Coronavirus: Threat Beyond Politics [For Political Discussions of CoV]

[Canadian Visitor]

False. Influenza mortality rate is 0.1%
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/index.html

Not false. I cited the GLOBAL statistic, not the U.S. one.

Those numbers are very different.

The use is appropriate as the vast majority of COVID cases are non-U.S.

Reminder to [[some) Americans, you are only 4% of the world's population. The planet revolves around the Sun, not you.

So you want an Apples-to-Apples comparison.

If you want want a comparison using the more limited data of cases in North America, let's do that, shall we?

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6908e1.htm

"Thus, there have been 53 cases within the United States. No deaths have been reported in the United States."

U.S. mortality rate, as of 2 days ago, according to the CDC, for COVID-19. 0.0%

Canada as of 2 days ago had 11 cases, also 0 deaths.

[bust]

I suggest it's not productive to debate these statistics right now because all the data about COVID-19 thus far are highly unreliable. No one knows how to make sense of the data coming from China, where most has come from thus far-- they've changed their definition of testing positive 2 times. And no one trusts them to report it honestly anyway. Iran probably has the second biggest outbreak and no one trusts them to measure or report data accurately either. Everywhere else is struggling to keep up with this too. And the 53 mostly relatively new cases in the US are neither a big enough sample size nor has the disease here had long enough to fully evolve to determine the end result.

Of course we should not panic and create bigger problems than already exist.

But all evidence thus far suggests this virus is highly transmissible and dangerous not just for feeble people with other serious health problems. No one knows why yet, but the virus manifests itself very differently depending on the individual and the circumstances. For some it's like a flu, for some they need a machine just to keep breathing -- including some who were perfectly healthy just days before. Besides, let's be concerned for our elderly and those less strong among us.

Don't panic, but take it seriously too.

[Canadian Visitor]

....
Don't panic, but take it seriously too.

Entirely reasonable.

[Jimaz]

I went out last night to casually peruse my local home improvement big box store only to find most of the N95 Masks, and respirators were sold out. Walgreens, CVS, etc have been perennially sold out online for more than a month. There were a few 3-packs of 3M masks....

There was a recent radio interview of a guy in Texas whose company makes these masks. He said demand for them had increased by a factor of one thousand. He's having to turn away orders.

Some places need to provide masks routinely [[e.g., hospitals, nursing homes). If people start stealing/hoarding those in desperation, they won't be available for legitimate needs.

Yeah, what bust said: "Don't panic, but take it seriously too."

[bust]

Glad to hear we still have domestic manufacturers of these essential products.

Although you did not say whether his manufacturing facilities are in the US or not. Do you know?

[Jimaz]

... Although you did not say whether his manufacturing facilities are in the US or not. Do you know?

I believe the factory was located in Texas but I don't recall whether or not he said that explicitly.

Radio is so ephemeral. It comes in one ear then out the other. It was probably on WWJ News Radio 950 AM. Maybe they'll rerun it or maybe it's on their website somewhere.

[Richard]

Spain released 15 million masks to the public from the National stockpile.

One thing to keep in mind is countries like the US are always running scenarios and usually stockpile goods for worst case examples.

We have a National stockpile of oil in case of emergency,chemical warfare and viral outbreaks have always been on the radar so it would probably be a good bet that if it came down to it they would suddenly appear to the public.

To release them now would just help the profiteers.

S Korea started the week out with 33 cases and now has jumped up to over 1500,it makes it hard to tell if it is based on rapid spread,reporting issues or people waiting to go to get help.

If one can find the masks now it would be best to acquire them because it will save standing in line for hours on end and adding more risk in the process.

[Zacha341]

Those N95 Masks are now a fortune, even on eBay.... check and see!

I went out last night to casually peruse my local home improvement big box store only to find most of the N95 Masks, and respirators were sold out. Walgreens, CVS, etc have been perennially sold out online for more than a month...

[Dumpling]

This is the hypothetical worst case scenario.

At the end of January - about 4,800 cases of COVID-19 globally.

At the end of February - about 80,000 cases globally.

From January to February there was a 16.7-fold increase. As a worst-case scenario, for planning purposes, suppose that for each month from here on, there is again a 16.7 fold increase. So for the end of March we take the 80,000 cases from the end of February and
multiply that number by 16.7 and so on.

Estimate for end of March: 1,336,000 cases.
Estimate for end of April: 22,311,200 cases.
Estimate for end of May: 372,597,040 cases.
Estimate for end of June: 6,222,370,568 cases

Here we stop this exercise, because this is effectively everyone
in the world.

[Zacha341]

^^^ But Limbaugh says it's not a big deal just put forth to hurt Trump! He too thinks everything is ABOUT Trump!

As I stated in headline of this tread this is a Threat BEYOND Politics as Viruses Don't Discriminate!

[Richard]

We could all go to NYC,de Blasio said it was safe because they have 1200 beds on standby for a city of 8 million.

Japan has shut the school system down.

[Zacha341]

Good times ahead when you consider China manufactures most of our medicines, and the active pharmaceutical ingredients of our prescription drugs [[read reviews of book):

China Rx: Exposing the Risks of America's Dependence on China for Medicine

[jcole]

Those N95 Masks are now a fortune, even on eBay.... check and see!

Facemasks don't protect you anyway. They may offer a little protection to others if YOU are infected, but they don't keep you from becoming infected. They don't cover your eyes ,which is a big way infection enters the body. Also, they are disposable and need to be changed often which people don't do. Cough into your elbow and don't shake hands. Save the mask money

[Zacha341]

Yes, I was aware of that.

Nonetheless they are selling like crazy at sky-high prices.

[oladub]

Facemasks don't protect you anyway. They may offer a little protection to others if YOU are infected, but they don't keep you from becoming infected. They don't cover your eyes ,which is a big way infection enters the body. Also, they are disposable and need to be changed often which people don't do. Cough into your elbow and don't shake hands. Save the mask money

Nonsense. Why do doctors wear face masks? If nothing else, face masks stop air born droplets and make it harder for people to touch their mouth and nose. Only 30,000 N-95 face masks are currently available for medical personnel in the U.S.. 300,000 are needed if coronavirus breaks out just for medical personnel.

[Ray1936]

What amuses me [[somewhat) is that TV news stories about the virus usually show a backdrop of some round, pink balls with some kind of stickies coming out of them. The backdrop is NEVER identified. For all I know it could be a tennis ball factory that exploded.

Hint to you TV folks: IDENTIFY what you are showing! Or is it too difficult to have someone in the know sit at one of your computers and type in what the graphic is?

On the other hand, I never considered the IQ's of newsfolks to be all that high to start with.

[Lowell]

If anything this underlines what inner connected world we are.

[pjbear05]

What amuses me [[somewhat) is that TV news stories about the virus usually show a backdrop of some round, pink balls with some kind of stickies coming out of them. The backdrop is NEVER identified. For all I know it could be a tennis ball factory that exploded.

Hint to you TV folks: IDENTIFY what you are showing! Or is it too difficult to have someone in the know sit at one of your computers and type in what the graphic is?

On the other hand, I never considered the IQ's of newsfolks to be all that high to start with.

You're forgetting, m8. "If it bleeds, it leads." MSM Intelligence , how oxymoronic.

[Richard]

All the popular pandemic/zombie shows start out with that picture in the start,walking dead,last ship,pandemic etc.

Thats kinda why I like watching foreign news,it is less politicalized and not so much with the world world is ending or dramatic.

It does enforce the open border concerns,if you cannot control things you have to deal with the results.

I like how it is Trumps fault like he is able to scurry about with a net catching all of the little germs,like Lowell posted,we have become a globally connected world,it’s not like the old days.

When this spreads into third world countries no matter how light it is ,it will be overwhelming for them.

WHOs statement of,Once it appears it seems to spread quickly,reminds me of the saying No Sh*t Sherlock.

Its a new strain variant all they really know is it makes you sick,attacks the respiratory system,weak immune systems have a hard time fighting it and it spreads like the common cold.

We are all dead in a couple of years because of climate change so why worry about some little pandemic.

They need to find some little Swedish kid to scream at the virus about how it is destroying her childhood and it will just go away.

[jcole]

Don't read the news much? Short story is, if you think you are sick and you're worried about giving someone a virus, wear a mask, but a mask isn't going to keep you safe from catching a virus. If you don't believe me or my post, just search for "will a mask keep me from getting coronavirus". Also, doctors and nurses wear them more to protect the patients in surgery from getting infected by them.

Dr Jake Dunning, head of emerging infections and zoonoses [infectious disease spread between humans and animals] at Public Health England, told The Independent that there is “very little evidence of a widespread benefit” in members of the public wearing masks.

Dr Dunning explains there are a number of reasons why they aren’t effective. “Face masks must be worn correctly, changed frequently, removed properly, disposed of safely and used in combination with good universal hygiene behaviour in order for them to be effective.”
And most of the paper options being worn do not have a respirator to filter out infectious air particles.
If they are not worn properly and are loose fitting it means that bacteria can easily access the nose and mouth. Experts have also warned coronavirus could enter the body through the eyes.
Even when users do comply with these rules initially, research shows if users wear them for long periods of time they gradually become slack and are less likely to do so.

Nonsense. Why do doctors wear face masks? If nothing else, face masks stop air born droplets and make it harder for people to touch their mouth and nose. Only 30,000 N-95 face masks are currently available for medical personnel in the U.S.. 300,000 are needed if coronavirus breaks out just for medical personnel.

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...-a9359336.html

[Richard]

There does seem to be an uncertain agreement on how effective the masks really are,the virus is .1 microns,even the CDC says they are not really for daily use and does more to keep the user from spreading then actually protecting.

A cool aspect while they are working on a vaccine.

China posted to all the world health organizations the first string of the virus on last Friday.

In the United States the health department had already had a test vaccine that was sent to a lab in Massachusetts that created it and is now being shipped back to China.

They did this in a span of receiving the string on Friday and had the first phase ready for testing by Saturday,the next day.

It was only the first phase out of a few more needed.

That was a big part of the problem,China was not releasing information from the start.

It attacks the lungs,most of the dead has been male elderly that had COPD or ummm smokers or those who had lung problems before.

I guess it does not like women as much.

[oladub]

Don't read the news much? Short story is, if you think you are sick and you're worried about giving someone a virus, wear a mask, but a mask isn't going to keep you safe from catching a virus. If you don't believe me or my post, just search for "will a mask keep me from getting coronavirus". Also, doctors and nurses wear them more to protect the patients in surgery from getting infected by them.

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...-a9359336.html

jcole, Believe what you want but the preponderance of evidence is that masks reduce the transmission of corona and other viruses. Of course they need to be fitted properly. Safety belts and other safety equipment need to be properly used too.

Today, I was in at Costco stocking up. The parking lot was unusually full for a week day. There were a lot of customers with carts loaded with bottled water and toilet paper. In one of the aisles, a man bent forward and sneezed without any attempt to cover his mouth. Maybe it was just allergy but whatever it was, we didn't want to share his airspace so we turned around and went up the next aisle. I wasn't wearing a mask but they reduce breathing in airborne droplets.

You would just as soon be in an elevator or bus with this person without a mask right?

"MacIntyre's research has shown that N95 respirators offer far superior protection. But in one study, she did find that family members who wore surgical masks when caring for a sick child at home had a lower risk of getting infected. But the benefit only occurred if people wore the masks "all the time when you are in the same room as the infected person," MacIntyre says — something many families in the study found difficult to do. "But if they did wear it, yes, they got protection."

In one Chinese study, "the respirator group encountered confirmed cases more often than the unmasked group — more than 730% more often — no one in the respirator group became infected. In comparison, 10 people in the unmasked group contracted the novel disease, despite treating fewer infected patients."

N-95 masks filter out 95% of viruses is worn properly. Eyes need protection too. China is making 600,000 masks a day. Honeywell, 3-M, and Kimberly Clark make N-95 masks. One company in Texas has a contract to produce 100M masks for Singapore and Taiwan. Our authorities, meanwhile, are discouraging Americans from buying masks at least until medical professionals' needs of 300M masks are accommodated. They aren't wearing masks to protect patients from doctors so much as to protect medical people from patients.

[bust]

In case you haven't heard already:

The United States Badly Bungled Coronavirus Testing—But Things May Soon Improve
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020...y-soon-improve

The US has only tested 459 people so far.

Meanwhile:

Federal Workers Were Sent to Help U.S. Coronavirus Evacuees Without Proper Protection, Whistleblower Says
https://time.com/5792135/coronavirus...hhs-employees/

It's been reported they were untrained for 5 days, and freely interacted with the public. They stayed in local hotels, ate at local restaurants, and flew on domestic flights. Days later a local woman who had no risk factors became infected. And another, not far away. A third in Oregon. Many suspect the mistakes reported by the whistleblower resulted in freeing the virus to circulate among us.

Trump calls this a hoax, and without any evidence he links the outbreak to illegal immigration:

Trump Calls Coronavirus Criticism Democrats' 'New Hoax' and Links It to Immigration
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...ation-at-rally

No surprise from someone who thinks climate change is a hoax created by China and wind turbines cause cancer.

This epidemic must be managed responsibly, not politicized. But that seems impossible with this administration in charge.

[Richard]

“No surprise from someone who thinks climate change is a hoax created by China and wind turbines cause cancer.

This epidemic must be managed responsibly, not politicized. But that seems impossible with this administration in charge.”

And here you are politicizing it while complaining about others politicizing it.

A dinosaur told me he was also at a loss to humans impact on climate change,but hey we are all dead in 10 years because of it.

My guess this was all created by a never Trumper just so they could crash the economy and say ... see I told you so.

[jcole]

What amuses me [[somewhat) is that TV news stories about the virus usually show a backdrop of some round, pink balls with some kind of stickies coming out of them. The backdrop is NEVER identified. For all I know it could be a tennis ball factory that exploded.

Hint to you TV folks: IDENTIFY what you are showing! Or is it too difficult to have someone in the know sit at one of your computers and type in what the graphic is?

On the other hand, I never considered the IQ's of newsfolks to be all that high to start with.

Here is another color: