Re: Further update on COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and IETF 107 Vancouver

[Tim Bray <[e-mail]>]

I haven't been paying close attention to this thread, so apologies if this
link has already been posted. Here is the BC government's official COVID-19
portal:
http://www.bccdc.ca/about/news-stories/stories/2020/information-on-novel-coronavirus

(BC = British Columbia, the Canadian province in which IETF-107 is located)

On Tue, Feb 25, 2020 at 10:23 AM Alexandre Petrescu <
[e-mail]> wrote:

>
> Le 25/02/2020 à 16:58, John C Klensin a écrit :
> >
> > --On Tuesday, February 25, 2020 15:36 +0100 Alexandre Petrescu
> > <[e-mail]> wrote:
> >
> >>>> … Much is unknown about how the COVID-19 spreads. Current
> >>>> knowledge is largely based on what is known about similar
> >>>> coronaviruses. …
> >> Right, it approaches a 'I dont know'.
> >>
> >> A better of that would be to ask to not look at them central
> >> organisation holding the Truth, but go ask at the local
> >> 'pharmacy' (emergency medical store? 'apotheke'?).
> >>
> >> For my part I went yesterday to 'pharmacy' asking for other
> >> things non related to this situation.
> >>
> >> A person next to me asked for masks.  The person behind the
> >> counter replied 'what do you all people have, do you
> >> synchronise to plan something?'; he replied 'I dont know, I
> >> have kids, I worry'.  For my part, I understand there are many
> >> around me who want to buy masks.
> >>
> >> That kind of local data is of huge importance.  It is real,
> >> actual, first hand and non tweaked.  It is not the result of
> >> some committee deliberation.
> > I don't understand your reasoning here.  It seems to me that the
> > very anecdotal local data you cite demonstrates two things:
>
>
> I agree it looks strange.
>
> It is however what I think works right now - that anecdotical data;
> which is the only to rely on.
>
> Later maybe the science will find the necessary rules to apply to all.
>
> >
> > (1) That one is a local pharmacist or other worker at the local
> > pharmacy does not demonstrate that he or she is any of (i) a
> > subject matter expert on COVID-19 or its global impact, (ii) a
> > qualified and skilled immunologist, or (iii) a qualified and
> > skilled epidemiologist.  In the latter two cases, that they are
> > following the reliable reports and literature carefully, not
> > just believing whatever they read in the daily papers or on the
> > Internet.
> >
> > (ii) Knowing that there are many around you who want to buy
> > masks, or even many people globally who want to buy masks, is a
> > measure of the level of local panic about COVID-19, not a
> > measure of the spread, infectiousness, danger, or other measures
> > about the virus and its epidemic properties.  It does not tell
> > us much about the level of local panic anywhere else and, even
> > if it did, the IETF should not be making decisions about how to
> > handle a specific meeting over global panic levels (even though
> > individuals might).
> >
> > All in all, I think the policy Jay described is reasonable and
> > probably the best that can be done.  I think there is one
> > strategic and economic (not health-related) issue that I fear
> > has not received careful enough consideration but I suppose we
> > will just have to see how that unfolds (and I'm not going to
> > discuss it further unless Jay or members of the LLC Board ask).
>
>
> I would like to know .
>
> Alex
>
> >
> > best,
> >    john
> >
> >
>
>