I agree with you on the handwashing, and I share your cynicism regarding the profitability (financial and political) of various interventions being a driving factor, moreso than their effectiveness.
Regarding 2017 flu, CDC estimates we had 45 million cases and 61,000 deaths. This means the flu fatality rate was 0.1%. The current covid fatality rate in the US is about 3% (and as I said before, will probably fall but only down to 0.5-1%). We also had a flu vaccine that could cut your odds of getting sick. We are months away from a possible vaccine for covid. These are very different numbers and circumstances compared to even a bad flu year. So it’s like the flu, but maybe 10x as deadly and we were starting from scratch with medical treatments and are still without a vaccine.
I’m not a public health expert, but I think the government response to covid was too little too early, and too much too late. We got wrong-footed, and are now flailing about. We should have clamped down in big cities and ports of entry and left much of the country alone, to start with. Hindsight now, of course, but the early government attempts to quell worries about this thing were harmful.
Kids getting sick from covid is a small concern, although there will continue to be a few kids who get ill. The bigger fear with schools open would be them passing the virus around and bringing it home to mom and dad. We’ll see what happens, and will be able to compare school districts that open with ones that don’t.
Unfortunately, there is not a painless way out of this mess. As you say, easy doesn’t work. We do have to trade some lives here to get back on our feet. To say that losing one additional life is too many is naive, and to say there is no excess risk is also being oblivious.
While I disagree with your blanket statement, I do think you hit on something important here (albeit unintentionally).
This argument has devolved into a "mask / no mask", "COVID serious / not serious" debate, but the true nature of the problem is the forcible government intervention that has effectively hammered the last few nails in these coffins. At least, that's the problem I have with it.
We don't need mandated shutting down of gyms and restaurants. We need those businesses to come up with their own solutions to maintaining the influx of their customer base. If a restaurant wants its staff to wear masks to make customers happy, they should be allowed to do that instead of forced.
(And, if members of that staff want to exercise their right to not wear a mask, then the restaurant may exercise its right not to employ those members.)
Customers should be allowed to do the same thing. Businesses that can't attract new or maintain existing clients despite the new environment will face consequences. The important point is that this happens without government interference.
There's places I go because the business owner refuses to force customers to wear masks. An equally effective strategy, and he takes the risk of losing further business if people perceive his business as a "hub". That is his decision.
I wear a mask when I go certain places because the business has asked me to and they reserve the right to not serve me if I don't comply. That's their decision, just like not wearing one is mine. But the "forced" wearing of a mask clouds all of this otherwise well-intentioned capitalistic interaction, and it has pitted frustrated customers against frustrated businesses.
I have pointed out several times that the Case Rate and the Infection Rate are two different numbers, the CR being completely dependent on testing rates -- you acknowledge this by saying the death rate will come down. Your "covid fatality rate" is the number of confirmed cases that die, and this is absolutely and completely a bullshit statistic, and you should know this. In the absence of a true estimate of the number of infections, the number of cases is useful only as propaganda -- and it's being used that way every minute of every day. The "Death rate from COVID-19" is the only number of any value, the DRC19, the number of people dead of COVID-19 as a percentage of the population. Even that is bullshit, since we know about the games being played with death coding and the incentives in place for doing so. So, in a nation of 328.2 million people, ~159,000 have died "of COVID-19." This is 0.048%. Same with the flu -- we don't know how many had it, so we don't know the death rate from the disease, we only know how many who died from it and what % of the population this constitutes. It's about 0.018%, about 1/3 as deadly as COVID-19 so far, even if you believe their numbers.
So, compare 0.048% and 0.018%, and then compare the responses by the government to each number. Remember that between 2.5 and 3 million people die in the US every year, which is ~0.837% of the population, headed towards 1%. Bigger picture, sully.
I think we should start to also admit that many of the conditions that make the China virus worse are often self-inflicted, and it's rather rude to lock the rest of us indoors because of their choices. "You only live once!!!!! (YOLO)" Yes, you (general you) only live once, and you chose your life to be maladapted to the environment, Darwin candidates.
I see the lines at Dairy Queen and the size of the junk food aisles at the stores. I see the lines for cigarettes. I've been in the office meetings with the fat middle aged people who chuckle about not exercising and eating poorly like I'm supposed to laugh along and think it's cute rather than disgusting, but grab a doughnut off the table anyway. I see the squat rack open every time I go into the gym. I see the gym industry based on signing you up and hoping you don't come in and it working. Much of the obesity, diabetes, and heart disease are choices people made. Take out the few younger people who have these sorts of conditions through no fault of their own and then the people under threat I'm actually really concerned about seems pretty damn tiny.
I'm not going to suffer and piss away my very little remaining youth because of your choices. Obese people have had 6 months to lose weight to become more resistant to this disease. How many have? No one I see out it seems. Death is allegedly staring them in the face, but we're still fat as ever. I'm supposed to sacrifice (AGAIN because I'd like to have an ice cream and pizza diet as well but go without) and cooperate for the greater good, but the people under actual threat can't be bothered to do their part to help keep themselves alive?
Show me the in-shape high school athlete who gets long term effects or dies from this virus and I'll feel bad, but most of the 45 year old obese people, nah. You chose poorly: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: Choose Wisely, Chose Poorly - YouTube
I choose to save those dying of TB and saving the 10k/month children dying of lockdown starvation instead. I choose to save the high school kids committing suicide: CDC Director Compares Rate of Suicides to COVID-19 Deaths I choose not to have my nephews live through a lockdown induced great depression.
Thought this was fun.
Covid-19 seems to generate much higher fatalities in people with co-morbidities like type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
Teachers unions and many teachers throughout the USA are fighting their school districts because they don't want to go back and get exposed to COVID-19 (especially in urban areas). They are scared!
Krispy Kreme offers a donut sale to teachers. https://www.krispykreme.com/promos/educatorappreciation
The sheer capitalist-fueled ignorance of that wonderful gesture by Krispy Kreme is amazing.
Where have we seen in the news with more than a cursory passing treatment that exercising, eating healthy, taking certain vitamins, limiting sugar, etc may directly impact your covid19 outcome?
We are 6 months in folks, if you were obese, seriously out of shape, had chronic conditions etc and started a covid-19 diet / health kick 6 months ago you could easily be a much better stance to combat the virus...
Come get your donuts... idiots....
This doesn't add up. The worldwide numbers are so skewed in all directions, it's amazing. You got neighbouring countries with open borders, one has 10 times the number of deaths, all that jazz. I think there is far too much cooking the books for this statement to hold value. They tried to push it in the early stages, people bought it for a little while, now even the WHO is giving up on this line. The flu has been around since early times, so everybody has forgotten how to make use of it. This corona thing is so new, interest groups upon interest groups are rubbing their hands for the chance of a lifetime.
Those two statements go together nicely.
Live your own truth. 2+2=5. Gender doesn't exist. The "science" is settled. Grammar is racist. Diversity is strength. Slavery is freedom. Do as you're told. You are not allowed to ask questions. The expert politicians are our best and brightest. They are naively altruistic heroes who will selflessly do what is right. They will think for you. They will make your choices for you.
The Bezos' and Bloombergs end up just as rich under Communism. Communism also doesn't care about "fair". The only difference is that under one system, it is bureaucratic nepotism which decides who is allowed to be wealthy. Under the other system, merit at least has a say in who is allowed to be wealthy.
I am assuming you understand the difference between case fatality rate and an infection fatality rate as it pertains to infectious disease. Assuming you do, how do you define a "case?" In your understanding of the statistics above, how does a positive antibody test in relation to a positive PCR test play a role in the fatality rate?
I think you are right. I know there are at least 17 of them.
Seals are wonderful creatures.
Twitter: POTUS said a few minutes ago:the beast is mad?POTUS: "I have a lot of enemies out there. This may be the last time you see me for a while."