Mine is an honest question. There are a lot of people who are unhappy the economy is shut down and many people facing economic hardship. If you believe that this virus is just a strong flu, how do you suggest we respond? The yearly flu response is to encourage vaccinations, hand washing and staying home when you are sick all of which are only partially successful. With these measures we have tens of millions of cases yearly. So if you disapprove of the current response (or if you approve of the response of say Florida but not California), what would you suggest as the national response?
As for national response. I’m not an expert. That said, while I did not/will not vote for our current government, I’d say their actions are about a 1000 times better than the US. You’ve got a president who is both emotionally and intellectually incapable of dealing with the crisis you’re now facing. I wish you luck, because you’re going to need it.
0 Replies
chai2
3
Thu 9 Apr, 2020 07:45 am
@engineer,
Bill has no idea how to repond to your question engineer. Except to throw out at random the words cdc, flu, public record.
I'm not joking. Since that's all he's done, and has shown no interest in other.
Since he says he doesn't want to be awoken until the death toll in the US reaches 61K, I think we should honor that request.
The The flu doesn't lead to refrigerated trucks being dispersed throughout a city for holding the deceased. The flu doesn't lead to people not being allowed any visitors when hospitalized or the touch of a loved one's hand or voice as the sick person breathes their last breath.
The flu doesn't necessitate bringing in funeral home workers from other towns and cities to handle the caseload.
So a death total of 61 thousands repeat 61 thousands an we do not have a problem with that number of dead bodies but we have refrig trucks line up for a fraction of that death total for some reason? Yes I know it just in case the numbers are in the hundreds of thousands which there is no sign of it being so high.
Total US deaths from Coronavirus is currently 20,456
It's not the death toll in a year across the country that makes you need a refrigerated truck, it's the death toll in a single place in a day. NYC saw 777 deaths on Thursday, at least 600 day for six days running. That's why you need trucks.
I've been tracking since the beginning of the month the stats in Texas, and Travis county in particular.
From a numbers stand point in Tx in general, the deaths from day to day are going up at a near 45 degree curve, increasing at around 22 deaths a day.
The total number of cases is going up at just a slightly less acute incline than deaths.
Hospitalizations are actually down from yesterday by 18. This could be because of the number of deaths of course.
I'm acutely aware when I note 22 people dying each day at this time is changing the lives of many people. These aren't just numbers to me. I know everyone realizes that. I think sometimes we need a reminder though.
I wonder about the demographics of those who have died. Of course I know the demographics given, re age etc.
I'm thinking of where the rubber meets the road, the comorbidity factors, in particular, smoking. I don't have any facts, but I frankly wouldn't be surprised if someone 40, even younger who smokes 1 or more packs a day doesn't have more of a chance of dying than a 70 year old (or older) who doesn't smoke, walks around the block once a day and gives a little thought to what they eat.
I also find myself thinking in particular of those smokers who go on about their rights as a smoker, and how persecuted they are.
Yeah well, hows that working out for ya?
I've always been someone who has been careful about insisting what rights I have or don't have, and try to consider how that all fits in with the big picture. For instance, smoking is an addition every bit as powerful as heroin or cocaine. I think much, if not most of the insistence on ones right to smoke is simply the junkie talking.
I know I'm going off here, but I've done a lot of thinking about my personal chances, of not getting sick.
0 Replies
BillRM
-2
Sat 11 Apr, 2020 08:12 pm
@engineer,
engineer wrote:
It's not the death toll in a year across the country that makes you need a refrigerated truck, it's the death toll in a single place in a day. NYC saw 777 deaths on Thursday, at least 600 day for six days running. That's why you need trucks.
What the population of NYC? At a guess it is over ten millions and the area surrounding NYC another ten plus millions at least.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were 2,813,503 registered deaths in the United States in 2017. The age-adjusted death rate, which accounts for the aging population, is 731.9 deaths per 100,000 people in the U.S.
Quote:
Number of deaths for leading causes of death:
Heart disease: 647,457
Cancer: 599,108
Accidents (unintentional injuries): 169,936
Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 160,201
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 146,383
Alzheimer’s disease: 121,404
Diabetes: 83,564
Influenza and Pneumonia: 55,672
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis: 50,633
Intentional self-harm (suicide): 47,173
So calling it 10 million, NYC should see around 73k deaths in a year or around 200 per day mostly from causes other than the flu. They are seeing 3-4x that amount day after day just from the Corona virus. From the stats there, probably another 195 from other causes. Not hard to see why they are running out of places to put the bodies. Instead of the flu accounting for 2% of deaths, the Coronavirus is at over 75%.
It is annoying that this oh so deadly virus had not taken care of our insane president ,as it is the least the damn virus could do for us.
0 Replies
Walter Hinteler
3
Mon 13 Apr, 2020 11:45 pm
In many countries people fear for their lives and economic existence during the corona crisis.
A country comparison by the London-based Deep Knowledge Group gives details of when the initial restrictions came into force, whether there were many violations, the extent of travel restrictions, whether there are nationwide Covid-19 tests and how the hospitals are equipped.
In each of these cases, the viral outbreak lacked one of the key components that COVID-19 has that allowed it to tip over into a global pandemic. “SARS-CoV-2 is kind of a perfect storm,” said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University who specializes in infectious diseases.
COVID-19 can be mild enough that some people who have it don’t know they have it. It’s also easily spread, can be transmitted by presymptomatic people and is severe enough to kill a significant share of those who have it. All combined, the novel coronavirus has led to an outbreak that is unusually difficult to track and control.
A public health doctor in Minnesota was discussing the 1918-19 pandemic and the SARS pandemic, and pointing out that when public activity began in both cases, infections and deaths shot up again. I heard him in passing on the radio, so I'm sorry to say I don't have his name. I will try to come up with it.
0 Replies
Setanta
2
Tue 14 Apr, 2020 10:29 am
Finding things at the CBC is a nightmare.
Meanwhile, here is an article from Forbes which is interesting, but which I find somewhat glib, and too confident. Interesfing, nonetheless:
