Some of you may find it helpful to know "tampons" is an Italian word for the "swabs" used to take a nasal sample....
I recalled some military use of the word relating to cannons, as well as a medical use, so out of curiosity I started looking up the origins of the word.
At least in Italian the origins are the same as "tappo" which is a cover, usually of some recipient such as the cover of a jar, the fuel cap, the screw cap of a container, etc. A "tampone" is a plug or stopper, or perhaps in marine terms a cover or closure for a small opening, as well as the medical uses such as a swab.
In English it still has similar meanings, even if not in every day use, as in Italian.
tampon [ tam-pon ] noun 1. a plug of cotton or the like for insertion into an orifice, wound, etc., chiefly for absorbing blood or stopping hemorrhages. 2. such a plug used for absorbing menstrual flow, especially one that is manufactured commercially. 3. a two-headed drumstick for playing rolls.
The military use is a variation of the word which came via the French "tampion" and goes back to the days of muzzle loading cannons on ships.
tampion [ tam-pee-uh n ] noun a plug or stopper placed in the muzzle of a piece of ordnance when not in use, to keep out dampness and dust.
I'll try to remember to translate it as "swab" in future
If anyone is wondering why I bother to publish these bulletins on the forum it is to show that Italy, the first European country to suffer significant numbers of contagion and deaths, is starting to come out of the pandemic. We have a long way to go yet but the figures are proving that the sacrifices made by nearly everyone are starting to take effect. The government is now talking about Phase 2. Phase 2 is where the restrictions begin to be relaxed and industry, shops etc. can progressively start to return to some form of normallity. Unfortunately until there is a vaccine there will still be many limitations, masks, social distancing etc.
Note in today's bulletin the negative figures that are starting to show. This does not mean that the crisis is over but it does mean that the lockdown is starting to take effect. The number of deaths with COVID-19 is still way too high even though it has fallen from the peak period. It also has to be said that more attention is being paid to whether or not a deceased person had CV19 so the reduction in the number of deaths registered for people with CV19 is perhaps higher than it would have been several weeks ago.
Data updated for Italy as of April 21
183,957 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic. Currently 107,709 people are positive, 24,648 have died and 51,600 have been cured.
Changes compared to the previous bulletin:
2,723 new positive cases 534 deceased 2,723 healed
Among the 107,709 currently positive (- 528):
81,104 are in solitary confinement at home (+ 346) 24,134 hospitalized with symptoms (- 772) 2,471 in intensive care (- 66)
Peter, I can honestly say that your early diligence and candor drove my decision to put my employees in work at home lockdown weeks before Florida got sort of serious about this matter. I can't be the only member who benefited from your dedication to sharing the less than desirable facts of the situation. Please accept my sincere thanks and gratitude. Keep up the good work please.
A very good point well said Edwin. The UK press were generally not sharing anything like the detail and as a result of Peters comment I also started to organise things around the office and moving to WFH etc earlier which made all the team happier when it did become distasteful.
Everyone loves a Morgan. Even me, unless it's broken again.
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