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Mar. 5, Not Easy, it is to a Jedi Make (A Canadian's Diary Inside Chongqing During the COVID-19 Home Quarantine)

By KAI WOODMIKKEL LARSEN|Mar 06,2020

Thursday, Mar. 5 - Not Easy, it is to a Jedi Make

Day 41. Our Philips Air Purifier is flashing the 'change filter' indicator light. Having just bought a new filter, I google the problem. I unplug it, strip it down, use Q tips, and cotton balls to scrub it down, and a mini dust devil to vacuum up the dust balls. I wash the dust catcher and air out the HEPA filter. Later I put it all back together, easy peasy, problem solved. I'm growing into my role as a ship engineer.

We drink coffee and honey water while downloading hundreds of kids' stories for our tutoring classes. I listen to the news and take notes, multitasking between hope, and children's stories, and breaking news about the spreading plague.

Many foreigners fled China when the outbreak started. Lots of people asked why I didn't leave. I stayed because of my wife and my dogs, my life is here. Today, Beijing Kids announced that the central government is requesting foreign teachers and students to stay away temporarily. In private groups, teachers joke about how it's actually safer in China than wherever people fled to. Eight Chinese food restaurant workers who left Italy returned home to China, all tested positive for the virus after exposure in Italy. China's top priority seems to be to reduce the "backflow" cases, as the news is calling those who now re-introduce the COVID-19 disease back to China.

Chongqing has not recorded a new confirmed case in nine days. 

In economic news, many countries have injected billions of U.S. dollars and interest cuts into their economies, with the aim of helping small and medium enterprises (SMEs) stay afloat. Some critics say this is premature.

I make a playlist called Covid Choons, and #1 with a bullet is RZA & Tazo's brand new release, 'Guided Experience' (meditation). I listen on repeat, and it's exactly what I've been missing, it gets me into the warrior flow, where I can handle any chaos that comes my way. Later, I download the entire WuTang clan discography, 22 albums.  Legend of the 36 Chambers is re-rocking my world.

An expert in COVID-19 virus testing compares the different approaches made by some major countries. He said China is using about 1.5 million polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests a week, by far the greatest number. South Korea has used around 100,000 tests so far. Italy has used 20,000 tests. He didn't know how many Iran had used. By comparison, the USA has only used about 500 tests. I don't know how many Canada has used, but it does seem that you need to test for COVID-19 to be able to find it. I worry about the places that aren't testing; it might be right under their nose.

I’m enjoying finding time to stretch and lift weights, while I work. Life has a rhythm, it hums along.

Flowers on the balcony

Flowers on the balcony

A new study from researchers in Beijing and Shanghai have confirmed two types of SARS-CoV-2 (the disease that causes COVID-19). According to the study, 70% of infected patients have a more aggressive and contagious strain. A virus that is very aggressive may burn itself out by landing patients in the hospital quickly, while a less aggressive strain can spread more easily before the patient seeks treatment. The S strain is the older strain, less aggressive and spreading slower, resulting in milder symptoms. It continues to infect patients at a steady rate. The mutated L strain is more aggressive and spreads faster, causing more severe symptoms, but seems to be running out of people to infect. At this time the news is reporting 97,000 people infected globally, with more than 3,300 deaths.

Big news today in medicine and supply chains. The Indian government, in response to several clusters in Agra and other places, announced restrictions on the exportation of many key medicines and 26 API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients). These are used in painkillers, antibiotics, and other medicines. These can't treat COVID but can be used to treat opportunistic infections that can attack the body after COVID-19 has been fought off, while a patient is weak and recuperating. Add this to China's halted supply chain for APIs, and I hope people have already stocked up a few months worth of medication.

Seattle is a ghost town. Like Daegu a few weeks ago, the city is hiding and pensive, waiting, as the clusters grow into an outbreak. All Italian schools will take a 2-week break, and the U.K. has decided to change from daily specific reporting as the numbers of cases grow, to a weekly report. Dropping news on Friday is a sign that they want the news to slide under the radar. This is a shame as people would like to know which areas to avoid when cases are breaking out. That would be helpful information. I'm thankful for my Chinese apps that show real-time infection information, where to avoid and what are the local hot zones.

A Dutch outbreak plan was leaked, and it looks a lot like China's response. Things are heating up across Europe, behind China but ahead of the curve in the Americas. If they will follow in China's footsteps, I hope they can contain the pandemic on their soil.

Iran, so overwhelmed by their outbreak, has temporarily freed 54,000 prisoners! Good luck getting them back inside their jails.

If this all sounds a bit heavy, take heart, theoretical physicist Sean Carroll says clues in the small-scale structure of our universe point to the existence of numerous parallel worlds, so there's somewhere out there where you're going to have a great summer vacation.

Many countries are fear-mongering that masks are bad and dangerous. This is a huge debate now in the West, with even the U.S. Surgeon General tweeting that people should not be using them. In Asia, we're taking a different approach. Having a mask decreases your risk of contracting a disease. It's like having a sweater in the winter, it may not be enough to protect you from the cold, but you'll take the sweater instead of a T-shirt. In China and South Korea, everyone wears surgical masks to limit the spread of the virus.

I heard a great quote today about approaches to COVID-19 treatment, "when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." I low-key order a stylus for public touching devices ( but now wish I'd gotten one for my phone too), gloves that can be decontaminated, and a mask I can also use for teaching if need be. I'm excited to try my microphone with the new helmet, and I hope it's big enough for my head. It only comes in one size.

An unidentified man wore a gas mask on a flight from Dallas to Houston. He was removed by the airline after other travelers got upset and panicked. Again, it seems like people's feelings are more important to authorities than public health, and that disappoints me. If you can't guarantee the guy beside me isn't sick, then let me wear a mask.  I predict that in the next few years, airlines will start using separate pressured pods in first class with each row’s own recycled air.

Today, AOC calls for Warren to back Bernie to unite the progressive movement in America. I hope she does some soul searching. Fingers crossed. We could really use good, responsible leadership, environmental policies, and free public health care everywhere. 

Making sweet potato fries

Making sweet potato fries

Xiaolin and I have been getting along very well. I'm as patient and kind as I can be. RZA has my back, and my anxiety and grumpiness melt away. We prepare classes happily, eat happily, and relax happily. Our big plan for today is to make sweet potato fries. Over several hours, we call our niece, Meito, for her expertise, wash them, boil them, powder them, freeze them, and have fun frying them.

Sweet potato fries with wasabi mayo

Sweet potato fries with wasabi mayo

According to an official response from China's Foreign Ministry, China is unsure what the origin of the virus is. This suggests some are considering it possible that it came from somewhere else. I suppose one day we'll know more about that.

A video going around today shows Chinese police employing thermal imaging helmets to be able to scan crowds for people with high temperatures and fever. I love technology.

Home made dinners are nice and fresh

Homemade dinners are nice and fresh

I go a bit crazy and mix hummus and salsa into my pasta tonight, and make a wasabi mayo for the fries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the case fatality rate is 3.4%, higher than previously thought.

Our home may not be fancy or huge, but it's optimized and clean. It's our space ship, and there's no room for nonsense. Xiaolin is a good astronaut. Some people, including my mom when she first met her, felt Xiaolin might be a bit hard on me sometimes, but it's important to constantly better yourself. Think about Luke when he first met Yoda in that backward swamp on Dagobah. Yoda sure was hard on Luke, but not easy, it is to a Jedi make.

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