Maps, science, data & statistics tracking of COVID-19

[lexluthermiester]

It's happened. The US now has the most cases documented.

 

[robot zombie]

You know, I've been watching the things I've been saying from the beginning come true and still it's like nobody around me really listens. They parrot the little soundbites they liked and continue to act like things are magically going to be okay. It's not that I think I necessarily have an amazing grip on things... some things are just that obvious that it should be very easy to understand if you are following what is happening and consciously parsing the events in your head. So many times I have caught myself explaining things and then felt the wrinkles in my brain smoothing over at the thought that it was actually necessary to explain it in the first place. And the thing is, it isn't like I'm getting into arguments in the process. It is genuine ignorance... they legitimately just don't think to contextualize anything. When you present it the right way, they get it.

I still catch a lot of fanciful ideas and "I'm not worrying - no sense." attitudes. I try to challenge that, because this is a national emergency and people should be appropriately worried. People act like it's a bad thing to be worried when things are bad... unable to distinguish between panic and rational concern. If you can't maintain concern about something and translate that into sensible behavior without flipping tables... I honestly don't know how you get through life. There's this weird dichotomy where people seem to think that if you don't want to go full Chicken Little you have to be like Hansel and Gretel right up to the last minute.

A lot of 'hope for the best' but very little 'prepare for the worst'. Hope is powerful and it is a great thing. But in this case, it's not enough to just hope and carry on. People doing this end up ignoring risks and winding up in bad places. I've got multiple co-workers now who have this virus. One went on a cruise with her husband just before the mandates, but after it became obvious things were about to seriously ramp up. She's pretty sick but stable and functional. He is bedridden with pneumonia. Craziest part. She wanted to come into her office herself to get some things!

Another one's husband brought it back from New York, where he works in the professional golf world. This was after athletes caught it, when NYC was the unofficial epicenter. Haven't heard from them, but their whole family is stuck holed-up together, with no access to testing for her or their 3 children. Another went to Mexico for spring break and about a week later started showing symptoms. Our own principal walked into their house to deliver some packets for the online classroom stuff, not thinking anything of it, and completely ignoring where he was asked to leave it outside. He is now forced to isolate completely, with no access to a test unless it hits him. He is 66 years old. Better yet, he traveled out to Orlando, where his real home is, to stay with his wife, who has already been isolating... not knowing if he's bringing it home to his own wife.

Hopefully they will all be okay, but those are not situations anybody wants to wind up in. And somehow they still haven't seemed to learn anything. Those of us still there are lucky. As a private school, we did our spring break a little early, so most came back just as the mandates kicked-in and we cut down to only doing childcare, meaning those exposed/tested positive never came in between when they got back and when they had to quarantine.

And yet those on staff who still go to work are not following the guidelines at all and pretending things are normal, as we walk mostly empty hallways with empty classrooms. Not a one of them has mentioned much of anything about their coworkers, who are among the few cases in the county, because of the choices they made in a time when the right choices were obvious. The only thing on anybody's mind right now is getting paid... it's like somehow they still don't think that could be them, or someone they know who is high-risk.


People like to dismiss Trump for his many very ignorant remarks throughout this, saying it doesn't matter. I see the impact of it here, where a lot of people are republican and actually do trust the things he says.... without hearing all of it, even. So when he says something dumb one day and doubles back to reason the next, people often don't catch it. Though if they do, they still rationalize. You can't even question it at all. Point out any point of concern and all you get are appeals to expertise.

I'm not getting into partisanship here. I generally don't care for our partisan system. He could be democrat and I'd be saying the same thing. The point is that people look to what leaders say in order to make sense of what is happening around them. People look at what he says and construct for themselves a picture of this situation. People hear what they want to hear and then act it out. They stop trying to make sense of what's happening or what might happen, because they've been lulled over, confusing the political aspect oft discussed in the media with the actual reality. "Yeah, that is happening and it's serious, but Trump said..." It's funny how this plays out. People who listen to him are often totally blase. People who don't are in an inconsolable panic. Neither is really a great thing. I don't see a lot of commonsense measures and precautions.

This whole idea of disseminating panic makes sense on the surface level. But when the situation is this serious and things aren't happening that need to happen, it basically amounts to misinformation... in a time when everybody really needs to be on the same page, no less. The lack of sternness and urgency in wrangling this wild-west scenario, and the constant push of this 'light at the end of the tunnel' narrative cooked up with scraps, is NOT helping the average person in America better deal with this at all. It only ensures that if things get really bad, they will be that much worse. If there was ever a time to be straight-up about everything, now would be it. Every time I watch the news, I generally see two things: either unrealistic hysterics, or falsely grounded holding-out. What ends up happening is that people either panic and make things worse, or toss out the baby with bathwater... and make things worse.

The thing is, I myself have thought there was no way we could have prepared. After re-considering, I think that's horseshit. Of course we could! It's ridiculous to think our government forgot about 1918. There are organizations within the federal government dedicated to preparing for every kind of disaster up to and including a nuclear event. Somehow pandemic wasn't in the itinerary? Unlikely. So then, the question becomes, why the nonchalance with everything that's been happening in the world? Where are the action plans now? Why is it taking so long to mobilize? Or are they just not talking about it for some reason. Somewhere out there are a whole bunch of people who have been training their whole careers to make the things that need to happen, happen. But we don't hear much about that.


You want to reassure people, put a fine point on the full situation, and then talk about those things in equally clear terms. Not being mentally prepared for this is just as bad as not going through the right motions... though they seem to go hand in hand. The full reality of this crisis still doesn't register in a lot of people's minds. I almost wish they WOULD panic... be bothered... just a little. One day everyone is going to wake up and things are going to be worse than they are now, and there will be many fingers to point and much previously needless scrambling to do. People have gotten so many opportunities to recognize what's really going on and start doing the right things, but instead many have continued to resist and cling to whatever normalcy they can. I get it, but things aren't normal right now. Things haven't been normal for longer than many people are willing to acknowledge, even now. Everyone out in the USA right now who thinks this way is a huge liability. And judging by the things I see and the many stories people are telling right now, it's still way too common.

I think there is a fundamental misunderstanding of how to seek and process information these days. The way it was distributed changed drastically, but attitudes didn't. It seems silly to have to teach people how to make sense of important information, but this might be something we need to start really emphasizing in school... and really just across the board. Because right now I'm looking at a large portion of the population who's ways of dealing with information lead to mass ignorance. And it's hurting us badly in this situation. It's weird to think that Americans in an earlier time might have been quicker to make important judgements for themselves and act, in spite of the much slower speed and lower bitrate of information. But it's something I can't shake.

Maybe it's just that with so much information of varying quality, people feel freer to pick and choose what suits them, whereas in the past you couldn't afford to pontificate on unknowns, and so had to act with more caution and thoughtful diligence. In some ways, we are more civilized AND better informed... and yet less sensible.

"It's human nature." Sure it is... but so are a lot of terrible things that we've learned to better deal with over the centuries. To me, the clearest picture I have of anything right now is how fucking bad we are at handling information in general. We need to be able to change how we think and communicate in step with the growth of technology and society as a whole. If this was a test, we failed badly. I'm still trying to remain hopeful and not panic myself. Just monitoring and also balancing-out mental health as best as I can... it's just disheartening.

 

[moproblems99]

The point is that people look to what leaders say in order to make sense of what is happening around them.

That is until you figure out that none of them have a clue what they are doing. If you look to any of them for help in making decisions, you have made a very bad decision yourself.

It seems silly to have to teach people how to make sense of important information, but this might be something we need to start really emphasizing in school

We stopped teaching critical thinking a long time ago and started teaching test taking when standardized testing became a thing. People now have to learn critical thinking on their own and much like experience, you don't learn it until after you need it.

 

[Gmr_Chick]

The thing is, I myself have thought there was no way we could have prepared. After re-considering, I think that's horseshit. Of course we could! It's ridiculous to think our government forgot about 1918. There are organizations within the federal government dedicated to preparing for every kind of disaster up to and including a nuclear event. Somehow pandemic wasn't in the itinerary? Unlikely. So then, the question becomes, why the nonchalance with everything that's been happening in the world? Where are the action plans now? Why is it taking so long to mobilize? Or are they just not talking about it for some reason. Somewhere out there are a whole bunch of people who have been training their whole careers to make the things that need to happen, happen. But we don't hear much about that.

We did have this already in place, but it was withdrawn it in 2018:

https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-cuts-programs-responsible-for-fighting-coronavirus-2020-2

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...t-efforts-to-prevent-global-disease-outbreak/

@EarthDog, you beat me to it lol

 

[EarthDog]

We did have this already in place, but it was shut down in 2018:

https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-cuts-programs-responsible-for-fighting-coronavirus-2020-2

There. Hope that helps take the sting off of it.

EDIT: It doesn't matter... the services are gone and/or cut back.

 

[robot zombie]

That is until you figure out that none of them have a clue what they are doing. If you look to any of them for help in making decisions, you have made a very bad decision yourself.

I dunno... I feel like your average person really does know this. Ask your average person what they think of our political system and then ask them how much they trust in it, or its actors as a whole. The answer will be unilateral. But people like to turn their backs to that awareness when it suits them.

We stopped teaching critical thinking a long time ago and started teaching test taking when standardized testing became a thing. People now have to learn critical thinking on their own and much like experience, you don't learn it until after you need it.

Sad but true.

I could also add that critical thinking has become less called for in everyday life. I think an easier life is great and technology is amazing, but I think the arrogance of all humanity shows in our willingness to disregard the value of critical thinking and experiential contemplation as we move towards building lives for ourselves that lessen the need for them in certain situations. We relinquish the effort at the first chance.

On some level, it's almost like people seem to feel like we shouldn't need to, or that we can make it so it isn't needed. People get frustrated when they're brought to reckon with critical thinking and observation unexpectedly... it's a surprise to them... a hassle, a pointless effort, a flaw in the system. Because why should they have to figure anything out? To me, I've always found learning and just figuring things out in my head and challenging myself intuitively rewarding. Somewhere inside everyone is that same drive, but by some combination of factors, people increasingly come to avoid those things whenever possible. I think our education system is a major factor, and it goes far beyond standardized tests.

I am big believer in technology and the continued proliferation of increasingly 'advanced' lifestyles. The better and easier everyone's lives can be, the freer we are to make things even better, ideally. But our natural lean towards contentedness betrays us in times like this, when it simply is no longer possible and people find themselves totally unequipped In the meantime, our minds have atrophied. In reality, not having the mind challenged frequently makes a person less happy, but it's okay because we can remain distracted. Over time, it becomes the only way a person knows how to operate. It's crazy that it is even possible for us to modulate ourselves in the first place. It is a survival mechanism. Your central nervous system is wired to operate on a higher level when it is needed, even rewarding it with pleasure. No other animal on earth supersedes that quite like we have. We consciously put ourselves in a worse place in terms of happiness and survival. I can't figure it out. We are so insanely adaptable that one day we might just adapt ourselves out of existence... or at least into something we can no longer adequately adapt to. Blessing and a curse.

It's something I wish was given more consideration on so many different levels. We will probably never reach a point of advancement where generating good and avoiding bad is automatic. We have to continue to use our heads, even in the absence of the impetuses present in earlier times, when it was progressively more "think or die" the further and further you go back.

Self-insight is a tricky aspect. We can see it in others, but not ourselves. We talk, but I'm betting both of us are no less susceptible to side-stepping our critical thinking in the same ways. Though I'm sure it helps if you realize that and prioritize it whenever possible.

I like to think that there are concrete reasons for all of it, which still need to be better understood and dealt with, just as we have many other problems with human nature. We still have a lot to learn about ourselves, both as individuals and as a collective. Of all of the things we have learned so much about and harnessed in so many incredible, unthinkable ways, our overall understanding of our own minds is dismal.

We did have this already in place, but Trump promptly decimated it in 2018:

https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-cuts-programs-responsible-for-fighting-coronavirus-2020-2

Over time I have seen many attempts to cut budgets to various public health and disaster geared organizations. But from what I saw, he got shut down and congress instead moved to boost it. Granted it isn't something I've followed closely. Just things I vaguely remember catching in the news.

It may very well be true that he is responsible for the poor response, though going back before any of this was even looming. The silence on certain things is deafening... makes one quick to question the availability of finances and resources. It would explain a lot of what he puts out. But right now I'm not sure what to think, as everyone is eager to blame, with many reporting on the political side of the matter looking to gain ground. I keep it all tucked away, for when the dust settles and hopefully the reality behind our nation's odd response is more clear. Right now there is so much infighting I feel like the middle school dean trying to figure out who started a fight between two boys.

 

[Gmr_Chick]

Forgive me y'all. I'm just anxious and upset is all. Remember my story about my brother-in-law and his work friend? He offered to look after said friend's dog until at least the 8th of April because -- wait for it -- said friend will be "vacationing" in Mexico till then. I seriously wish I was making this up, but I'm not. So now my brain is immediately in "worst case scenario" mode and I'm a bit "on edge"

 

[Xzibit]

Forgive me y'all. I'm just anxious and upset is all. Remember my story about my brother-in-law and his work friend? He offered to look after said friend's dog until at least the 8th of April because -- wait for it -- said friend will be "vacationing" in Mexico till then. I seriously wish I was making this up, but I'm not. So now my brain is immediately in "worst case scenario" mode and I'm a bit "on edge"

Well Mexican President since of last week was still advising people to Hug.

 

[R-T-B]

Well Mexican President since of last week was still advising people to Hug.

In reality, when this virus hits Mexico City, that region is so fucked it's not even funny. Sorry for the language, but there aren't really better words to describe it.

 

[Xzibit]

Actually the state has been preparing for awhile. Its his political persona that is contrary. I have relatives there and they been screening commuters from one state to another for symptoms. Teachers have also been sent home like the USA.

I think we'll hear more from Mexico once the Cartels start feeling it. More turf wars.

 

[moproblems99]

Self-insight is a tricky aspect. We can see it in others, but not ourselves. We talk, but I'm betting both of us are no less susceptible to side-stepping our critical thinking in the same ways. Though I'm sure it helps if you realize that and prioritize it whenever possible.

Oh, I can count many times that I made poor decisions in the moment. In most of them, I very well knew I was making the bad decision. It is amazing the ability for humans to recognize but still ignore the obvious sitting in front of them and take the bad path anyway. Like you said, it really is a blessing and a curse as it also allows us to make emotional decisions that are not positive. I fear there will be a lot of those decisions to be made in the future. I really don't know where I sit on this. The virus itself isn't the most deadly one around but the gridlock in the medical system is causes is no joke. My brain is just really having a difficult time initializing my security posture.

Thanks for your posts, they have been great to read.

 

[Regeneration]

Forgive me y'all. I'm just anxious and upset is all. Remember my story about my brother-in-law and his work friend? He offered to look after said friend's dog until at least the 8th of April because -- wait for it -- said friend will be "vacationing" in Mexico till then. I seriously wish I was making this up, but I'm not. So now my brain is immediately in "worst case scenario" mode and I'm a bit "on edge"

Why are you upset about this? this is a great idea!!! 80% he will be detained at the border if not now, then on the way back.

Travel ban from US to Mexico and vice versa is just a matter of time.

"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake." -Napoleon Bonaparte

 

[moproblems99]

I think we'll hear more from Mexico once the Cartels start feeling it. More turf wars.

I hadn't even thought of turf wars.

 

[Xzibit]

Boarder crossings were closed to Non essentials.

 

[Regeneration]

The majority of rapid test coronavirus test kits supplied by China to Spain and the Czech Republic are faulty, local news outlets reported.

China Supplied Faulty Coronavirus Test Kits to Spain, Czech Republic

The majority of rapid test coronavirus test kits supplied by China to Spain and the Czech Republic are faulty, local news outlets reported.Up to 80 percent of the 150,000 portable, quick coronavirus test kits China delivered to the Czech Republic earlier this month were faulty, according to...

news.yahoo.com

 

[FordGT90Concept]

U.S. Approves Abbott Labs Five-Minute ‘Rapid’ Coronavirus Test

Abbott Laboratories won U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for its molecular test for the Coronavirus strain COVID-19, which the company says can deliver “positive results in as little as five minutes and negative results in 13 minutes.”

www.forbes.com

If it is 100% accurate and they can be mass produced in a hurry, might start seeing more accurate data in maps soon.

 

[robot zombie]

Forgive me y'all. I'm just anxious and upset is all. Remember my story about my brother-in-law and his work friend? He offered to look after said friend's dog until at least the 8th of April because -- wait for it -- said friend will be "vacationing" in Mexico till then. I seriously wish I was making this up, but I'm not. So now my brain is immediately in "worst case scenario" mode and I'm a bit "on edge"

Heh, completely understandable. I think that's pretty irresponsible. One of my coworkers is suspected to have gotten it from there around 2 weeks ago now! And I thought it was a terrible idea then! That is frustrating as hell.

Oh, I can count many times that I made poor decisions in the moment. In most of them, I very well knew I was making the bad decision. It is amazing the ability for humans to recognize but still ignore the obvious sitting in front of them and take the bad path anyway. Like you said, it really is a blessing and a curse as it also allows us to make emotional decisions that are not positive. I fear there will be a lot of those decisions to be made in the future. I really don't know where I sit on this. The virus itself isn't the most deadly one around but the gridlock in the medical system is causes is no joke. My brain is just really having a difficult time initializing my security posture.

Thanks for your posts, they have been great to read.

Thank you for hearing me out. I try to think carefully and just get the thoughts out in a somewhat productive way. I don't have answers, just things I feel are worth thinking about. I really value balance in my thoughts and try not to hide my bias. Probably never fully get there but I generally hope to inspire others to try as well. There are so many pitfalls to thinking and talking about this stuff.

I share the same sentiment as you when it comes to what the worst evil in this whole situation really is. I'm trying really hard to stay level - it's difficult to know what is right. All I know to do is try to play my role and do everything I can manage to not spread it, and I'm not just talking about the virus. My thoughts on everything may change by the day, but the range of things I can do doesn't. On a bare level it is at least simple to separate wants and long-term goals from immediate needs. I focus on the latter, eliminating as many as possible until only those are met. Where there are gaps I simply accept that I have to adjust my perspective, and that I may not be able to do that quickly, let alone consistently because that's not how people work. It's impossible to know how to feel sometimes. It definitely becomes easier when you accept the impact this has on your decisions. Doesn't mean one can rationalize making poor choices, but I think you have to be able to accept it and forgive yourself for that if you are to remain close enough to that part of yourself to exert more control over it.

Not fully knowing the implications here, but seeing what can happen, I try to take every chance to exercise caution. It means giving a lot of things up for the time being and completely rethinking my day to day. I find that in itself stressful in that it's a constant reminder of things being up in the air, as well as that things which would normally help me cope with those situations are absent. I can't not realize that and it compounds into this lower-level 'oh shit' feeling. I don't feel like I'm as in control as I thought before all of this and that rattles a person on a deep level. I can't resolve things like I used to, and it's prodding my ego. That can either motivate you to find that sense of control unrelentingly, or bring you to grips with things you take for granted and lead you to things you can still appreciate.

One way I deal with it all is what I'm doing right now. I try to look at my own thoughts and feelings like I'm analyzing a character in a film... and just hash it out as though I'm simply tabulating someone else's thoughts. Putting it out there forces me to think carefully, even if only to be able to form the words and be understood. Beyond that, I have to be able to distance myself from what I'm looking at a little bit in order to have that capacity. It's not an easy thing to do and often I go to write a post and have to just walk away... not because I don't stand by what I'm writing, but because of what I'm channeling and the effect I see it having on me. I have the benefit of witnessing these things, while not being at the mercy of them, because my focus is on the act of writing with intent. It's like meta-level meditation.

I find it extremely useful. It tells me things about what's going on with me that I wouldn't have noticed. And then when I do manage, it's therapeutic. If I can integrate some of my thoughts, I am able to continue living under new limitations with a real sense that everything about this is not everything about me. Because of how this is affecting the world, it's easy to wind up making it your whole world. My way of resolving that is to push for my next stopping point, because after that all I can do is put it down. As a bonus, it gives me a chance to watch my own thoughts pass. Stop trying to alter them or make sense of things for a little while. I also get to go back and see how my thoughts go at different points, and correlate them on a timeline. It may not change much, but it gives me a way to anticipate my reactions and potentially see flaws I'm prone to.

I have made peace with the idea that at some point things will not be as bad as now, but I won't know when that is, or how much worse things may or may not get. I just know that a lot of people are dying and vital systems are starting to break down. I fear for the economy and really my whole way of life further off in the future. But I also know that to be something I have no power over, just as I cannot control how everything to do with me will be affected if this virus becomes a part of my life directly. I can only deal with it like I'm dealing with things now, which is to make the compromises I can make, try to encourage others to do the same, and try to find different ways to be happy. A temporary new normal. I may think whatever I think, but my conscience likes to remind me of what could happen if I'm not careful. I find that actually keeps me from worrying so much about pretty much everything else that isn't anything I can do to never have to face what it's warning me about, if I can help it. Sometimes welcoming negative emotions leads to better decisions. It's usually avoiding them that causes people to make mistakes that they recognize as mistakes on an intellectual level.

If I catch it, I catch it. But I don't want any guilt on my head. I don't want to have to look back on a terrible outcome that I've been a part of, knowing I legitimately could've done things differently. People make mistakes. The only other thing I prioritize is really trying to keep my emotions in order, just knowing they're always influencing me whether I face them or not. It's not always possible to do in the moment, but when I feel like I'm calm in another moment, I remind myself to reflect, before it inevitably passes and I lose that capacity yet again. Sometimes I don't like what I find, but that's the point. Emotions, positive and negative, can both be used as tools. They can just as easily help a person resolve difficult problems in life. Sometimes things have to run their course, and you have to just know that in your heart. They're always changing, you know? I'm just trying to ride the waves and keep eyes on the scenery back on-shore. I know I'll fuck up. But that just means I'm ready.

I like to think that what I'm trying to describe is part of a progression we actually go through constantly. It's just that certain things force your hand a bit and push it more into your awareness than you're used to. There's no way of knowing how to react. For me, I focus more on how I react. You can always look back and see how you react to things. IME simply doing that seems to alter how a person reacts in the future... it works on a subconscious level.

 

[TheLostSwede]

That is...one of the ugliest creatures I've ever seen!

C'mon, pangolins are kinda cute. Also completely harmless. Yet, they're being hunted into extinction by humans, so their scales can be sold as Chinese "medicine"...

 

[the54thvoid]

So, woke up at 06.15, read thread.

LQ'd and deleted political comments.

 

[Caring1]

So, woke up at 06.15, read thread.

LQ'd and deleted political comments.

Groundhog day tomorrow again.

 

[Gmr_Chick]

C'mon, pangolins are kinda cute. Also completely harmless. Yet, they're being hunted into extinction by humans, so their scales can be sold as Chinese "medicine"...

And, according to that article, their meat is considered a "delicacy" there...

 

[robot zombie]

I don't know how anybody could eat one of those. They're super cute! Like a mix between an armadillo and an anteater. Those two things on their own aren't that cute (anteaters are wierd... armadillos are creepy and carry leprousy...) but combine them and they are ADORABLE. I will never understand... they see animals like that and want to eat them. I just wanna hold them while they roll into a little ball and let it float on its back in the sink.

They look like something you'd see in a classic JRPG as some sort of helpful creature. If you help them in a sidequest where you befriend a villiage of them, there's a 7% chance one pops in to battle to do a DEVASTATING roll attack on an enemy when in thier homeland. Mebbe they bounce back and make a cute little SNES creature call before rolling off the stage, making cute little clicky sounds. And then in levels they bounce over to switches that open up paths to unique loot or a shortcut that bypasses a boss or costly gauntlet run. Iconic.

Those things need to be made a mascot. Even the name fits. Pangolin? Are you sure this isn't from a fantasy anime? Maybe they're mythical amphibious serpentine armadillos... It's either that or a musical instrument, so I'm just gonna stick with the former. In my head canon their attacks cause lingering poison damage to my foes and they can't be attacked or killed. Giving them a leek makes them ecstatically happy - the one that you can communicate with always keeps one in its mouth. That's how you know it's the leader. It's also how you earn thier trust. Initially they want to attack you with thier adorable little army in a forest encounter. But then you offer the leek as an olive branch and they come to respect you, even though you can't roll up trees. They can roll across bodies of water to get things for you, because swim mechanics haven't been implemented yet.

 

[R0H1T]

In reality, when this virus hits Mexico City, that region is so fucked it's not even funny. Sorry for the language, but there aren't really better words to describe it.

Well we've probably got a dozen or so clusters like Mexico City or even Tokyo, though over a larger area. In terms of density & pop India is 3x that of China but one thing that is mildly encouraging is that with the lesser area we can grab/identify some of these infected people rather quickly. Contact tracing will likely be more effective especially if you're looking at certain neighborhoods, though the obvious downside is that the number of infected could be much higher.

 

[the54thvoid]

I don't know how anybody could eat one of those. They're super cute! Like a mix between an armadillo and an anteater. Those two things on their own aren't that cute (anteaters are wierd... armadillos are creepy and carry leprousy...) but combine them and they are ADORABLE. I will never understand... they see animals like that and want to eat them. I just wanna hold them while they roll into a little ball and let it float on its back in the sink.

They look like something you'd see in a classic JRPG as some sort of helpful creature. If you help them in a sidequest where you befriend a villiage of them, there's a 7% chance one pops in to battle to do a DEVASTATING roll attack on an enemy when in thier homeland. Mebbe they bounce back and make a cute little SNES creature call before rolling off the stage, making cute little clicky sounds. And then in levels they bounce over to switches that open up paths to unique loot or a shortcut that bypasses a boss or costly gauntlet run. Iconic.

Those things need to be made a mascot. Even the name fits. Pangolin? Are you sure this isn't from a fantasy anime? Maybe they're mythical amphibious serpentine armadillos... It's either that or a musical instrument, so I'm just gonna stick with the former. In my head canon their attacks cause lingering poison damage to my foes and they can't be attacked or killed. Giving them a leek makes them ecstatically happy - the one that you can communicate with always keeps one in its mouth. That's how you know it's the leader. It's also how you earn thier trust. Initially they want to attack you with thier adorable little army in a forest encounter. But then you offer the leek as an olive branch and they come to respect you, even though you can't roll up trees. They can roll across bodies of water to get things for you, because swim mechanics haven't been implemented yet.

I'm not LQ'ing your post (somehow that would seem mean) but stay on topic. Enchanted Pangolins and battle-lust is def for the lounge.

 

[robot zombie]

Gotcha. Couldn't help it