Well, I made the mistake of looking at one of the pictures from Bucha, and... 

... I don't think I'm going to be feeling rational about anything for a while. I have 2 small kids, and another on the way, and right now all I want to do is cry while tearing the throat out of the people responsible.

"every possible universe exists"

Under what kind of metaphysics or semantics could this sentence not be a tautology?

The universal trouble is that long-term, flexible and 'ethical' strategies always seem to get trumped by

• short-term unethical power strategies (i.e., the mafioso type)
• short-term amoral selfish/corrupt behaviour (i.e., iron law of bureaucracy, disaster capitalism)

It's easier to build than to destroy or steal, sadly

I just wish the throat swabs didn't trigger my gag reflex.

I didn't even know I had a gag reflex until I took one, and it makes the swab pretty useless as I can't get near my tonsils without having to stop before I throw up.

Without other people, any existence would be

• mind-numbingly dull
• excruciatingly pointless
• full of grief and loss; where are my loved-ones? My children?!

That's the only hope I have for escaping death,

Well... there is, of course, any variation of quantum immortality

I have a highly specific vision of a virtual reality heaven. Basically, I would be left alone for all eternity on my personal island

Funnily enough, you've just described, for me, a virtual reality hell

On quarantining/geo-boxing:

Even if the different regions have similar numbers of cases, is there an argument to be made for confinement in that it keeps variants more isolated?

Indeed, since there is no absolute distinction between the parts of reality that are 'you' and those that aren't, then solipsism isn't by itself a meaningful concept.