On a scale of 0-10, how worried are you about coronavirus?

[screen glare]

Just gave this entire 18 pages worth of postings a review.
Honeyman wins.
His/Her lengthy reprint - is the best summation of Trump’s fiddlin’ while Rome burned/burns.
Whoever survives this pandemic - be sure to vote for whoever else survives to run against Trump. Biden looks likely now - but also could die. In that case - still cast your vote for Trump’s opponent.
This nation MUST dethrone our mentally ill president. He is unfit for office and as a result - many more Americans will have died in this crisis than needed to.

Give Trump the heave ho. If you love your life, family, and country. This is imperative.

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58 Year old Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) has tested positive for the Coronavirus. He is the first member of Congress to test positive. This thing is really working it’s way around...

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This is from The Hill.. maybe younger people aren’t so not at risk from the virus. I actually think when testing catches up we’ll find out we are even more on fire than we think...

Early data analyzed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that younger Americans are at substantial risk of experiencing serious medical problems from the coronavirus sweeping the globe.
That data runs counter to some of the early messaging from public health officials in other parts of the world.
A new CDC analysis of more than 2,400 cases of COVID-19 that have occurred in the United States in the last month shows that at least 1 in 7 and perhaps as many as 1 in 5 people between the ages of 20 and 44 who contract the virus require hospitalization, a level exponentially higher than the hospitalization rates for influenza.
Between 2 percent and 4 percent of people that young are admitted to intensive care units. The fatality rate is low, only 0.1 percent to 0.2 percent, but is about two times higher than a bad flu season.
Health outcomes are much worse among those who are older and those who have underlying health conditions. The early estimates show that a fifth to a third of those between the ages of 45 and 65 who contract the disease are hospitalized. Among those over 75 years old, hospitalization estimates range from 30 percent to more than 70 percent.
Among the oldest cohort, those over the age of 85, somewhere between 10 percent and a quarter of all patients die. The data show adults over the age of 65 account for 80 percent of the deaths associated with the coronavirus.
But younger Americans are contracting the virus at the same rates as those who are older. The initial round of data actually found more people between the ages of 20 and 44 who landed in the hospital than those over the age of 75 who wound up in treatment, even though mortality rates were lower for the younger set.
"Lots of young people are getting hospitalized, a lot more than we’re messaging, and, yes, maybe you don’t die, but living with a damaged lung or damaged organ is not a good outcome," said Prabhjot Singh, a physician and health systems expert at Mount Sinai Health System and the Icahn School of Medicine.
Deborah Birx, one of the Trump administration's top experts on its coronavirus task force, said Wednesday that early data from France and Italy, both dealing with thousands of coronavirus cases, seemed to underscore the threat to younger people.
"There are concerning reports coming out of France and Italy about some young people getting seriously ill and very seriously ill in the ICUs," Birx said at a White House briefing. She did not offer further details.
The data, Singh said, shows the importance of government messaging to millennials and members of Generation Z that the virus poses a substantial risk no matter someone's age. And even if someone does not show serious symptoms, they can still spread the disease to friends, neighbors or relatives who will.
"We’re talking to young people about doing their part and being good millennials because they could be asymptomatic spreaders," Singh said. "That’s true, but it’s also true that some high number of them will also get sick enough to be hospitalized, and many of them may have lasting consequences."
The survey of the 2,449 cases in the United States for which outcomes are known offers only an initial glance at the havoc the virus has created in American hospitals, explaining why the ranges are so broad.
The World Health Organization has said the mortality rate from the COVID-19 disease could be up to 3.4 percent, the top end of a range that CDC's data agrees with. The CDC pegs the mortality rate among cases in which the outcome is known at between 1.8 percent and 3.4 percent — though that figure does not count what are likely tens of thousands of other people who had more mild or no symptoms at all.
The CDC warned that the 49 million Americans who are over the age of 65 should maintain a monthlong supply of necessary medications and stay home as much as possible.
Another survey released Wednesday by the CDC shows that a substantial number of the victims of the coronavirus at a nursing home near Seattle had underlying conditions such as hypertension, cardiac disease, kidney disease or diabetes. Of the 129 people connected to the facility who contracted the virus, more than 40 percent had hypertension, nearly 40 percent also had cardiac disease, and more than a quarter had either kidney problems or diabetes.
"This isn’t being megaphoned enough. In plain language, anyone who has high blood pressure or heart problems is at significantly increased risk. People often don’t think about that as being a chronic condition or underlying health problem like diabetes for some reason," Singh said.
The data echoes expert concerns that as many people could die because of the coronavirus as from it — especially if the number of COVID-19 cases overwhelms the health care system and delays treatment or medicine for those who have some other malady.
"As this pandemic expands, continued implementation of public health measures targeting vulnerable populations such as residents of long-term care facilities and health care personnel will be critical," the report says.

[Honeyman]

From a John Hopkins immunologist:

Feeling confused as to why Coronavirus is a bigger deal than Seasonal flu? Here it is in a nutshell. I hope this helps. Feel free to share this to others who don’t understand... It has to do with RNA sequencing.... I.e. genetics. Seasonal flu is an “all human virus”. The DNA/RNA chains that make up the virus are recognized by the human immune system. This means that your body has some immunity to it before it comes around each year... you get immunity two ways...through exposure to a virus, or by getting a flu shot. Novel viruses, come from animals.... the WHO tracks novel viruses in animals, (sometimes for years watching for mutations). Usually these viruses only transfer from animal to animal (pigs in the case of H1N1) (birds in the case of the Spanish flu). But once, one of these animal viruses mutates, and starts to transfer from animals to humans... then it’s a problem, Why? Because we have no natural or acquired immunity.. the RNA sequencing of the genes inside the virus isn’t human, and the human immune system doesn’t recognize it so, we can’t fight it off. Now.... sometimes, the mutation only allows transfer from animal to human, for years it’s only transmission is from an infected animal to a human before it finally mutates so that it can now transfer human to human... once that happens..we have a new contagion phase. And depending on the fashion of this new mutation, thats what decides how contagious, or how deadly it’s gonna be.. H1N1 was deadly....but it did not mutate in a way that was as deadly as the Spanish flu. It’s RNA was slower to mutate and it attacked its host differently, too. Fast forward. Now, here comes this Coronavirus... it existed in animals only, for nobody knows how long...but one day, at an animal market, in Wuhan China, in December 2019, it mutated and made the jump from animal to people. At first, only animals could give it to a person... But here is the scary part.... in just TWO WEEKS it mutated again and gained the ability to jump from human to human. Scientists call this quick ability, “slippery” This Coronavirus, not being in any form a “human” virus (whereas we would all have some natural or acquired immunity). Took off like a rocket. And this was because, Humans have no known immunity...doctors have no known medicines for it. And it just so happens that this particular mutated animal virus, changed itself in such a way the way that it causes great damage to human lungs.. That’s why Coronavirus is different from seasonal flu, or H1N1 or any other type of influenza.... this one is slippery AF. And it’s a lung eater...And, it’s already mutated AGAIN, so that we now have two strains to deal with, strain s, and strain L....which makes it twice as hard to develop a vaccine. We really have no tools in our shed, with this. History has shown that fast and immediate closings of public places has helped in the past pandemics. Philadelphia and Baltimore were reluctant to close events in 1918 and they were the hardest hit in the US during the Spanish Flu. Factoid: Henry VIII stayed in his room and allowed no one near him, till the Black Plague passed...(honestly...I understand him so much better now). Just like us, he had no tools in his shed, except social isolation... And let me end by saying....right now it’s hitting older folks harder... but this genome is so slippery...if it mutates again (and it will). Who is to say, what it will do next.”

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45 year old Representative Ben McAdams (R-UT) has tested positive for the virus.

[audiophile]

From a John Hopkins immunologist:

Feeling confused as to why Coronavirus is a bigger deal than Seasonal flu? Here it is in a nutshell. I hope this helps. Feel free to share this to others who don’t understand... It has to do with RNA sequencing.... I.e. genetics. Seasonal flu is an “all human virus”. The DNA/RNA chains that make up the virus are recognized by the human immune system. This means that your body has some immunity to it before it comes around each year... you get immunity two ways...through exposure to a virus, or by getting a flu shot. Novel viruses, come from animals.... the WHO tracks novel viruses in animals, (sometimes for years watching for mutations). Usually these viruses only transfer from animal to animal (pigs in the case of H1N1) (birds in the case of the Spanish flu). But once, one of these animal viruses mutates, and starts to transfer from animals to humans... then it’s a problem, Why? Because we have no natural or acquired immunity.. the RNA sequencing of the genes inside the virus isn’t human, and the human immune system doesn’t recognize it so, we can’t fight it off. Now.... sometimes, the mutation only allows transfer from animal to human, for years it’s only transmission is from an infected animal to a human before it finally mutates so that it can now transfer human to human... once that happens..we have a new contagion phase. And depending on the fashion of this new mutation, thats what decides how contagious, or how deadly it’s gonna be.. H1N1 was deadly....but it did not mutate in a way that was as deadly as the Spanish flu. It’s RNA was slower to mutate and it attacked its host differently, too. Fast forward. Now, here comes this Coronavirus... it existed in animals only, for nobody knows how long...but one day, at an animal market, in Wuhan China, in December 2019, it mutated and made the jump from animal to people. At first, only animals could give it to a person... But here is the scary part.... in just TWO WEEKS it mutated again and gained the ability to jump from human to human. Scientists call this quick ability, “slippery” This Coronavirus, not being in any form a “human” virus (whereas we would all have some natural or acquired immunity). Took off like a rocket. And this was because, Humans have no known immunity...doctors have no known medicines for it. And it just so happens that this particular mutated animal virus, changed itself in such a way the way that it causes great damage to human lungs.. That’s why Coronavirus is different from seasonal flu, or H1N1 or any other type of influenza.... this one is slippery AF. And it’s a lung eater...And, it’s already mutated AGAIN, so that we now have two strains to deal with, strain s, and strain L....which makes it twice as hard to develop a vaccine. We really have no tools in our shed, with this. History has shown that fast and immediate closings of public places has helped in the past pandemics. Philadelphia and Baltimore were reluctant to close events in 1918 and they were the hardest hit in the US during the Spanish Flu. Factoid: Henry VIII stayed in his room and allowed no one near him, till the Black Plague passed...(honestly...I understand him so much better now). Just like us, he had no tools in his shed, except social isolation... And let me end by saying....right now it’s hitting older folks harder... but this genome is so slippery...if it mutates again (and it will). Who is to say, what it will do next.”

Thanks! That was a good read.

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Florida’s Governor, Ron DeSantis (R) is a complete asshole. He refuses to order the states beaches closed despite spring breakers still packing in. Some local cities have closed theirs but to take this so cavalierly with Florida’s old population is almost criminal. The kids may not show symptoms or die but they can become hundreds or thousands of vectors to infect others who may die.

[audiophile]

If have been in close contact with my media friends down there and believe the warm weather has kept it at bay. I would have to agree, there is some thing to that, as Orlando has (had) a million visitors per week from all over the world. They should be the US' epicenter, but they are not.

Good day!

[bmw]

I know many people are afraid to say it for fear of the public becoming lax, but there's no doubt in my mind that weather has a SIGNIFICANT impact.

In our country - look at the 2 biggest cities. New York City has nearly 4,000 cases while Los Angeles doesn't even have 200. Over the past few weeks, NYC's mean temperature has been around 45 degrees while Los Angeles has been around 60 degrees.

Internationally, it continues to be true that while 25% of the world's population lives on the 3 warmest continents - Africa, South America, and Australia, less than a half of a percent of all cases are on these 3 continents. The other 99.5% are in Europe, Asia, and North America.

And then there was these study results released just today:



https://www.accuweather.com/en/health-w ... -19/703418

Basically, the R0 value lineally declines with temperature and humidity. As summer temperatures here in the US push into the 80s and 90s, that R0 value could fall from near 2 to just above 1, thereby significantly slowing down the spread.

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But then it may come roaring back in September... then what? Shut it all down again?

[bmw]

Hopefully by then we'll have much more data and knowledge about this virus and the public policy can be much more targeted in that regard without the broad-brush shutdowns we're doing now. Not to mention we'll be much closer to a vaccine by then.

[Rate This]

Hopefully by then we'll have much more data and knowledge about this virus and the public policy can be much more targeted in that regard without the broad-brush shutdowns we're doing now. Not to mention we'll be much closer to a vaccine by then.

They were saying 1-2 years for a vaccine... that’s only 6 months in...

[bmw]

14 months tops. You can mark my words. I predict 12.

[Rate This]

14 months tops. You can mark my words. I predict 12.

You are the house predictor so far...

[audiophile]

BMW is usually right when he has a firm stance.