219 replies to this topic

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

The COVID-19 last time I checked which was not that long ago was about 2 percent fatal. For bloody Christ sake there's a kid recovering in my state! There's millions of people drowning in their own lungs but you have to consider there's a similar amount of people who are at risk of death because of a compromised immune system or because they're older and so is their immune system. The CDC even said the same thing and you're not getting your undies in a twist when they said it! What I said is true, and some children might get the COVID-19 may infect let's say a 15 year-old. However, if he was healthy and doesn't have a compromised immune system then he'll live! I stand by what I said because it's proven. If you can't handle the facts then I don't know what to tell you, but as of right now, that is what we know. I also never said I was fine with it because I'm not infected! I HAVE A PLETHORA OF FRIENDS WITH COMPROMISED IMMUNE SYSTEMS AND I MYSELF AM AT RISK BECAUSE I WAS BORN INCREDIBLY PREMATURE!!! SO JUST THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACTS!

 

 

the only real people at risk are infants, elderly, or people with a compromised immune system 

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Sorry, but that's not how an overwhelmed health system works.
If all the hospital beds are full and they're short-staffed, and you come in with something else — say you have an accident — even if under normal circumstances you'd be fine, if you don't pass the triage you're toast.

Also, if you're a person of faith go pray for forgiveness; if you're an atheist do try harder not to be such a selfish arsehole.
That's millions of people drowning in their own lungs that you'd be fine with just because they're not you.
Please have a think about that.

 

[justanotheramy]

In times like these we are reminded that when you fall you hit the floor, not the ceiling.

By which I mean: things like a functional public health care system, functional social security, functional sick leave… they're a safety net, and they keep you safe even if you never personally use them. 
They're worth paying for.
Because even when there isn't a pandemic on, you want to be able to go to a restaurant and know that the kitchen staff don't have gastro that they're working through because they can't afford to be fired; and you want to be able to live your life without stressing about what will happen if your boss makes bad choices or gets hit by a bus and your job goes up in smoke.

None of us are any safer than the most vulnerable in our society, and as social mammals we cannot escape that we do live in a society.
Trying to be cheap about it in the short term just bites you in the [censored] with greater long term costs — it's profoundly irrational.
Best just to make sensible provisions in an organised and efficient fashion in the first place.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

while that is true, it is proven that people with compromised immune systems are obviously at risk, and sure as a society we can avoid them if we're sick, but that doesn't change the fact they're immune system is compromised and they are at a higher risk 

[justanotheramy]

Don't shout at me, Da_NewAnt.
The rest of the world is quite alarmed by what's brewing in the US, because y'all have no idea of the numbers, because you're not testing on anywhere near the scale needed, and you've got a Govt that's actively invested in minimising the problem and a good chunk of the population that's pretty happy to go along with that denialism.

What I'm trying to say is that the risk is not just to those directly impacted by the virus itself.
Once the healthcare system is overloaded — and it probably will be, if Italy is anything to go by — then there's whole other categories of risk.

And given that in the US you've got a whole lot of guns and political instability, no, risk profiling is not just a matter for the CDC. I have a friend living there and we're all very worried for their safety.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

yeah because one of the worst things you can do is to stress. It shuts down your immune system. The US is actually doing one of the best things they can-mass hysteria will only add gas to the fire

[TheMicroPlanet]

On a different note, I guess the best thing the rest of us can do is coughing into your sleeve, keep your hands to yourself, good hygiene, and all that jazz.

 

I just realized how bad that grammaring was.

Edited by TheMicroPlanet, March 14 2020 - 5:51 AM.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

the gramming of the good TheMircroPlanet lol

[ANTdrew]

This forum is not really the place to discuss all this, and let’s definitely not argue about things we can’t control. Stay healthy and listen to health experts, that’s all we can do. This too shall pass.

[justanotheramy]

The US is actually doing one of the best things they can-mass hysteria will only add gas to the fire

.
Refusing to test symptomatic people who have been in contact with likely cases in order to cook the books on the real numbers for political reasons makes it impossible for health professionals to prepare adequately in any way.

It is absolutely not "one of the best things they can do".

A government doesn't necessarily have to share that data, there's a conversation to be had about that.
It does need to collect it.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

I didn't say they didn't

[TheMicroPlanet]

Before an argument blows up here, let's just remember that this thread is about how COVID-19 is affecting you, not the politics behind it (and yes even I should've realized that earlier).

[ANTdrew]

Before an argument blows up here, let's just remember that this thread is about how COVID-19 is affecting you, not the politics behind it (and yes even I should've realized that earlier).

Exactly. Let’s stay on topic.

[justanotheramy]

Okay, I'll make more "I" statements

My friends who are nurses are posting some pretty dark memes on FB, because they know they're going to run out of masks pretty fast, and it doesn't help that patients have started stealing them. One's pretty worried about what she's going to bring home to her kids because they have tonsil issues that already cause them breathing issues.

I also have friends who work in aged care — they have no idea what's going to happen to their shifts or to the people they care for.

Friends who work in retail are mostly casuals, so they're losing hours and have no way to pay the rent, they're f*cking scared.

The 2 immune compromised people in our life actually died a couple of years ago, but the thing about being middle aged with a kid is there's always a few people in your social network who have one or two caring responsibilities towards vulnerable people, so even under normal circumstances you try to be careful.

My little city is at the tail end of its annual arts festival that it has no intention of shutting down, and my kid's dad is in there a lot, mixing with all the humans.

Private schools are starting to close, but public schools like the one my kid goes to are not, because our PM is a Talibangelical science-denying Muppet who thinks he's going to get Raptured or something, IDFK.

Consensus from experts here seems to be that it's still early enough that if we act decisively it can be contained, but that depends on there being the political will which ultimately comes down to public pressure.

And yes, as mentioned above, I have a friend living in 'Merica, and that scares all of us.

[NickAnter]

Wash your hands. don't cough all over people. don't let others cough all over you. Wash you hands before you eat, or, if your schoool handwashing stations aka restrooms are so disgusting, as in my case, use hand sanitizer. All of these steps will reduce sickness in general. And, I would be willing to be that half of the people at my school that are contagious with something, don't stay home! That is why these shutdowns will likely help, but cause a ton of problems. Therefore, I simply think it is better to just take all the usual steps.

[TheMicroPlanet]

Wash your hands. don't cough all over people. don't let others cough all over you. Wash you hands before you eat, or, if your schoool handwashing stations aka restrooms are so disgusting, as in my case, use hand sanitizer. All of these steps will reduce sickness in general. And, I would be willing to be that half of the people at my school that are contagious with something, don't stay home! That is why these shutdowns will likely help, but cause a ton of problems. Therefore, I simply think it is better to just take all the usual steps.

exactly

[OhNoNotAgain]

Okay, I'll make more "I" statements

My friends who are nurses are posting some pretty dark memes on FB, because they know they're going to run out of masks pretty fast, and it doesn't help that patients have started stealing them. One's pretty worried about what she's going to bring home to her kids because they have tonsil issues that already cause them breathing issues.
 

 

I just heard from a medical professional friend in another state that people have been stealing boxes of hospital supplies meant for the staff. 

 

Our schools are shutting down. Most but not all private schools are shutting down. (All of these places are going for "distance learning.")

My alma mater and other colleges I know are kicking out undergrads and going for remote learning. (Though forcing students to fly home is not necessarily a good idea in all cases.  )

 

My immediate neighbors are mostly retirees, so they aren't as affected, BUT they are older.

My household/immediate family is high to very high risk, except for the kiddo.

 

I drove by Apple HQ and it was so. weird. seeing almost no cars leaving there at 5pm. It's normally a traffic nightmare.

[T.C.]

Might lose my job because its drastically slowed things down and they are contemplating laying people off.

[Martialis]

Might lose my job because its drastically slowed things down and they are contemplating laying people off.

That's awful.  I'm sorry.

[Zeiss]

Just got word from Riverside County Public Health Office (or whatever those idiots are called) that as of Monday, 3-16-2020, all campuses will be shut down unless you are of critical importance to that campus.  At least with UCR, if you are non-essential and caught on campus on Monday and past, you can be fined, jailed, or both.  

 

So now I'm working from home as of tomorrow with rare specimens of Hymenoptera, mostly Mymaridae.

[Thunder_Birds]

Wow. Well, I guess that is kinda nice to stay home