Topic: Is the Corona virus the elephant in the room?

[6pairsofshoes]

I hope your friend makes a full recovery.  The virus seems sort of unpredictable, killing perfectly healthy young people in their 20's as well as others whose age or immune-compromised state renders them more vulnerable.  It's the former situation that gives me pause.  I resist even going to the grocery store these days.  It's a drag to stay home for days on end, and it worries me that my husband is still going to work.  I wonder if he's going to bring something home.  But he really doesn't have a choice.

[dweez]

There is a ton of misinformation and FUD being spread, hopefully mostly unintentionally. Just be smart, practice social distancing, and general hygiene practices and unless one falls in the danger categories christ mentioned, I feel I'm doing my part to keep myself, as well as others, safe.

[6pairsofshoes]

Not in the UK, it isn't - where is this information from? All of the data that I have seen indicates that it is essentially non-critical for 0-10, non-fatal for 10-30, 1% mortality (due to other issues) for 30-50. (A bit tricky after that, up where I live) I have seen nothing (and believe me I have been looking) that substantiates it killing perfectly healthy young people.

In the UK the youngest victim to date is a 40-something with MND.

I had believed this, myself, also, except that I soon began reading articles in well respected periodicals that led me to question that assertion.  It no longer seems to be the case.   This New York Times article about two young women in China, both medical professionals and healthy mothers in their late 20's were both taken gravely ill; one died. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/13/world/asia/coronavirus-death-life.html?searchResultPosition=1

[6pairsofshoes]

I tried to link a story about a New Jersey family that had been devastated but maybe the BB code won't allow for more than two links per post, so I'll try here.  Four deaths so far, the elderly mother, three of her children aged in their 50's and several of the other family members, who did nothing more egregious than to attend a large family dinner one evening a week or so ago, have fallen ill and/or are in quarantine.

https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-coronavirus-20200319-amq3mvwl55dp5cnyfffjoxbpla-story.html

[6pairsofshoes]

https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/18/coronavirus-new-age-analysis-of-risk-confirms-young-adults-not-invincible/

This is the third and I think that Simple Machines doesn't like multiple links for some reason.  If I knew that a virus going around had a 20% chance of putting me in the hospital, I might think twice about being in a situation where I might risk getting exposed to it.

[8ullfrog]

Governor just issued a stay home order for my state.

The rolling nature of this "self isolation" is starting to upset me. I understand why they don't want to set firm dates, but hearing things like "May or June" is not conducive to calm acceptance.

[6pairsofshoes]

We were told through the first week of April.  We've been on "shelter in place" orders since Tuesday.  I guess they're planning to extend it?  Lordy.  I'm tired of being home all the time.  I don't even want to go to the supermarket 3 blocks from my house.  But this is tiresome.

[8ullfrog]

I think it's that "enforcement" began at 12:00 midnight.

I've also read that the whole "shelter in place" is a lot like the hotel grabs. They don't use eminent domain or martial law because those circumstances have specific rules, that can't be rolled.

[6pairsofshoes]

I'd say that younger people probably suffer the same normal mortality rates with the novel coronavirus as they do the more common strains of the flu.  And the aged and infirm suffer higher ones.  The trouble is that they are not isolated from the rest of the population and often can serve as asymptomatic carriers.  That, combined with the tendency of young people to feel immortal, can be problematic.  This group of future Nobel laureates kind of drives home the point.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/03/19/coronavirus-spring-break-party/

The grocers around here have started instituting senior shopping hours early in the morning.  Most of the stores engage in "deep cleaning" overnight, with the normally 24 hour stores now closing at 9 pm for the cleaning and restocking made necessary by nutjobs stockpiling food and "bog roll."

[smokester]

Don't get me wrong - some people die of ingrown toenails, too: some will die "of coronavirus" in the 0-50 age group but it isn't end-of-the-world scary for them, more like a lottery win in reverse. It is exactly the sort of story that news media like to chase down, however, so they can spread "human interest". I wouldn't be surprised if every single under-40 coronavirus fatality has a news story about them somewhere - that tells you that there aren't that many.

Looking at the global numbers, however, I stand by my statement that this new super-plague doesn't really pose a threat to young healthy folk. We oldsters, however ...

A friend of a friend works in a white goods store: they are getting people panic-buying freezers to provide somewhere to stash their stockpiles. They had to institute a "no more than 5 freezers per customer" rule!

Quite honestly I've seen a few "American" fridges delivered to various neighbours this week, and no sign of their old ones being taken out.

Odd thing is that I had to grab a few things from a Co-op local this afternoon and they had everything I wanted due to a 1 item of any particular product limit. There was the usual number of people shopping, buying the usual amount of food and the whole experience was completely "normal" by standards of a few months ago. If it stays like that then no one need buy anything extra and we can see this thing through rationally.

[6pairsofshoes]

I don't know where I'd put one freezer, let alone five.  We have a refrigerator freezer, larger than the ones that are common in the UK but relatively small as we live in an apt.  Even with its relatively modest size we end up with stuff stuck at the back and forgotten.

I wonder at the utility of all this stockpiling.  It seems more of a question of people not knowing what to do, but they can shop.  So they do.

[8ullfrog]

My roommates dealership shifted his job to car collection rather than shuttle driver. He was driving mechanics out to houses to tow cars back to dealership.

The STATE said "Nah, you're nonessential".

He's often 20-40$ short on rent. He always pays it back, but I can visually see him struggling. I'm officially scared now. And a little angry.

[6pairsofshoes]

We walk for health.  About an hour a day.  Same route into the hills.  It's pretty steep so a good workout and just under 4 miles.  Lately, I've been impressed at how people are usually so courteous as to give each other lots of space when passing.  They walk into the street, or cross to the opposite sidewalk.  Wait for others to pass until there's enough space.  It's heartening and sad all at the same time.

[smokester]

I was talking to a friend of mine today and he told me that his sister is on the frontline of Coronavirus wards in Paris. She'd told him to be very cautious if he fell ill as the wards there were filled with men over the age of 30. Not many women and hardly any men younger than that, but plently in from that 30ish age. She told him (he's 40 something) that men that are ill and feel like that have the flu, are broken by the disease sometimes within 2 hours. It takes you down that quickly so you have set up a system where you, or someone close to you, can check how you are doing every 15 minutes or so and if you feel that it's taking you down, then you have to get yourself admitted pronto.

Scary stuff.

[kayos0826]

Im in Iowa. There are shortages, mostly toilet paper. We are ok, wife is worried. No school, so our son is happy he gets to do what he does all the time, play video games and watch YouTube. Me, I work Night Audit at a hotel, by an airport. Yes Im scared, but I take precautions (hand sanitizer, spry down surfaces if guest have touched, etc) I still worried. We are very slow, only averaging 10 rooms a night. Normally that is how many rooms I have left. We arent shutting down though. So Ive got full hours, which Im thankful for.

I know that I dont post much here, but this group has a special place in my life and it makes me feel good and gives hope reading how everyone is doing ok and getting by.
Take care everyone. Be safe. Tell a loved one you care. Wash your hands.