Coronavirus: Ten Things to Think About

Kinda lost me at the "yeah, I'll compare the low early numbers on a novel virus's exponential spread to the typical peak numbers for a known virus that comes round most years slightly mutated" part.

Leaving aside what can even happen with our old buddy influenza if it comes round some year with a wackier mutation than usual.

 

Lots of applicants for the Darwin Award this year.

 

How long till this yoinks over to Fred's other house?

 

Sure, what the hell.

1. The risk isn't just getting sick. There is a real risk of over whelming our medical care system. A person getting sick has impact beyond just themselves. Those choosing to go to work in fields not deemed essential, will they opt to not go to the hospital if they got sick enough to need it?
2. Flu season tends to start in October for the US, peaking in February, and it should end in April. the first US case of COVID19 was reported in the last half of January, and we don't know if warmer weather will slow it down. We do know people infected with the coronavirus shed it for two to three times longer than those with the flu, meaning its ability to infect others in far greater than the seasonal flu. If we were prepared for the level testing required, we could say if the WHO's reported mortality rate of 1.4% was correct or not.
   
3. First off, there are risks beyond what is in the air when walking around in a burned down home. People doing so without proper precautions very likely don't know those risks, while they do know the risk the virus poses when they don't shake your hand. Maybe you should be informing them of the risk. Second, I'm not seeing the distrust.
4. You are starting to sound paranoid. Is it the secret police we are suppose to report unattended luggage too?
5. First, a vaccine is not more likely to cause more harm than good. Second, we don't force the flu vaccine on people, nor pneumonia, shingles, etc., so I don't see that being the case with this. The only vaccines with a level of mandatory requirement are ones for childhood diseases; ones that can severely harm a child. As of now, this disease seems to have little to no effect on that part of population. Third, maybe you should talk to someone about that paranoia.
   
6. As was said here, China knifed their economy to fight the virus' spread. That will have ripple effects across the globe. Unrelated, Russia and Saudi Arabia got into an oil price war than is hurting US producers. Regardless of the actions taken here in reaction to the virus, there was going to be an economic impact. As for your situation, I'm sure your wife can still work. Cars are still being sold, so I don't think home buying has actually stopped, but how many are actually in the market at this time? Would that actually be different if the US took different actions? What would the real estate market be like if we have death rates like Italy?
7. That Amendment also enshrines the right to free speech, yet there are times and situations in which the courts have decided it is okay to have limitations on that right, the "you can't yell fire in crowded theatre" rule. As for jail time for gathering in large groups at this time, has some body actually passed laws with that penalty, or is this just hyperbole?
8. and 9. and 10. Rand Paul voted for that massive tax break, which is a main cause for the latest growth of federal debt. I don't recall him speaking out against Trump for pressuring the Fed to lower rates during a time of economic growth. Nor him sponsoring any bills to bring the Federal Bank's power back to Congress. So I'm not sure he can be complaining about this. And this is far from 1984. The actors trying to get us there are Trump and the GOP, with their 'alternative facts'. I suspect the American politicians blaming China over this are from that same group.

 

meh - if I get it, I get it. If I don't, I don't.

I do know I don't want to turn around every few months and do this again if it really cycles back around like they say. I mean really - how long and how many times can we do this? Do I trust the Gov? Nope - not enough to take one of their vaccines if they come out with it. I was forced to take the Anthrax vaccine back when I was in the military - and they forced us to sign a paper that said we would not pursue litigation if any ill effects ever occurred.

Yeah - nope. Don't trust them, never will and if you do then your stupid.

 

Seems to me that #1 is a gross oversimplification of the situation, that is somewhat revealed within it's own canon by #6.
I would think there are a LOT of people that are worried and would like to stay home, that simply are forced to take the risk for economic reasons. ---#6--everyone's job is essential to their own economic survival.

 

<deeeeep breath.....>

1. As stated above. No person is an island. The thought that we should "Let people choose their own paths based on their own risk tolerance and voluntary choices." is not shared with the scared-as-hell, twenties-something single mom that has to dress in a Racal suit and intubate your stupid butt in an ER.
I lean decidedly Libertarian, but there's a REASON that sometimes dot.gov IS the answer.
If there's any truth to the ChiComm's numbers, it is because they practiced VERY different modes of pandemic mitigation than we have thus far.

2. One half of one percent of Americans is still 1,750,000 people.
The normal flu has an infection rate of 5-20 percent....which puts this bug WELL beyond the typical 40,000 dead drivers every year.
(presuming a 10% infection rate and a 0.5 percent mortality...for this bug)
BUT...you can't have it both ways - well unless you're fake news.
If this bug is more virulent than the normal flu bug then one should expect more than 175,000 dead folks during OPS Normal.
Somewhat less if you go all 1942 Honolulu or 1992 Los Angeles.

3. Funerals make people distrust each other even MORE.
Especially when you're the one in the box.

4. What's facebook? That's like....what grandpa uses, right?

5. See: California.
Herd immunity. Anti vaccer threads.
In a world where even the Amish and Mormons get vaccinated and hipsters out in Caly do not - this is a self-solving problem.

6. See #1

7. See USC, Article 1, Section 9. If you're going to worship a piece of paper, then at least have some passing familiarity with it.

8. Dot.gov has ALL THE MONEY.
Yeah....you can barter, but remember that when you try to buy one loaf of bread with your $1,500 gold Canadian Maple-leaf Coin, you might be a little dissapointed with your change if you're not really a big believer in "gobermint money."

9.See # 8.

10. See Godwin's law.
People always get hit by the bus that they do NOT see.
If everybody is always looking for Hitler....they never see a Stalin or Mao.

 

The person who wrote that needs to watch the documentary about the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic.

You can't fix stupid.
Freedom means the freedom to be stupid too.
Until it conflicts with my freedom from being infected by some Ahole who gets in my face.

NOW.....having said that, you can be stupid in the other direction too.
I think the Governor of Florida is getting it right:
You take draconian measures ONLY when they make scientific sense.

A complete travel ban makes no sense.
One can travel by himself without stopping where other people will be in close contact and if he has no symptoms, the odds of that creating a problem for him or anyone else is pretty much ZERO.

But then......if you are in an area where ALL of the hospital beds are already full, maybe travel of any kind isn't a good idea......incase you are involved in an accident.

One size does NOT fit all.......and the cure should not be worse than the disease.

ANYBODY who thinks they have all the answers.......very likely doesn't.

 

Philosophy will NOT get people thru ccp coronavirus, fer sure. Also, philosophy will NOT get people thru more virus's that ccp communist chinese (always small letters) will unleash on the world (with the help of "don'T rump"). Yesterday, 821 people in the U.S. died of the ccp coronavirus. Soon, daily U.S. ccp coronavirus deaths will equal U.S. TOTAL ccp coronavirus deaths, now. Philosophize THAT.

 

+1

I myself have stated that we do not need to over-react to this because the pandemic is going to look very different in Idaho than it does in Manhattan.

This is sorta how Republics are SUPPOSED TO work.
Three towns local to me are under a curfew....and there are severe limits for businesses.
Counties do their thing....
States do theirs.... (lookin at YOU Florida and Louisiana!)
Didn't want to cancel Spring Break and Mardi-Gras - huh?
Thanks for the Petri-dishes!!

Once the hospitals start filling up....they'll probably ratchet this up - like they had to do in Italy....($1,600 fine for leaving the house without a proper reason according to a squid stationed there.)
You could probably flatten the curve right now by closing down all businesses except for curbside or delivery - but this would not work in BFE where the nearest store to you is a Mom and Pop or a Dollar Genteral.

YMMV

 

tl;dr

 

Libertarian-ism and viruses.

You didn't miss anything new or even very interesting.

 

Are the citizens of Idaho more concerned about the ccp coronavirus future or their 6.5 earthquake, yesterday?

 

I do not pretend to speak for them....but I presume that the Earthquake (a relatively common thing there) killed 9 fewer people than COVID-19 will......so far.

The pandemic will also make more people there homeless. poor, food insecure, etc and cause them to move to a place where the homeless are more openly tolerated.

 

No contest.
Covid-19: 525 cases, 9 dead.
Earthquake: NINE EARTHQUAKES STRIKE IDAHO; AUTHORITIES SEARCHING FOR DAMAGE AND INJURIES





Sis was riding the ATV while checking calves, so didn't feel it.

 

...That, and potential nominees for the Darwin Award.

 

OK seriously, US may have the worst from this. In flame politics area we could discuss flimsy late border closures, flimsy late public distancing, and not-yet surveillance testing. But I wish Prius Chatters to weather this storm as well as possible.

So, whatever you are advised to do, it is probably not enough. For time it is probably not long enough.

There are countries and perhaps continents that may blow up and leave US far behind. No source for joy there.

If you are happily healthy as I hope you are, some less healthy or health-care workers could likely be found. Think about helping them.

 

'there are countries and perhaps continents that may blow up and leave US far behind'

you lost me there doc