We should be cautious during the early stages of a new threat. There are people pouring over the data trying to spot as yet unseen consequences. This pandemic might not be the one that warrants widespread disruption to our lives but we need to examine the threat fully before we accept it as something we have to live with.
COVID-19/Coronavirus Information and Support Thread (see OP for useful links)
- Thread starter baldgye
- 13,285 comments
- 644,913 views
Danoff
Premium
- 34,014
- Mile High City
If the goal is to minimize loss of life to coronavirus at all costs, yes spread panic as quickly as possible to as many people as possible. We want everyone scared and holed up.
if the goals is to minimize damage of all kinds surrounding this event, we need to avoid spreading panic. It's harder to measure the damage caused by businesses collapsing, jobs lost, products not brought to market, etc. but it is real and it will cost lives too.
My feeling on this, based on what I’ve read. Is that Korea took it VERY seriously and basically stamped down on it hard very quickly.
They got vast amounts of people tested, cancelled events and actively monitored public transportation and decontaminated areas too.
Compare that to how the west has dealt with it and it’s night and day. Yet here we are, still failing to convince people that it isn’t ‘just the flu’.
- 17,250
- United Kingdom
It wouldn't account for everything, but Italy has a larger population of older (65+) people (20% vs 13% for South Korea), and the percentage of males (who it sounds like are more at risk) to females, is also higher... so they have a higher % of population at risk, based on these simple demographics. 360% more tourists, probably don't help Italy, nor does it's 5 open land borders to S. Korea's none.
Jawehawk
Premium
- 4,652
- Denmark
- Yohansen_92
I thank you for it, although it's more fun to read stuff that challenges your existing stance rather than reinforces it
In that case I appear to have misjudged your stance. For a bit there I thought you were advocating that we impose a nation/worldwide quarantine. I bring up other causes of death not so much as a direct comparison, but rather to bring some perspective that I think is missing from the whole thing. Of course the number of infections will increase further, but I'll leave the estimates and guesstimates on the extend of that to people who know far better than I.
As I see it, we simply have to accept that not everything it under our control. We can and should fight disease with modern medicine, but at the same time, we should understand that we won't be entirely succesful in this endeavor, and perhaps recognize that that might not be a bad thing. As cruel as it might sound, if everyone lived to be a hundred, we'd have even more problems than we do now. Diseases are a natural, even if cruel, form of population control. This is far from the first, it'll be far from the worst, and it won't be the last. A hundred years ago, some 50 million people died from the Spanish Flu, with approximately 1/5th of the world having been infected. Admittedly, I can't remember if those 50 million were directly from the flu or a mix of the disease and the famine that might follow such a thing. Today, we are much better equipped to deal with and learn from it.
- 6,067
- Simcoeace
I wasn't aware that Italy had such an aged population. I knew that Japan had a very old population (the oldest in the world) & I was assuming that South Korea would have a similar demographic. Looking into it just now, it does appear that S. Korea currently has a significantly lower percentage of old people than Japan (or Italy for that matter) BUT ... the birth rate in S. Korea is now the lowest in the world, so the demographics are going to change dramatically over the coming years.
Danoff
Premium
- 34,014
- Mile High City
17 known cases in Colorado this morning (I assume that's roughly 10% of the actual cases, so maybe 170 infected, many in Denver). And while I was out today I saw many older people shopping. One man, who must have been in his 80s, was driving a scooter through a checkout line with oxygen being supplied through nasal tubing.
So far I have not noticed any shift in public demographics toward a younger average age. And if anything, crowds are bigger.
So far I have not noticed any shift in public demographics toward a younger average age. And if anything, crowds are bigger.
- 15,889
- wrexham
- jameskent86451
- Jamobomb86
Bit of a quieter day in work today, we had a lot of toilet roll in when I started my shift and when I finished it we had sold out, I was mostly looking bemused at the people buying 10 4 packs of toilet roll. A few customers said to me that some of our rivals stores were just cleaned out of everything.
When we get more toilet roll in it will be restricted to 3 per customer, that will be fun trying to tell people that they cant buy more!
When we get more toilet roll in it will be restricted to 3 per customer, that will be fun trying to tell people that they cant buy more!
- 11,866
- Marin County
On the subject of old people, fox news seems to be having a crisis of identity regarding coronavirus:
On the one hand, it's absolutely perfect fodder for their paranoia/conspiracy peddling
...but on the other hand, it's detrimental to their guy, and it's beyond a stretch, even for Fox News, to make it brown people's fault. There's no silver bullet of xenophobic dumbassery that is applicable. So mostly...the coronavirus seems to have minimal coverage on Fox vs CNN & others. There does seem to be some garbage about the wall being necessary to keep coronavirus out. Is that messaging effective on anyone at this point? I could see a wall secluding California, New York, Flordia and Washington state as at least conceptually plausible...but Mexico? Is there really anyone dumb enough to believe that is a useful mitigation approach to coronavirus?
Joey D
Premium
- 47,454
- Lakes of the North, MI
- GTP_Joey
- GTP Joey
I mean they can blame China, right?
I should introduce you to my Facebook feed
- 11,866
- Marin County
I mean they can blame China, right?
I should introduce you to my Facebook feed
I don't see much utility in blaming china at this point. Actions stemming from that particular channel of dumbassery are very limited. We can't plausibly make coronavirus go away by nuking or tariffing China into submission. That's all that Trump and the gang have: Bullying, Bribing, Baffooning, and Bluffing - The four tenants of Dumbass Donald & Co - none useful against a virus that is already here.
Danoff
Premium
- 34,014
- Mile High City
Seattle just shut public schools
https://www.kuow.org/stories/seattle-public-schools-closes-for-two-weeks-due-to-coronavirus-outbreak
What exactly do they expect to improve in 2 weeks?
https://www.kuow.org/stories/seattle-public-schools-closes-for-two-weeks-due-to-coronavirus-outbreak
What exactly do they expect to improve in 2 weeks?
- 5,618
- Alabamistan
Both the men's and women's NCAA Championship Tournaments will be played without fans in attendance.
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/28885422/ncaa-says-tournament-go-fans
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/28885422/ncaa-says-tournament-go-fans
Denmark shuts schools and universities to curb spread of coronavirus
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/denm...nEGY7oL8dQU7v1MQzyYHD9MTI0Mr0LVS&guccounter=1
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/denm...nEGY7oL8dQU7v1MQzyYHD9MTI0Mr0LVS&guccounter=1
- 11,866
- Marin County
What concerns me a good deal is how & when will we know the appropriate time to say "all clear". I don't see the economic carnage halting until then...but who can honestly predict when that will be? A few months? A few years? I'd believe either.
Dotini
(Banned)
- 15,742
- Seattle
- CR80_Shifty
IMHO, the "all-clear" signal is issued either when (a) herd immunity is achieved or (b) an effective vaccine is in wide use.
Danoff
Premium
- 34,014
- Mile High City
This is life now. Get used to it.
- 20,960
- NJ/USA
- Blitzbay
- Blitzbay
Following a player on the Utah Jazz testing positive for the coronavirus, and two players falling ill prior to the Utah Jazz vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game (postponed), the NBA has suspended the season.
Player to test positive for the virus is C Rudy Gobert.
Player to test positive for the virus is C Rudy Gobert.
Similar threads
