Coronavirus in the United States - news and thoughts

How covid19 is doing so far compared to SARS and H1N1:

 

Lies don't cure illnesses or protect the public.

 

One of the biggest problems with the coronavirus is how susceptible and vulnerable humans seem to be to the virus. I read that this virus transfers from human to human at a rate of over 4 times the rate if the normal flu. Four times. Doing the math, that number is really scary.

 

However, one very prominent politician perceives that lies could enhance his chance of reelection and for this politician and the sycophants who support him reelection takes precedence over the treatment of illnesses or the protection of the public.

 

Or, right or wrong, Trump is trying to avoid a public panic, which is not in our country’s best interest.

 

The problem is that as the result of his complete lack of credibility he is incapable of calming the public. In his "hoax" performance at the MAGA rally 10 days ago he said that the outbreak was contained and that there were only 15 cases in the US implying that the number would go to zero. Trump is like the proverbial boy who cried wolf only in reverse. With the exception of Fox News viewers and his MAGA rally fans no one believes anything that he says (or tweets).

 

Hard for me to disagree with this. While Trump may be trying to avoid a panic, his efforts do it seem to be either unsuccessful or uninspiring.

 

Or perhaps, maybe, just maybe, lying about things will make the panic worse. Perhaps letting people that might know more about something than you to be the public face of response might be the responsible thing to do instead of playing politics with a virus that knows no party affiliation might be the best thing for the country. No one wants to see people sick or dying...100k+ infections is not a hoax, it’s time to let the adults make decisions.

 

No folks, lying by a president is not okay. Playing down risks and contradicting health experts is not okay. Stop defending the indefensible.

 

So now we have it. The average age of people that are dying is 80 and it doesn't mean that all 80 year old's are dying if they have it. The average age requiring medical attention is 60 and it also doesn't mean that all 60 year olds that get it require medical attention. So I say again, focus on those age groups with preventative advice and direct them accordingly. Fact is this hysteria is getting a bit ridiculous. Why the craziness is beyond me. Just look at the facts!

 

My sons office in DC is telling everyone to stay home indefinitely

 

About 16% of the population in the US is 65 or older. That's approximately 52 million people in the US. We've also seen the worst case scenario in Washington, when the Corona virus hits a place with a high concentration of elderly. The threat to the elderly population, and those with compromised immune systems is real.

It's one thing if you work at a senior home or senior center, but most of us likely interact with seniors at grocery stores, restaurants, or just being out about. I see plenty of grandparents picking their grandkids at school every day. It would be best for everyone 60 and over to self quarantine, but is that really going to happen?

Considering how this disease is spread, anyone who comes in contact with someone infected who has the chance of coming into contact with someone over 70 should self quarantine for the benefit of the elderly. But that's unlikely to happen too.

Last, we really don't know just how widespread this disease is in the US due to lack of available testing kits, which is a failure of our government. For most of us, myself included, I'm not in the most vulnerable group. But my mother is. Late 70s with Crohn's disease, which compromises the immune system. She's not in the best of health, but she manages, and likely has years left. If she gets infected with Corona, then it could be days.

 

link?

 

If the virus was allowed to spread, its significantly more contagious and the mortality rate is higher than the flu, so comparisons to numbers are not really valid. If it can be contained then yeah, it does little. If it spreads then a lot of people will die. True though that a young healthy person should have less to worry about than someone with other medical conditions or the old and very young.

 

First death in Pensacola this morning. No link on this yet but I know people at the hospital.

 

Even if it's older people who have died from it, that we haven't been able to contain it and that it spreads through not just older people but people of all ages is a big part of the problem. As is our lack of anti-virals. You are basically reacting to the alarm with denialism but this seems to me to demonstrate a severe lack of understanding or appreciation on your part about of why new infectious diseases cause such alarm.

 

As the article mentioned, the NIH also has one in the works that was approved for testing. It will take quite awhile as these things go.