Covid-19, Your health and that of your community

The Florida governor just imposed restrictions, that will surely take a huge economic toll on small business owners, private corporations, and probably put the state into recession. There will be many personal tragedies resulting from this, and few will ever know about, nor want to know about. Those affected will mostly suffer in silence, while having to listen to those in the media and elsewhere, tell them how their sacrifice is for some greater good.

Fl is heavily reliant on tourism. All bars have been ordered closed for 30 days. Restaurants are limited to 50% capacity. In interviews on the local news, most owners are trying to hold back the tears, and this is only a small taste of what is to come. Their plight will only get worse as they rapidly run out of cash, and have to file bankruptcy. The ripple effect will ensure the pain is spread to other businesses.

This same scenario will also play out on a global level. The cost in disruption of lives alone will be tremendous. The casualties soon to come, may even be greater. It will be very difficult to avoid a world recession, and with it will come more deaths through regional conflict, malnourishment/starvation/diseases in the undeveloped countries, and much more.

Although retired, I am still in touch with the airline community. Much concern within. As you would expect, there are huge cutbacks in progress, as Pilot/Flight Attendant trips are being canceled at this very moment, fleets drastically reduced, with all the personal financial worry that causes. Without intervention, many airlines will fold (go bankrupt), so they are hoping, even begging, for a government bailout.

When hearing these first hand accounts, all I can think of are those salivating to: "shut it all down". Easy to say, when not the one having to suffer the consequences.

Quote from Roseland67

This is where the government hopefully steps in and advises banks NOT to foreclose on anyone, maybe even stop demanding payment for loans, rent, mortgage etc.

The U.S. administration has already announced some relief for those in the private sector, but not sure it will go that far. If not, you can take comfort in knowing that many on the government dole, and those financially secure, think your suffering is necessary.

Quote from Alan Smith

FEAR AND LOATHING IN THE UK.

The shutters are going up. Yesterday I was refused entry to a large shared office block unless I could prove I had an appointment. Today 40 subway stations in London are closed, possibly due to staff not showing up for work. Not neccessarily sick but self-isolating due to fear of being at work in a time of pestilance. I had an email from my bank today, suggesting that branches would be closing and also DHL messaged me to say they had a new delivery protocol. The driver will ring the bell and step away. If you answer he will check your name, take a photo of you and your house, leave the parcel on the floor and vamoose.

Supermarkets have been largely emptied of fresh produce, since much of the fruit is imported from Spain and other points south. People are scared and potentially over-reacting. How are you all finding life right now?

As of last midnight Chile is officially under catastrophe constitutional exemptions status, rule of law handed to military authorities, for the next 90

Days. Borders were closed the day before.

There is a General “shelter in place” recommendation, to not go out unless absolutely necessary, while the mandatory and punishable if not obeyed shelter in place being debated, all majors asking for all commerce to close and only leave pharmacies and food commerce open but already with maximum one people per time inside any commerce instruction (takes forever because every time they spray t place with Lysol) . I managed to get most of what is needed for up to one month before this happened, but took me two days of doing lines as the panic settled up past week and many items had vanished from

The shelves.

Perú did the same three days ago. They are going to provide a one time economic stimulus for people In need of it, in order to be able to enforce the home permanence of people that depends on their daily activity for income.

Chile is thinking of doing a lot of measures to ease the economic burden of people that is already going bankrupt (delaying taxes, asking for mortgages to be frozen, things like that) but no free money is talked about yet, but many authorities are already telling that will be the only way to secure people at home for the whole 90 days.

Quote from Alan Smith

Spotted by Bob Greenyer - a statemnt from Italy suggesting that almost everybody who has died so far had a pre-existing medical condition.

https://www.agenzianova.com/a/…el-covid-19-sono-solo-due

Rome, 13 Mar 19:12 - (Agenzia Nova) - There may be only two people who died from coronavirus in Italy, who did not present other pathologies. This is what emerges from the medical records examined so far by the Higher Institute of Health, according to what was reported by the President of the Institute, Silvio Brusaferro, during the press conference held today at the Civil Protection in Rome. "Positive deceased patients have an average of over 80 years - 80.3 to be exact - and are essentially predominantly male," said Brusaferro. "Women are 25.8 percent. The average age of the deceased is significantly higher than the other positive ones. The age groups over 70, with a peak between 80 and 89 years. The majority of these people are carriers of chronic diseases. Only two people were not presently carriers of diseases ", but even in these two cases, the examination of the files is not concluded and therefore, causes of death different from Covid-19 could emerge. The president of the ISS has specified that "little more than a hundred medical records" have so far come from hospitals throughout Italy.

These are the first minimum detailed data provided so far by the Civil Protection on the causes of death of coronavirus patients. At present, in fact, the authorities are unable to distinguish those who died from the virus, from those who, on the other hand, are communicated daily to the public, but who were mostly carriers of other serious diseases and who, therefore, would not have died from Covid-19. In response to a question from "Agenzia Nova", in fact, Brusaferro was unable to indicate the exact number of coronavirus deaths. However, the professor clarified that, according to the data analyzed, the vast majority of the victims "had serious pathologies and in some cases the onset of an infection of the respiratory tract can lead more easily to death. To clarify this point , and provide real data, "as we acquire the folders we will go further. However, the populations most at risk are fragile, carriers of multiple pathologies ". (Rin) © Agenzia Nova - Reserved reproduction

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I was aware of this, but is like when Jesus asked who was free of sin to throw the first stone, in modern societies people with no preexisting conditions is a rarity.

Quote from THHuxleynew

Yes. But what else could be done? In any free democaracy seeing 3% of the population die, without health care, when it could have been reduced greatly, is not going to be a price people want to pay. Morailty is not purely utilitarian.

You are fear mongering. The mortality rates are all over the place, and you are taking the worse case scenario to bolster your argument. From everything I have read, this pandemic targets mostly the elderly with major underlying health issues. Even your Imperial College stated that "excepting those with underlying medical conditions, the new coronavirus could be less deadly than the seasonal flu to anyone under 60, and no worse than the 2017/2018 flu season for those in their 60's."

The average age of those dying in Italy's Lombardo region is over 80. A region where it is seldom mentioned that is home to 100,000 Chinese immigrants. That cruise ship with `3700 older passengers, was a perfect set-up for establishing a realistic mortality. Here is what Statnews had to say about it:

"The one situation where an entire, closed population was tested was the Diamond Princess cruise ship and its quarantine passengers. The case fatality rate there was 1.0%, but this was a largely elderly population, in which the death rate from Covid-19 is much higher.

Projecting the Diamond Princess mortality rate onto the age structure of the U.S. population, the death rate among people infected with Covid-19 would be 0.125%. But since this estimate is based on extremely thin data — there were just seven deaths among the 700 infected passengers and crew — the real death rate could stretch from five times lower (0.025%) to five times higher (0.625%). It is also possible that some of the passengers who were infected might die later, and that tourists may have different frequencies of chronic diseases — a risk factor for worse outcomes with SARS-CoV-2 infection — than the general population. Adding these extra sources of uncertainty, reasonable estimates for the case fatality ratio in the general U.S. population vary from 0.05% to 1%."

So let me ask you THH: what do you think the old and infirm would say, were you to ask them if they thought shutting down the world, to save a few lives in their category...is justified? My guess, is that they would say no...that there is no reason for it. I am in that category (although healthy), and think it is crazy for my children, their families, and all the other young people, to suffer, just to better my chances. And they are already impacted by this, with the worse yet to come. If I go, then I go...so be it. We are all going to go sometimes anyways.

There were other options available that would have targeted protecting the most vulnerable, while allowing the world to get on about it's business. Water under the bridge now though. What is done is done, and only thing left to do, is weather the storm as best we can. After, we can pick up the pieces and get the world back on track.

Let me add one thing; it is very frustrating for those who will lose their jobs in the private sector because of all this, to be told by someone who will not be affected (for whatever reason), that losing their jobs, salaries, etc. is necessary. It comes across like the spectators at the Roman gladiator events, giving their "thumbs-up" for the loser to be executed.

In effect, when you vocally voice your: "shut it all down" opinion, these people are interpreting that as: "you need to lose your job for the good of ME". Yes, I understand it is not intended that way, but maybe a little more sensitivity to those on the chopping block would be in order.