That sign only needs two lines.
If you're a woman, it's a cold.
If you're a man, it's the flu.

And for us adults, it's just another Sunday....

The flu is certainly easier to tell from a cold, at least the times I likely had the flu, fever, chills, felt like freight train hit me, all I wanted to do was sleep, barely ate, it was certainly nothing like a typical cold.

This corona virus though is certainly more tricky since it appears to mimic the common cold symptoms in many people, how many routinely go to the doctor for a mild cold?

I don't go until I'm blowing bright green, and then a course of antibiotics clears it up.
Over the past 5 years since I started getting the flu shot at 60 I rarely get that sick.

Last year I went to the doctor and they asked me to register as a new patient... it had been 20 years since the last time I went.

My missus knows when I'm really sick, cause I'll tell her I'll call for a doctor's appt. I busted my knee a while back and spent a week taking cocodomol and ibruprofen for the pain and swelling before I'd agree to seeing thedoctor.

In the time of the coronavirus, visiting any health establishment carries a double edged risk.
On the one hand you're feeling like s**t so you'd like to know whether you're going to die.
On the other hand you might be ok but there'll be other people, also feeling poorly, one of whom might kill you.
Tricky...
But... You're a social animal and you know that if the bug's got you then you have a social responsibility to stay hidden for a few weeks until it goes away.
But... You'd rather not die at home so you call the authorities and ask them for advice. They tell you to stay put and call if you're really bad.
But... How do you know when you're really bad?
Tricky...
But... You'd really like to join the world so you call health central and ask to be tested.
Tricky...
In fact there's a little too much about this crisis that can be safely decribed as Tricky...

I moan about not having a doctor here, of course, but I wouldn't see one if I had one...thankfully I haven't, so I didn't.

Decent map of the reported cases so far

https://bit.ly/32Dd3gC

King County/Seattle area has reported additional cases, and another death.

They are all residents of the nursing facility that was in the news yesterday, the death was a male in his 70's with underlying health issues, the other 3 are a female in her 80's, a female in her 90's and a male in his 70's, all have underlying health issues and are in hospital in critical condition.

McMaster Uni has a suspected case.. awaiting test results.
https://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/articl...irus-update-3/

NASA photographs the decrease in pollution over China caused by lockdown of Wuhan and surrounding Hubei Province from space:
https://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/video?...stId=1.4833888

Seattle area being fairly close to Vancouver, this is getting a little concerning.

12 new cases and now 6 have died, one in his 40's.

In Kirkland area 25 firefighters and 2 police officers are in quarantine.



https://komonews.com/news/coronaviru...er-coronavirus

I'm not at all worried. If I get infected, I'll be sick for a few weeks and make a full recovery. I'm more scared of needles than I am of getting the flu.

Indeed, we're going to suffer from America's terrible for-profit public health policy. Costs $3000 to get tested in the US apparently.