COVID-19 Diary – Day 247

Ticketmaster Considering Future COVID-19 Options

Ticketmaster is reportedly looking at new options for events that use their services, which would allow them to require proof of COVID-19 immunity or recent negative results from a COVID-19 test. Ticketmaster says they would not be requiring the use of this potential new option, but that each individual event could choose to enable or disable this feature (if it eventually does launch).

Some of the difficulties Ticketmaster may run into include: the fact that there are still no approved vaccines for COVID-19, no confirmation of how long immunity could last from any of the vaccine candidates (or from recovering from a COVID-19 infection), and even worse perhaps, there are still no confirmations that any vaccine-based immunity will prevent the transmission of the virus. There are arguably also potential ethical concerns to consider.

To further complicate matters, different parts of the world have different public health regulations. For instance, here in BC, most people are not able to get tested for COVID-19 if they aren’t showing symptoms for it. In other parts of the world, you can purchase COVID-19 rapid-tests at local stores and administer them on yourself, but the results of these tests can be questionable, especially if you aren’t within the ideal accuracy window for the type of test.

Port Coquitlam Man in 30’s Dies of COVID-19

Up to November 7th, only 4 people under the age of 50 are known to have died of COVID-19 in BC, and all 4 were in their 40’s. Today it was reported that an unnamed man in his 30’s, who worked at Nutri-Nation Functional Foods in Port Coquitlam, has died due to complications from the virus. He was 1 of 4 individuals from the same workplace to have tested positive for the virus in the past month, and like the other 3, had been suffering only mild symptoms from the virus. Unfortunately, he unexpectedly took a turn for the worse and died in his sleep last weekend. It is believed that this man is the youngest person to die of COVID-19 in BC. Our hearts go out to his family and friends in this difficult time.

Fun: Plague Inc. Game Adds “Cure” Game Mode

A lot of the content we report on is pretty heavy, so we thought we would share some lighter news today. Popular mobile game Plague Inc. recently announced that their new game mode “The Cure“, where instead of playing as a virus trying to wipe out humanity, you now play as scientists trying to stop a pandemic from wiping out all human life.

To ensure their game was based on real scientific methods, the development team reached out to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) for help in providing real-world insights. Much like in real life, to defeat the virus in the new game mode you must:

• Hunt the Disease: Dispatch research teams around the world to find patient zero, track the spread of the outbreak, boost testing capacity and support local responses.
• Control the Outbreak: Implement measures such as contact tracing, lockdowns and border closures to limit the spread of the outbreak, whilst getting people to wash their hands and preparing hospitals to prevent them from becoming overwhelmed.
• Support the Economy: People won’t comply with poorly designed quarantine/lockdown measures; use furlough schemes and other policies to drive community support and consensus.
• Develop a Vaccine: ​Research, manufacture and distribute a vaccine to stop the disease. Work carefully and promote global cooperation to accelerate development.

Click here to download the game for Android devices.
Click here to download the game for iOS devices.

That’s all for now, stay safe everyone!