Coronavirus in the United States - news and thoughts

Never mind the underlined part was the link

 

And if you look at your Lysol can it says it kills corona virus. Don’t know if it works on this strain

 

The mortality rate in China so far is more like 3-4% so 1% seems optimistic. I think 2% is the number most people are using

 

Tis true, but the alarm is over a different coronavirus. When there are outbreaks, it's not only a concern about death--although that is definitely one of them--it's about the ability of viruses to spread in a way that experts don't quite have a grasp on and thus lack the ability to effectively fight it.

A few weeks ago, I posted a great interview on NPR where the author, David Quamman, discusses this issue. There are many great books about infectious disease, but one of the best I read was from the 1970s titled Plagues and Peoples, which is a historical look at various diseases and how they were transmitted. One of my favs from my undergrad years.

 

elements of medical? what the... hahahahaha!

 

He is nothing but a pathetic hypocritical hack...giving the medal of freedom to this joke of a human being is even more pathetic...gotta love donnie...

 

Geez. Uttered without shame. How do their followers actually look themselves in the mirror daily?

 

Lock her up! Lock her up! Darn Denver city councilwoman.

 

This is a plot to kill off us older Americans and lower the stress on SS and Medicare.

I’ll have a lime with my Corona.

 

so if 6 people caught it, that would still fit within the 'up to 70%' range

 

Not trying to get people worked up over the Coronavirus stuff, but this is an important read from a specialist from the CDC:

_____________________________________________

Please listen to the scientists, not the media.

This is a posting by Juliana Grant, a physician and infectious disease epidemiologist from the Seattle area.

Hi folks,

A number of you have asked me what I think is going to happen with coronavirus (COVID-19) and what we should be doing to prepare. I have a few thoughts about what’s likely to happen and what you should do about it. For those of you who don’t know me well, I am a preventive medicine physician and infectious disease epidemiologist. I graduated from the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service and have over 17 years of experience in the field, most of that with CDC.

Wishing everyone good health,
Juliana

Who should I listen to?
The CDC and your state health department are your best place for information about COVID-19. Be cautious about other sources of information - many of them will not be reliable or accurate.

How bad is this going to be?
It’s possible that COVID-19 will be similar to a bad flu year but there are a number of indications that it will be very much like the 1918 Flu Pandemic. To put that in perspective, the 1918 flu did not end civilization as we know it but it was the second-deadliest event of the last 200 years. Expect people you know to die from this.

However, there is one critical difference between COVID-19 and the 1918 flu - the 1918 flu virus hit children and young adults particularly hard. COVID-19 seems to be most severe in older adults. Children and young adults generally have mild infections. We are grateful for this.

What can we expect?
This is not the zombie apocalypse. Core infrastructure (e.g., power, water, supermarkets, internet, government, etc.) will continue to work, perhaps with some minor disruptions.

There will be significant economic disruption: a global recession is very possible and there will probably be significant shortages of some products. The healthcare system will be hit the hardest. The number of people who are likely to get sick is higher than our healthcare systems can handle.

Daily life will be impacted in important ways. Travel is likely to be limited and public gatherings will probably be canceled. Schools will probably be closed. Expect health departments to start issuing these orders in the near future, especially on the West Coast.

The acute pandemic will probably last at least for several months and quite possibly for a year or two.

What can we do?
We can’t keep COVID-19 from being a global pandemic but the more we can do to slow the spread of the disease, the less severe the impact will be. With that in mind, here are the things you can do:

Stay calm but take it seriously. This will likely be bad but it’s not the apocalypse.

Stay home if you’re sick or someone in your house is sick.

Leave medical supplies for healthcare workers. You shouldn’t be stockpiling masks or other medical supplies. They are needed in hospitals to keep our healthcare workers healthy.

Wash your hands. Get in the habit of frequently washing your hands thoroughly and covering your cough.

Minimize your exposure. Now that we’re seeing community transmission, it’s time to start seriously cutting back on your exposure to other people. Depending on your circumstances:
Cancel all non-essential travel (and most of it is non-essential!)
Avoid large-scale gatherings
Work from home if possible
Minimize direct contact with others including hand shakes and hugs
Reduce your trips out of the house. If possible, shop for two weeks of groceries at once or consider having your groceries delivered.

Remember, keep calm and prepare. This is likely to be bad but if we respond calmly and thoughtfully we can handle it.

Feel free to share this email as you see fit.
**************************
Juliana Grant, MD MPH
Public health and epidemiology consultant
juliana@julianagrant.com

 

WHO increased estimated mortality rate to 3.4%. That is 5 -10 million dead in the US depending on the infection rate

Coronavirus deaths in U.S. increase as officials send alarms about spread

 

Good stuff, at least in terms of being informative


Anthony Fauci's prognosis: Coronavirus likely to be bad, but not "really bad"

 

WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 - 3 March 2020

 

I’d summarize the mortality rate is +10% if you are over 65 but minuscule under 65. It’s like the Logan’s Run virus. Seems like serious precautions should be taken in older folks.

 

Feels like one of those Cat 2 hurricanes heading this way......and about a week or two out......

 

I’d buy that lady a beer.