticks are frequently thought of as an eating utensil that requires a lot of work and talent to master.

Chopsticks are cutlery sticks that are used in pairs. Some countries, such as China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and Vietnam, use chopsticks as their traditional eating utensils. They are available in a variety of materials, including wood, gold, silver, ivory, bamboo, and plastic. Gold and silver chopsticks are more heavier than regular wooden chopsticks, and they are also thought to be more opulent.

Chopsticks: Their History

Chopsticks are used to pick up food from inside the soup. Chopsticks are a Neolithic Chinese creation from Henan province. They were made between 1766 and 1122 BC during the Shang Dynasty. Henan Province is an important archaeological location, as well as the birthplace of Chinese writing. A pair of bronze chopsticks was discovered in the tombs of the Ruins of Yin, which are located two kilometers from Anyang City. Chopsticks were employed by the Shang Dynasty to pick up tiny meal pieces from boiling water or oil pans. Because chopsticks were primarily used to select tiny morsels from inside the soup, they were thinner than the ones we use today.

Fun Facts About Chopsticks

Over 30 joints and 50 muscles in the fingers, wrist, arm, and shoulder, as well as thousands of nerves, are involved in using chopsticks.

Every year, the Chinese utilize 45 billion chopsticks.

National Chopstick Day is celebrated on February 6th.

Chopsticks are used by over a third of the world's population on a daily basis, roughly equal to the number of people who eat with a knife and fork.

In ancient China, silver chopsticks were used to determine the toxicity of food. Because poison causes silver chopsticks to become black, the royal family used silver chopsticks to warn them about assassination plans and prevent assassination.

80 percent of chopsticks made in Japan are made in Obama, a small town with a population of around 32,000 people named after President Barack Obama.

Chopstick phobia is known as "Consecotaleophobia."

There are four primary styles to choose from:

The Chinese employ a lengthier kind of wood sets with rounded or blunt ends than other countries.

Short wooden sticks with a sharp pointy end are used by the Japanese. Koreans utilize shorter metal, wood, or plastic sticks with blunt ends.

Longer sticks with a blunted end, similar to those used in China, are also used by the Vietnamese; they are usually made of wood, but can also be made of plastic.

Chopsticks are known by various names in different languages. For example, they are known as 'zhu' in Ancient Chinese, 'kuaizi' in modern Chinese, and 'hashi' in Japanese.

#chopsticks #Asian chopsticks #Chinese sticks #kuaizi

1 note · View note

drramjimehrotra · 3 years

Text

dr ramji mehrotra - SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant

What is the Delta variant of Covid-19?

The highly transmissible COVID-19 delta variant, also known as B1617.2, originated in India in December 2020. According to experts, the Delta strain caused the second wave of COVID-19 in the country which infected millions and led to thousands of deaths.

The World Health Organization has named it as the fourth global ‘variant of concern’, along with the those identified in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil. A variant of concern is a virus with changed characteristics such as increased transmissibility and is detrimental to identified safety measures and diagnostics.

Fast Spreading Variant:

The delta variant is spreading fast and has reached over 85 countries within 6 months after discovery. Studies in the UK have found that the delta variant is around 60% more transmissible and more virulent than the alpha variant which was the first variant to be discovered.

According to researchers, delta variant is more transmissible than other variants as changes in the variant’s protein can make it easier to enter human cells. Studies also suggest that a mutation in the delta variant helps it blend with human cells once it attaches itself and overpower the immune system.

Doctors have said the variant is causing severe symptoms such as stomach pain, nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, hearing loss, and joint pain. However, the Delta variant is unlikely to pose much risk to people who have been fully vaccinated.

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the US, has warned that “any country that has the delta variant should be concerned that there will be a surge of infections, particularly if that particular country does not have a substantial proportion of their people vaccinated.”

Delta mutates into Delta Plus: The Delta variant has mutated into a more virulent version called Delta plus or AY .1. Scientists have said that this mutation can resist monoclonal antibody therapy used in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The Delta plus variant is characterized by the acquisition of K417N mutation. The mutation is in the spike protein of SARS-COV-2 which helps the virus enter and infect the human cells.

As of now, India is one of the nine countries where the Delta plus variant has been detected. The other countries include the US, the UK, Portugal, Switzerland, Japan, Poland, Nepal, China and Russia. India has so far reported nearly 50 cases of Delta plus variant, with the maximum number of cases in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

According to officials, the Delta Plus Variant has shown • Increased transmissibility • Stronger binding to receptors of lung cells • Potential reduction in monoclonal antibody response Doctors have reported that the new variant is affecting more young people who haven’t been hospitalized and infecting whole families at the same time instead of just individuals.

How to Protect Yourself

Dr Ramji Mehrotra, one of the leading names in the field of Cardio Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, said that getting vaccinated is the best option to be protected against the virus. In addition, the existing precautionary measures of maintaining physical distancing and wearing masks must be continued, dr ramji mehrotra said.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has said that “Broadly speaking, both the Indian vaccines — Covishield and Covaxin — are effective against Delta variant, but to what extent and what is the proportion of antibody titers they produce, that information we would very shortly share.”

#Dr Ramji Mehrotra #delta variant #covid #covid 19 #Covishield #Covaxin

0 notes

taibu · 6 years

Text

Zenyatta-week 2018 Day 5. Travels

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa I have no idea lel. Take this as one of those stories-with-very-non-linear-plots, mmkay? I honestly had no idea what to do to this one haha. Warnings: ANGST. Like holy fuck there is a lot of angst in this one. Mentions of Mondatta's death. Mentions of panic-attacks. Omnics cry coolant-tears. They can also dream because BUTTERFLY-VOICE-LINE BITCHES. Interactions can be taken as Genyatta but can also be seen as platonic if you like that better.

Travels Tekhartha Zenyatta had seen most of the world with his own optics. He had seen the mountains of Nepal, buzzing streets of India, industrial sheen of Korea, wonderful shrines of China, and the cherry trees of Japan. He had seen America, great and powerful. He had been in the calm forests of Canada. He had resisted the heat and moisture of the Amazon. He had seen the people of Africa, poor and hungry. He had admired the pyramids of Egypt. He had traveled trough Europe and felt like he had been in every nook and cranny there was. The old castles of German. Fields of Poland. Factories of Russia. He had seen the snowy mountains of Sweden, camped in the fresh forest air in Finland. And he loved them all. They all had their charm to themselves that made the place unique, and that fascinated Zenyatta. How people were so different, and yet so similar in each place. How they worked, how they lived, the social structures, nature and technology. The omnic found appreciation for each centimeter for the world. Expect for one place. One place he could not enjoy no matter how hard he tried. No matter how many times he went there, the pain was always the same. King's Row, England. He didn't have to explain himself to anyone when they found out he didn't fancy the place. Everyone knew why. And if they didn't, all they had to do was to look around a bit and they understood. Hate towards omnics was everywhere in the city. Writings on the walls, posters torn and painted on, omnics being told to go and stay underground. Zenyatta had seen many places where omnics were treated like enemies, but somehow King's Row seemed like a lost cause to him. That no matter where he turned, everyone wanted him crapped. Maybe it was the dim lighting of King's Row's streets, maybe it was the stares of the people, maybe it was the hateful shouts thrown his way... Or maybe it was that golden statue of Mondatta in the middle of it all. Zenyatta had officially visited the statue twice. Once with the Shambali, once with Genji. Both times it was clean and polished by the staff of the King's Row's City Hall, just for him and his fellow visitors. But when he would visit it without informing the City Hall, he would find the statue littered with graffiti. Hurtful things written all over it, covered by peace- and equality-posters only for them to be covered up too. Zenyatta would stand there, sometimes for hours if he could, just reading the texts and trying to understand the hate behind them. He never truly could. When some punks had then came with the intentions to destroy the serenity of the statue even more, who was Zenyatta to stop them? If he beat the young ones up, it would only create more discord between the omnics and human here. It was just hard sometimes, to watch the only thing you have left of your brother being destroyed over and over again... Mondatta was not here. He was buried in a morgue in the Monastery, under another huge statue of himself, this time made out of humble stone, not gold. His body rusted away in the stone-chamber, where the higher monks would visit once a year to bring incense and flowers. But Zenyatta would never be able to visit that place again. He had visited it once, on Mondatta's funeral. That was the last time he saw his brother's physical being, and it was inside that cold stone room... He could not even fathom the idea of seeing him now. Rusted and faded... Zenyatta wanted to remember Mondatta as a shining, tall and strong figure. He wanted to remember his voice, deep and booming, yet calming and serene. He wanted to remember his touch, strong yet gentle. He wanted to remember his embrace, his soothing words of comfort, his promise that everything was going to be okay, that they would be free one day, that they would forever be together- Zenyatta woke up with a jolt in his systems. He could hear the little mechanic voice in him repeat the same warning of overheating over and over again. Zenyatta sighed and turned the warning off. The cool air of the night would cool his systems up soon enough. It had been like this for a while now. Zenyatta would have dreams of his past travels, beautiful places, beautiful memories. Only to end up in King's Row, and eventually the damn omnioum he was created in and trained to do his job, beaten and spat on. It would not be so bad if it wasn't for him appearing in the dreams every time, as vibrant and feeling and sounding so damn real. Zenyatta could still feel the touch of his brother's hand on his shoulder. His sensors didn't notice his own hand trailing on that spot as if to reach for Mondatta until he indeed didn't feel anything on his fingers except for his own shoulder. Empty. Cold. Zenyatta's machinery hiccuped. He curled into a ball and let the coolant drip from his optics as the little voice in him started blaring the warning again.

"Master?" Zenyatta didn't remember falling back into rest-mode. Hearing Genji's voice woke him up from it as he slowly onlined his optics to find himself still laying, curled up into a ball, one hand resting on his empty shoulder. "Good morning, Genji." he mustered out of his voice-box. He was surprised it came out so calm and soft. So normal. "Master, is everything alright?" the cyborg asked, sitting next to Zenyatta in a lotus-position. The omnic held back a sigh. He had so hoped Genji would not notice his sorrow. Not anymore. He got up, slowly, to make sure he would not seem too eager to get out of the situation. "I'm quite fine, my student, thank you for asking." the omnic chimed, putting his legs into lotus-position as well and slowly floating up just few inches. He hated to lie to Genji, to anyone really, but he didn't want to bother his student with his own problems too much... He had already done enough. It had been six months already. Since they got the news from Mondatta's fate. They had been visiting a small village with only one working tv, situated in a local pub. The news were on when they sat there, Genji enjoying a stiff drink and Zenyatta drinking some oil. Zenyatta was just about to tell one of his favorite jokes when his audio-receptors caught the faint sound of the Tv saying "Earlier today, Shambali's leader Tekhartha Mondatta was assassinated on King's Row". Everything had been a blur since then. He could only remember few moments from here and there. Genji's voice calling his, either by "master" or the very rare case his actual name. Feeling of being carried and gently put down on something soft, most likely a bed in the local cheap motel. Waking up screaming and crying. Being held close and hearing soothing words, though Zenyatta could not remember what the words said exactly. He also remembered a song. Well, more of a rhythm of the song, since he could not remember the words. It had taken Zenyatta two whole weeks to start functioning properly again. And when he did, he begged Genji to tell him it had all been a bad dream. Genji didn't say anything. He simply sighed. Sad. Hollow. Mourning. They were in Nepal, and Zenyatta later found out that the Shambali had send a drop-ship to pick the two up after Genji had informed them of his situation. Zenyatta felt awful to have caused so much trouble, but Genji, and everyone else he had apologized for, told him that his reaction was completely justified. Mondatta was gone. He was never going to come back. He had died. Zenyatta repeated this to himself many times a day, trying to cope with the thought. His dear brother, first one who showed his love and affection, first one to call him family, first one to protect and care for him. His rock, his mountain. Was gone. Zenyatta often found himself overheating on the floor, sobbing and hiccuping as his processors were coping with his mental progressing. Each surfacing memory, each familiar scent, feel and even color could trigger what must have been the omnic-equivalent of a panic-attack. And each time Genji would find him, hold him, sooth him with words, and... hum. That same tune Zenyatta remembered from those two painful first weeks. The funeral was absolute pain. Not the fact that he would have to stare his offlined brother for what must have been the longest day of his life, listen to visitors giving their condolences, having to shoo off media and reporters trying to break their way to the private funeral. It was fighting back every processor inside him telling him to run to his brother, hold him, beg him to get up, get up and live, damn it! He could not die! Not like this! He was supposed to live long and happy! With his brother! With his family and friends!! Thank the Iris for Genji. Dear, strong and sweet Genji. He was always there, right besides Zenyatta. He would stand there, giving moral support. He would land his hand on his shoulder, like he had, or arm for reassurance. When a reporter would ask for an interview, Genji would take a freedom to ever so kindly kick their asses off the monastery. When there was a quiet moment, or when Zenyatta needed one, Genji would pull him behind the corner and embrace him. That gave Zenyatta enough mental energy to power trough the day. Zenyatta refused the leadership the first thing next morning. He didn't want to linger in the place any longer than he absolutely needed to. He gave hasty goodbyes to everyone and left to continue Genji's training. He need to. His soul begged him to MOVE. Months flew by and the panic-attacks stopped. Memories started to fade. Pain started to go numb. But the dreams. They stayed. And Genji knew they did. He must have seen it. Many times by now. It didn't help that they often shared a tent or a spot on the soft grass to rest in. Genji was indeed still part human and needed at least 8 hours of sleep. And Zenyatta needed to recharge his machinery. Genji refused to sleep far away from Zenyatta. He wanted to be close. And part of Zenyatta was glad. Feeling the cyborg's presence helped him power off for the night. But it didn't take away the nightmares. "Master." Genji said, with a serious tone. "Please tell me if something is bothering you." Zenyatta stayed quiet a second too long to seem truly innocent. "I do not quite understand what you me-" "Don't lie to me, Zenyatta." The serious tone and the usage of the real name made Zenyatta float down on the grass and sigh. He felt his walls come down again. "Master, I know you have nightmares every night. I know they are about Mondatta. And I know they bother you." Genji said. "It hurts me to watch you suffer, master." the cyborg then said, almost like a whisper. "And not being allowed to help..." Zenyatta didn't really realize what he was doing before his arms already were around Genji's neck and his faceplate resting against the cyborg's shoulder. But it felt right so he didn't abort the move. "I'm sorry Genji." the omnic stuttered. He was overheating again. "I just... don't want to cause you more trouble... You've done so much to me already, I can't possibly ask for more!" Genji didn't wrap his arms around the omnic which made Zenyatta panic for a second, had he stepped over his boundaries? Instead the cyborg held the monk's shoulders with his strong hands and gently pushed them apart only so he would face Zenyatta. "Master. You helped me find peace with myself and my new body. You helped me forgive my brother, the mad who I have hated more than ten years of my life! You showed me wonderful things on our travels! You made me whole, Zenyatta." A pause. "Helping you become whole again is the least I can do to pay back to you." Now Genji embraced the omnic, who found coolant falling from his optics again. This time due to a different emotion than sorrow.

"Genji?" "Yes Master?" "Can you... do something for me?" "Anything!" "Can you... sing that song? The same you did when..." Silence. A small laugh from Genji. "Of course..." Hearing the familiar tune soothes Zenyatta. He lays his head back in Genji's lap. It feels weird, having their roles switched like this. But it's nice so the omnic doesn't complain. This kinda reminds him of when he and Mond- His core freezes for a slit second. But Genji's voice brings him back. Zenyatta's fans kick in and start bringing in the cool air around him. Omnic's way of taking a deep breath, you could say. Zenyatta looks up to the cyborg. He feels safe. He feels happy. True, it will still hurt. For the rest of his life it will hurt. Each time he thinks of Mondatta. Each time he goes to King's Row. Each time he thinks of home. But now Zenyatta knows that he isn't travelling the path of life alone. Zenyatta let's his systems go offline while he listens to Genji's voice. And he dreams again. But this time it's different. Zenyatta is on one of the fields of Poland. Mondatta is there, sitting and gathering flowers for a flower-crown he is working on. Besides him Genji lays and looks at the clouds while chewing on a string of hay. Zenyatta feels the embrace of the Iris in him again. He feels happy. He sits between his brother and student and gently leans on Mondatta's shoulder. Mondatta simply puts his hand on his brother's shoulder. Zenyatta reaches to touch it. He wishes he could smile. It's there. He can feel it. END

#zenyattaweek2018 #zenyatta #overwatch #genji #genyatta #sorta #mondatta #panic attack #mentioned death #angst #i'm sorry for all the angst #i'll get it out of my system and draw something cute after the week is over mkay?

17 notes · View notes