[partiallypro]

I have the polar opposite view, China is not transparent with their numbers, and their response is hamfisted because they aren't competent and a lot of it is theater (typical of communist regimes.) It is possible that in many years more people will die from cancer from their irresponsible spraying than the actual virus. Western countries are also traditionally cleaner, and things like "gutter grease" aren't common. I have much more faith in the west than hamfisted policies from China.

[yibg]

They may not be transparent with their numbers, and certainly weren’t in the early days, but what about their response has been not competent? And what does gutter grease have to do with this virus or containment?

[partiallypro]

Does this look like a competent response to you? Or do you think is was thought of by a bureaucrat within the CCP? This is one of many examples. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw7M-fUaIb0

Also fecal matter might be part of the transmission. Gutter grease is produced from sewage waste (in many case.) https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-20/fecal-tra...

[yibg]

When talking about competence in containment we need to look at aggregate data. Clearly there will be pockets of mishandling things, everything from medical facilities to airports etc.

Aside from the initial mishandling due to downplaying the situation and hiding information, the subsequent actions seems to have been pretty effective. Outside of Hubei the virus seems to be pretty well contained and relatively quickly at that.

[vkou]

If making a stupid PSA video is the criteria for incompetence, I'm not sure I've ever interacted with a single competent organization that was large enough to film one.

I don't care about their filmographic teams. I care about whether or not the control measures are working.

[partiallypro]

I said that was one of -many- examples. Try reading around. China even went so far as to blame the outbreak on the US. Sounds a lot like the Soviet era. https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/02/15/coronavirus-xi-jinping-...

Outside of just lying about case numbers...

"But by Feb. 5, the funeral parlors and crematoriums were reported to be having problems keeping up with the disposal of the dead in Wuhan. Though no data was provided to address the matter, Wuhan’s lockdown was endangering not only the lives of coronavirus-infected individuals but also those of thousands of people who required medications and occasional treatment for such things as HIV infection, kidney disease, diabetes, and hypertension. Hospitals no longer welcomed them, medicines were running out, yet there is no count of their numbers or deaths."

"As the makeshift quarantine facilities filled, questions arose about their safety, as people were stacked side by side and shared toilet facilities. There was clear evidence that the coronavirus disease could be spread via feces or the off-gassing from overused toilets and taxed plumbing."

Sounds like they've been everything but competent.

[yibg]

Trust and theatre perhaps; and there is certainly a lot of precedence for it from China. And I don't think anyone is taking the news and numbers from China at face value.

Flip it around a bit. China has taken the actions they have to contain the virus, there are some indications of success. You think it's not enough or not done correctly. What would you have done instead?

[vkou]

Mind you, the US currently has a President that blames the milk going sour on Mexicans, thermometers showing higher temperatures on China, and the colour of his hair on LED light bulbs. Half the country does not believe that this makes him incompetent...

> Sounds like they've been everything but competent.

If you think that our cities are any more prepared for an epidemic of this magnitude... I don't know what to say.

I will point out, however, that the US has fewer ICU beds across the entire country (Most of which are currently occupied), than there are documented COVID-19 cases in one city in China.

If an outbreak occurs here, do you really think that we will have enough medical resources to provide quality care for everyone? If yes - what are you, and your legislators doing, to put us in that situation? Because with our current medical infrastructure, we are not in that situation.

[heavyset_go]

They actively tried to cover it up and waited until it was too late to take action, and they're engaging in a lot of sterility theater.

[jxramos]

Never heard of that vile substance before: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutter_oil