I keep reading from many posters that this is no worse than the flu based upon the fact that so many Americans die of the flu each year. There are a couple of differences. We donât really know a lot about the CV-19 because it has only been around for a short period of time. It seems to be transmitted more easily than the flu which means eventually we will have a lot of cases. We have a yearly immunization for flu and at least some treatments (Tamiflu) to lessen the severity. We have NO immunization and no proven ways to mitigate the effects in serious cases. In some cases the symptoms are so slight that people just think they have a cold or a mild case of the flu. All the while they remain just like a 2020 version of Typhoid Mary. Until this country gets a handle on testing so we know with some certainty that it is safe to go back to normal activities I will remain at home. In the meantime we are clueless about the real extent of the pandemic.
I havenât become a hermit because of this but I only shop once a week now. Itâs rare to find my local Kroger type store completely out of anything but a few items like hand sanitizer (didnât look last visit). Itâs not fun to stop doing all of the things I would normally do with groups of people. I have a feeling there might be a lot more candidates for the Darwin award in 2020 than in previous years.
Hitting us pretty hard on Long Island, Suffolk county. Checking the maps on weather.com, Suffolk is turning into one of the hardest hit counties in the country. My daughter's boyfriend was exposed - worked with a guy who got sick, tested positive. hearing of more cases - friend's relatives, etc. Still some bad cases of people getting refused testing from doctors, takes weeks in some cases we've been hearing. Signs from direct experience of friends, the homeless population appears to be getting hit hard and they are reluctant to get help, so many unreported cases here.
I myself had a bad case of bronchitis which got scary one morning with breathing, but got the antibiotics and steroid pack (diagnosed from a FaceTime appt), so doing much better now. But at the time when I had breathing troubles, was real scary, think'n I had it. I don't get sick often so just a strange coincidence I guess.
Basically it seems like we can't see docs anymore, unless you want to stand on the outdoor lines for an ER...
As of last night, 2700 reported cases, 20 deaths in the county, out of about 1.5 million population.
It kills mostly people of the ages where they have already reproduced or are unlikely to and largely doesnât kill the young before they reproduce, or have their main chances to, so Darwin Awards donât really figure in to this.
Excerpt: ââ If one assumes that the number of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic cases is several times as high as the number of reported cases, the case fatality rate may be considerably less than 1. This suggests that the overall clinical consequences of Covid-19 may ultimately be more akin to those of a severe seasonal influenza (which has a case fatality rate of approximately 0.1) or a pandemic influenza (similar to those in 1957 and 1968) rather than a disease similar to SARS or MERS, which have had case fatality rates of 9 to 10% and 36%, respectively.ââ
The part that you cite is well known for a while now. No it is not SARS or MERS.
A small detail is: do you let a disease that is 10 times as deadly as flu (mind that flu is a huge killer every year, it is not the common cold) become even more deadly, 30 times the flu, by allowing everybody to get it at the same time so that hospital treatment becomes impossible?
My wife is a nurse practitioner working at a NY city hospital . Back in July she had an elevator accident where it fell from the 8th floor to
the basement . She is still at home recovering
As bad as that has been I am sort of relieved she is not back at work yet.
It seems Covid-19 can cause severe long-term damage to one's lungs. Here's an interesting arcticle the shows the virus impact on the lungs via virtual reality technology.
" [...] Dr. Mortman is especially concerned with the possibility of enduring damage to the lungs of those who survive COVID-19. âWhen that inflammation does not subside with time, then it becomes essentially scarring in the lungs, creating long-term damage,â he said. âIt could impact somebodyâs ability to breathe in the long term. [...]"
I havenât heard of flu victims overtaxing the healthcare systems across the world as this has. The flu should not even be in the same conversation as this. These deaths and potential deaths are in addition to, not in place of flu deaths. It serves no purpose to downplay this except to encourage reckless behaviour. If it turns out to be overhyped then consider ourselves lucky.
Whew. Thought at first you said big NUN. That brings back some nightmaresâŚ
Anyway, there are ways of âgetting aroundâ that. Eg, a patient whoâs circling the drain and is only looking forward to a few more days (or hours) of pain, can be dosed with enough morphine to kill, but itâs officially done only with the intent to ease painânâsuffering.
Ie, no jury would look too closely at the motive. Someone with a good chance of recovery, sure, but someone whoâs already terminal, zero chance of recovery, nope.
Yeah, thatâs one of those situations where an âanonymous tipâ to the right agency would be warranted. Followed by the not-so-implicit threat that if nothingâs done by the next day, your next call is to the press to swarm the place, âoutâ it, and point out official inaction/incompetence.
True dat, but Iâd guess the majority of those tested are those who are already feeling sick/coldy/fluey, not those who are asymptomatic and get tested just for fun.
Here in the USA, when there has been a flu outbreak, people wouldnât change their lives at all. Meaning, for most people, they wouldnât exercise any public hygiene restrictions. No mask wearing. No sanitary wipes. No gloves. No distancing. After the highly virulent #COVID19 pandemic, I expect that for the next flu, there will be more caution. Knowing us Americans and our relatively âshort memories,â that caution will subside. BUT⌠I expect in Europe, the change will be sustained much longer.
Yikes, that is a pretty scary accident. Iâm glad to hear she is recovering.
Yeah, watching NY hospitals going through the same thing that happened in northern Italy I canât imagine the thought process of someone still stuck on âbut but the flu!â.