Call me stupid but I still don't understand why the COVID-19 is so dangerous

[Miigwech]

Where is the information? WHY IS THIS SO DIFFERENT FROM THE SEASONAL FLU? Someone please put the truth out there for Americans to know WTF WE ARE DEALING WITH.

[PubliusEnigma]

1. COVID-19 is easier to catch, and it kills more who catch it.

[at140]

63. Mostly the old with existing health issues die, in Italy median age was 81

of those who have died.

[NickB79]

71. Does that make them less human somehow?

It almost sounds like you're saying that COVID isn't THAT bad, since it mostly kills the old and sick.

[at140]

72. Nope that just makes it actual and reliable stats from Italy.

Scientifically minded people usually strive to know exact details and statistics on any issue.

[NickB79]

74. The age of the average victim is immaterial to the discussion of death rates

It's just blatant ageism when people say " but it only kills the old". Don't try to hide it behind the guise of being scientific.

A ton of DUers here fall into that age group.

[at140]

77. Age is very important with covid-19 issue to me

because my I am 79. I am taking extra pre-cautions, but encouraging my daughters in late 20's to carry on without trepidation.

[MicaelS]

99. Rubbish.

The age of the victims is very important.

Take the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 aka the Spanish Flu.

Most influenza outbreaks disproportionately kill the very young and the very old, with a higher survival rate for those in between, but the Spanish flu pandemic resulted in a higher than expected mortality rate for young adults.

Scientists repeatedly state that strains of influenza target the very young and very old. Therefore, is logical to suggest that this virus might target these groups.

[coti]

100. Spanish flu killed my great-grandfather when he was 30, before my grandfather was even born.

The man was in his prime.

That virus was nasty. Made worse by the post-war conditions.

[Polybius]

108. 1918 was a different world

It can't be compared to today's medicine.

[Vivienne235729]

109. It'snot immaterial. That is why there is an area of specialty called geriatrics.

A fever in an 80 yr old is treated very differently than a fever in a 40 yr old. So yeaa, it is important to discuss age when we are talking about disease processes.

[NickB79]

117. It is immaterial when we're discussing a basic question such as why we should worry about COVID

Which was the OP. It has a 3% mortality rate, which is massive for most diseases. You don't need qualifiers on that. The fact that it's mostly the elderly that are dying doesn't make this basic number less bad.

When discussing treatments, and responses, THEN age is very material. But we aren't discussing that in this OP.

But there's definitely an undertone of "it's not so bad if the old die, because they're old", going around with regard to COVID these days.

[dewsgirl]

124. Those of use that are older and those with pre existing

conditions can hear you guys.-anonymous Twitter user

[Demsrule86]

81. Viruses can change and there two of this thing...younger people have died too.

[at140]

85. Statistically older folks are at bigger risk by orders of magnitude

such as myself at age 79. I am taking extra precautions.

[meadowlander]

94. Not enough ventilators if everyone gets sick at the same time

That means everyone else who gets pneumonia from something else or gets in a car crash is shit out of luck unless the infection curve can be flattened out.

Also 40% of the population calling out sick at the same time will cause supply shortages and put strains on essential services including emergency services.

[at140]

96. That would be seriously bad

to get into a hospital and not have needed life saving equipment available.
I am quite familiar with those ventilators, my wife had double pneumonia and was saved by the ventilator.

[Demsrule86]

97. Older people are at risk but so are kids with Asthma. This thing could kill millions and we don't

have even enough tests...we also don't have enough hospitals and intensive care beds...And what happens if we can't care for the number of very sick. My friend said her kid who was working in China said the hospitals built in China had no real care and the people there mostly died. We don't even know the truth as everyone is lying...our government, China...everyone.

[at140]

101. Yes, anyone with serious existing health issues is at great risk of dying

And me as well can not trust stats coming out of China. My contact in China 1 hour drive from Hong Kong still has restrictions on going out of the house.

[brokephibroke]

3. Hysteria for sure

But it’s the first time one of these newer virus’s have made it here. China is already recovering manufacturing capacity.

[Boxerfan]

6. It does permanent lung damage if it doesn't kill you-high infection rates

And a penchant for the elder.

Add to the fact we have a narcissist in charge who only cares about himself & not "We the People" or the constitution.
It is time to panic or at least defend yourself as best possible. It is barely begun we are at a 2 it will be a 10 in a month.

[Chuuku Davis]

118. You are going to have to prove that

Permanent damage?
Regular flu and bacterial pneumonia do not give permanent damage

[defacto7]

10. I guess you're in the same boat as the op.

You're not very well informed. Good luck.

[brokephibroke]

25. What is wrong with the points I made

First novel virus to reach the US.

Chinese manufacturing coming back on line.

If I am wrong show me where....

[customerserviceguy]

48. I think it's a mistake

to believe anything the Chinese government says. We already know that they covered this up when it first broke out. When the satellites measure more pollution again from Wuhan, then I'll believe that Chinese manufacturing is recovering.

[MaryMagdaline]

131. Good point

[58Sunliner]

103. LOL.

[pat_k]

26. After the most draconian lock downs ever seen

The endemic flu strains kill 300,000 to 500,000 annually.

If we could have contained these viruses when they first appeared, it would have saved many millions of lives over the decades.

The actions being taken aren't being taken out of "hysteria"... they are being taken to contain the disease and prevent it from becoming endemic (i.e., constantly maintained at a relatively high baseline level in a geographic area without external inputs). This is true whenever a new viral strain that can kill appears.

Getting a little "hysterical" about doing everything possible to contain the disease is fully justified given that failure to contain it will result in the death of millions over time.

Even if the overall mortality rate is similar to seasonal flu, the consequences of allowing it to become endemic are horrific.

[defacto7]

35. Thank you for your well informed input.

[pat_k]

37. Thanks. I decided to make it a new thread in general discussion

Wouldn't mind a kick!

[defacto7]

44. you got it...

[uponit7771]

32. 750 million people in China were quarantined for weeks

[kurtcagle]

39. Put that in perspective

750 million people is twice the population of the US

[uponit7771]

42. +1, that's different ... I've never heard of China quarantining their population

[dewsgirl]

113. I am shocked at the amount of people who seemingly weren't

aware of this, no wonder so many are still in complete denial. The fact that they locked that many people down and destroyed their economy told me this was dead serious and I needed to pay attention.

[uponit7771]

115. THIS !!!!

[gypsy11]

119. This!!

It’s a really big deal. Way too many people are way too complacent over this. It’s a mistake. Countries don’t lock down 750 million people, build multiple new hospitals as fast as possible, spray the streets with disinfectant day and night, and destroy their economies over “just the flu” business like Disney don’t shut down theme parks over “just the flu” cash is king to the corporate world. Apple, Starbucks and many others shut their business down completely in China - they’re not giving that $ up over nothing.

[dewsgirl]

121. You are spot on, I have spoke to a few people who were,

but the flu folks, I am happy people are beginning to come around.
Did you see this yesterday? This is no flu.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=13047987

[gypsy11]

122. I did

And it’s pretty scary. This is a virus you do not want to get. No matter how old you are.

[dewsgirl]

123. Yes.😔

[rzemanfl]

51. Bookmarking. For after I wash socks. n/t

[brokephibroke]

68. Prolly won't help you

However I definitely suggest you wash your socks after passing through airport security. Unless you are pre-check....

[rzemanfl]

70. I suspect I won't be flying anytime soon, but thank you for your sage advice anyway. n/t

[ZZenith]

4. If one hundred of your friends get the seasonal flu

there’s a very good chance none of them will die.

If one hundred of your friends get COVID-19 there’s a very good chance AT LEAST three of them will die.

Does that help?

[Miigwech]

8. Yes, thanks!

[Farmer-Rick]

9. And if any of your friends are 70 or older, and have a preexisting medical condition

Medical condition like heart disease, diabetes or kidney problems, they will probably die if they catch it


And there is no vaccine.

[Azathoth]

52. This. The mortality rate for people over 80 is being quoted around 15%

That's on par with many cancers.

[Farmer-Rick]

120. I'm surprised it is so low

In Washington when it hit a nursing home it was a 33% death rate.

But they aren't testing adequately here in the US so for the US it's hard to tell. We hear about the deaths but we don't hear about all those who showed no symptoms and had no illness from it.

[kcr]

95. If they have a pre-existing condition they're at risk even if they aren't 70

The reason older people are more at risk is because they're more likely to have an underlying health condition.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

41. Yeah. It reminds me that I don't have anywhere close to 100 friends.

As Miracle Max says in "The Princess Bride," "Thank you so much for reminding me of that painful fact." (paraphrased)

[ZZenith]

45. Maybe you should be nicer to people.

[Arazi]

62. Or they're elderly and friends and family have died off

Jfc, have a heart

[ZZenith]

110. Jfc, lighten up.

Pretty sure the recipient knew I was joking. You do understand the whole premise is hypothetical, right?

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

111. I would be, but I work as a substitute teacher, and being mean is in the job description.

Actually, as a sub I work at being assertive, consistent, and fair. It's a balance between getting the job done (doing the teacher's lesson plan) or being run over by the kids. Sometimes you bite the bear, and sometimes the bear bites you.

I've worked hard on not being "nice" because I learned the hard way that people take advantage of you if you're always nice. I've decided to be kind instead, and treat everyone as I wish to be treated. That's especially true for people who are angry or who are living on the streets. A little kindness can brighten their day. I try to remind myself, "There but for the grace of God go I."

I've read that you should always have three or four people whose faces light up when you enter the room, and I feel fortunate to have that experience.

[ZZenith]

112. You deserve triple salary as a substitute teacher.

And combat pay on top of that.

And I do hope you know my comment was made in jest.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

125. I knew you were jesting. For some reason I needed to get my thoughts out.

After one particularly challenging day subbing at a sixth grade class, I asked the secretary who completed my time card if I were entitled to combat pay. She laughed -- she knew which class I had been assigned to that day.

I usually sub at the middle school. The students this year have been the worst ever (the teachers' evaluation, not mine), and fewer and fewer people are willing to sub there. Not surprisingly, there are only five or six students -- usually boys -- who cause all the problems in each class (middle school classes are usually 32 students, so I teach 200+ students a day). If I get them under control, the class goes well. If I let them sit together, all hell breaks loose.

One thing I stopped from the first day I began subbing was to refuse to let them call me "sub." I introduce myself as, "My name is Mr. K____, and I'll be your teacher today." Surprisingly, most of the students are willing to accept that. Whenever they say, "Mr. O____ lets us do this," I always reply, "I'm not Mr. O___. This is my class and you will follow my rules." Once I establish myself as the Alpha in the class, things go pretty well.

I teach in a very poor part of the desert. A lot of the kids are being raised in houses where drugs and alcohol are abundant, and there's no family discipline. Sometimes one or both of the parents are in jail, and the child is being raised by the grandparents. About one-third of the students are given free breakfasts each morning. There are usually about 10 students in each class who are doing their best to learn, and I have apologized to them for not being able to provide the attention they deserve because I have to focus on the miscreants.

Every now and then there is a bright spot. I always write my name on the board, and make sure the students understand its etymology, and why it's not pronounced the way it's spelled. I explain how important it is to pronounce a person's name correctly, and then demonstrate that by making sure I pronounce each of their names properly as I take roll, having them correct me when I'm wrong (and you would not believe how creative parents are in naming their children). One time after school, however, I heard a student call out one of the many mispronunciations of my name, and another student immediately corrected him. A small victory, but one nonetheless.

At the age of 70 I know my energy level is not going to be able to keep up with the kids for much longer, so I'm focusing on life lessons rather than academic ones: the importance of not lying, "no" is a complete sentence, that they do not have to have anyone's permission to pursue their dreams. And the one I consider the most important: that each of them is a unique human being. There has never been one like them in the history of the world. "You are worth your life."

Oh, and anytime I see a student drawing, I make sure they know about art schools and scholarships. I wish I had been told about that when I was in junior high! I would never, ever have gone to law school.

[ZZenith]

127. You sound like a couple of teachers I had back in the day

and I will always credit them for my survival. All it takes is for one adult to treat you as a unique human being to turn your ship away from the rocks.

The worst part of it is that I will never get the chance to tell them how much they meant to me.

Glad the children have you in their lives. I’m willing to wager you have a LOT more than one hundred friends.

[raccoon]

116. My hats off to you. I was never brave enough to attempt it. Nt

[at140]

53. Look at all the money you are saving by not picking up

the check in restaurants! You don't need 100 moochers, half a dozen good friends is enough.

[Kaleva]

56. I don't even have that many Facebook friends.

[Skittles]

66. I have five friends and three of them are not allowed in my apartment

[ret5hd]

90. I'll gladly be numbers 6 and 4!!!

[defacto7]

5. It's been written on this website multiple times a day for weeks.

COVID-19 stats

Read up.

[milestogo]

7. It has a slightly higher mortality rate than the flu and is very contagious.

The scariest thing I've heard is that the number of infected people doubles every 24 hours.

After 10 days 1 person becomes 512 people.

After 20 days 512 people becomes half a million people.

With that many infected people, a lot more people will die.

[Squinch]

11. The mortality rate is quite a bit higher.

[defacto7]

13. Slightly higher?

Read up.

Seasonal flu: .08 % death rate

COVID19 World Health Organization most recent estimate: 3.4% death rate

That's over 30x

COVID-19 stats

[at140]

58. Data from Italy says median age of dead was 81

and many of them had existing health issues.
Death rate is EXTREMELY low for healthy adults under age 40.

[NickB79]

73. So fuck Grandma, she's old and no one will miss her then?

Beyond the ageism on display, if the hospitals are swamped with millions of sick elderly people, they'll take up space and resources that sick younger people need to survive. We don't have extra beds and nurses as it is.

The end result will be hospitals so overwhelmed that old AND young die, the old directly from COVID and the young indirectly.

[at140]

75. No, that means healthy young folks need to carry on

with routine activities such as going to their jobs, go shopping, etc
and not get overly home bound in isolation.

[NickB79]

84. Healthy young people are only healthy so long

You get in a car accident on your way to work, but the ER is swamped with COVID patients and you bleed out. You get food poisoning from taking the family out for dinner and slow treatment leads to complications.

Again, overwhelming our already strained hospitals will lead to death rates spiking for all age groups.

[Roland99]

76. I don't think it's intentional but that bugs me too

Hell, many of the politicians we all support are of ages in high risk. Many Corp execs and part time workers are of high risk ages. Our parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. They’re not disposable!

[at140]

87. Age stats for covid-19 are important to me

because I am 79 years old.

[Roland99]

88. But I hope a healthy 79!

My Dad would have been 78 this June.

May you live long and prosper.

[at140]

89. Thank you kindly, I am trying my best!

and I should add I am so sorry you lost your dad too early.

[Roland99]

93. Thanks

[defacto7]

18. Actual infection rate increase..

Worldwide the infection rate is increasing about 5% per day. In Germany it doubled in one day yesterday, Italy 12%, South Korea 10%, Iran 30% per day increase.

[Dem2]

49. 'slightly higher' 20x higher?

That a conservative estimate.

[LaurenOlimina]

12. Let me help

Covid-19 shows HIV, SARS and Ebola like features which have led some to speculate it was created in a lab. It does permanent lung damage and attacks the immune system.

https://www.salon.com/2020/02/27/why-covid-19-is-more-insidious-than-other-coronaviruses/

The death rate is high, and it can be caught a second time. The flu has a mortality rate of .1%, Covid-19 is 3.4%. Covid is also MUCH MORE infectious, knocking out healthcare workers at an alarming rate.

https://www.salon.com/2020/02/27/why-covid-19-is-more-insidious-than-other-coronaviruses/

More details here:

https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/who-china-joint-mission-on-covid-19-final-report.pdf

[Miigwech]

15. Thank you

[defacto7]

21. The Coronavirus has been around for a very long time.

It has absolutely no relationship to Ebola or HIV. They are competely different viruses. Lots of misinfo in this regard. SARS and MERS are coronaviruses. Actually the name of the virus that gives us covid19 is called SARScoV-2.

Your stats are ok though. Stick to the experts, not media hype like salon.

[leftstreet]

30. Thanks

I didn't know any of that

Good info

[at140]

59. I read somewhere the common cold virus is of corona type.

[defacto7]

65. Very similar. They could be related but I don't know those details.

[dawg day]

22. I read that someone who was "over it' was released from the hospital in China, and then got it again

and died this time. That's really weird-- you aren't really over it when you're no longer symptomatic?

[unitedwethrive]

28. The best guess of physicians is that because it attacks

the immune system (as well as the respiratory system) patients do not mount a normal immune response and therefore infection may not induce immunity.

This is alarming and problematic on multiple levels. First it could mean that patients are shedding the virus for a prolonged period of time after infection. Secondly, if true, then COVID-19 is not always self-limiting, but a chronic disease in some people leading to long term morbidity.

[misanthrope]

79. The victim in question could have had any number of complicating factors,

a co-morbidity being foremost, that caused the exacerbation and death. Chinese info is scant and unreliable so we may never know what all the conditions and factors of his case were.

[LaurenOlimina]

27. and

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3052495/coronavirus-far-more-likely-sars-bond-human-cells-scientists-say

[LaurenOlimina]

34. Nurse's statement

Link to tweet

[soryang]

107. "Delaying this test puts the whole community at risk"

Thanks for posting the nurse's statement.

[LizBeth]

104. Has it been proven it can be caught a second time. I know there was conversation about that but

I thought I heard they decided not.

[LaurenOlimina]

106. I haven't heard not yet.

There were several cases in Korea, China and Japan, but this may have been the earlier strain.

There are two now. Nobody's sure you can't catch one after the other.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/04/coronavirus-chinese-scientists-identify-two-types-covid-19.html

[GemDigger]

14. It is catchier and deadlier than the flu.

It is asymptomatic for 9 days before you even start to get sick and it sheds the virus for up to two weeks AFTER you recover. So all in all it is contagious for at least one month and in some cases much longer. There is no herd immunity to it because it is new. The droplets on inactive surfaces from a sneeze or cough carries up to 2 meters. The germ stays ALIVE for7 days on smooth surfaces.

With little effort, the information is out there and not hard to find.

https://bnonews.com/index.php/2020/02/the-latest-coronavirus-cases/
https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

It is the Honey Badger of diseases because it don't give a fuck.

[Miigwech]

17. Again, thanks, so much BS floting around

this is how trump plans to bamboozle Americans to make it seem he is in control

[cwydro]

36. Sorry you're getting so much snark in this thread.

I see nothing wrong with you asking a question about this virus - so much misinformation surrounding it.

[stonecutter357]

16. Donald Trump is a racist pig !

[Baclava]

19. It's totally new to the human species, we have no immune defenses against it

and if the reports of being being reinfected after once having it are true, the body isn't building defenses after either

[dawg day]

20. It's the incubation period which is weirdly long

With the flu, you can be exposed in an hour and be sick a few hours later. So there's little time where you are unwittingly contagious. You aren't walking around infecting other people for three weeks without knowing you're sick.
With C-19, the people who are feeling sick now have been contagious for weeks without knowing it. So they might have infected dozens of people already-- who are now feeling fine-- not sick yet-- but are fully contagious.

They might not be coughing. They might not have a fever. They might not have any warning symptom yet. That's scary.

And it's really contagious, apparently. The lawyer in NY infected his family, then when he got sick, had a friend drive him to the airport, and infected the friend, and soon the friend's family was sick. It's pretty contagious, but with that long incubation period, we might be exposed without knowing the other person is sick.

It might not turn out so bad, but I think this is kind of a new twist, the long non-sick preparation time.

[LAS14]

24. Link??? nt

[at140]

60. Different from flu, CV is infectious during incubation period.

and even after the patient recovers he/she can infect others for a week or so.

[at140]

128. Even more weird is that covid-19 is contagious WITHOUT any symptoms

I read an article from NE-Medical Journal that a Chinese business woman was visiting Germany, was in a business meeting with a German businessman, and she had no symptoms at all. On the flight back to China 3 days after the meeting in Germany she developed symptoms. 6 days after the meeting, the German businessman came down with symptoms and tested positive to covid-19.

[thegoose]

29. It's super fast

And viruses mutate like crazy. This could become the red plague in a couple of months. No one even knows how to react yet, so there's a helluva lot more shit going on out there that we don't know about.

[defacto7]

64. Or it can mutate itself out of danger, either way.

We could start with what we do know. There is one mutation of significance and it became slightly less dangerous. Both versions are still bad and they're both out there but it can go both ways.

[Nonhlanhla]

130. No the less dangerous one was the earlier one

S strain is apparently older but milder; L strain is younger and more aggressive, but because it caused so much illness in Wuhan it's been on the decline there. Also, this thesis has not been proven inconclusively yet. But the fact that it possibly mutated in the more dangerous direction is discouraging.

[Thomas Hurt]

31. The perception is that this is just another flu and it is not out of hand.

Trump is playing to that. In other words there is a re-election campaign to protect and huge numbers of people with have to die before the risk really sets in with the ordinary folks.

[uponit7771]

86. +1, for Trump it's not test kits, no positive test and everything is good

[MFM008]

33. Probably

Acts similarly to influenza.
Body has a huge reaction to the virus
Lung tissue begin to get mushy
You begin to drown essentially
Then your organs shut down .

[KY_EnviroGuy]

38. The truth is out there and has been for weeks. The problem is....

in much of the world, our leaders have been in denial and are afraid of being bruised by reality. Trump is the absolute worse and he is endangering the world's people with his statements.

One huge issue with COVID-19 is that it's new and there's little scientific research on spread, prevention and cures (none known so far), so it's being dealt with on the fly. In addition, the internet and social media is being flooded with misinformation that can be as dangerous as the disease.

We do know it is very dangerous to the elderly population and to those with underlying health conditions or compromised immune systems.

Further, it's dangerous because 1.) we can have super-carriers that show little or no symptoms, 2.) supplies of preventative and treatment equipment is limited, 3.) because of limited proven data on how it spreads and exactly what measures prevent the spread, and 4.) the fear of a disease of this nature can throw the world economy into a tail-spin that can wreak havoc on already compromised populations in severe poverty, conflict or in need of migration.

If you go to the CDC and WHO web sites along with credible international news web sites, you will be overwhelmed with the truth.

KY..........

[Miigwech]

43. Thank you ... not news we are getting from pence

[uponit7771]

80. +1

[pansypoo53219]

40. and the spanish flu was worse the 2nd year.....

[uponit7771]

83. +1, same for swine flu in 2009 - 10. When fall came back around things got bad for both

[Squinch]

46. The death rate from the seasonal flu is 0.1%. The death rate from COVID is 3.4%.

COVID is more contagious than the flu.

COVID can result in permanent lung damage.

It has a 14 day incubation period, so nothing we are currently doing will do anything to contain it.

[Sugar Smack]

47. Chris Martenson is my own source for info.

I'd know next to nothing if not for him. He also goes into the financial problems that are to follow. I hope you like him enough to see other videos by him. I viscerally trust the guy.

[Ilsa]

57. Is he a public health specialist? nt

[Azathoth]

50. It's apparently more contagious than flu, and it infects deep lung tissue

Most "common" respiratory viruses like colds and flu have an affinity for cells in the upper respiratory tract: the sinus mucosa down to the primary bronchial tubes. Covid19, like SARS, has an affinity for cells that are much deeper in the lungs: the alveoli and bronchioli. This is much more serious as it tends to cause inflammation and fluid buildup deep in the lungs which means the sufferer can't get enough oxygen, sometimes even with a ventilator. It's therefore essentially an extremely contagious form of pneumonia.

[Ilsa]

55. Several months ago, it was said that some survivors ended up with kidney damage

or other major organ damage, not just lungs. That is serious, deadly, and expensive business.

[defacto7]

69. Maybe you mean a couple months ago.

It hasn't been around several months. I haven't heard that about kidney damage.

[Ilsa]

92. Events in December, maybe? Reported in January?

I never can remember when I learned something, just the idea itself. But there was enough time that passed that there was organ damage and organ failure in some patients who did not die from the virus itself.

[dewsgirl]

61. Did you see this thread earlier?

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=13047987

[Spider Jerusalem]

67. It has a mortality rate estimated at between 2% and 3.4%; flu has a mortality rate of 0.1%

You're between 20x and 34x more likely to die from coronavirus than flu. Hopefully you understand why that is dangerous.

[Demsrule86]

78. It has a death rate about 300 times greater than garden variety flu. It is very contagious and

people get reinfected...we are facing a pandemic where millions may die. And we are not prepared. We don't have enough intensive care beds, hospitals, medicine...truly we are facing a very dangerous thing. If it follows the 1918 trajectory...it will fade in the coming warm months and come roaring back in the fall. We can't even test people who may have it as we don't have the 'kits' which is ridiculous. The CDC needs to let states run their own tests.

[samnsara]

82. there is no cure..its so new the long term side effects arent known...

...especially for pregnant women..no one knows where it came from or how, when, or if it will mutate. If viruses dont scare the hell out of you ..read The Hot Zone..

Hubby is a Pharmacist and even back in Pharmacy School he always said the end of humans will be caused by a virus.

[pnwmom]

91. Based on what they know now, the death rate is 20 times as high as the flu.

The death rate is 2% versus 0.1% for the flu.

Also, there is nothing people can do to prevent it -- no vaccines available.

[sakabatou]

98. From my own standpoint, it's the strain it'll put on healthcare services

[brooklynite]

102. Answer: the mortality rate is uncertain, but the infection rate is considerably higher

[Leghorn21]

105. M, what haunts me is the first 25 seconds of this footage from a Wuhan hospital on Jan. 23

Imagine that in downtown Tulsa (pop.400,000), 150 people suddenly become desperately ill - they have fever and shivers and can just barely breathe. They and one or two family members all head to the hospital, freaked and frantic for help.

Imagine that the hospital has 50 ventilators on hand. 15 of them are already in use, leaving 35 vents available for the 150 new patients who all need a ventilator, NOW.

The doctors, nurses, orderlies, attendants, etc etc etc are also freaked out at the scenario unfolding in front of their eyes, and they have to pick and choose RIGHT NOW who gets a vent and who doesn’t.

I am completely making up this story, but when I watch that scene the in the Wuhan hospital, I have zero doubt that this could absolutely happen in the USA - the virus appears to strike hard and fast, and our health workers are just gonna get —- yeah, this could be unbelievably bad.

Also, if you’re a person who doesn’t have the virus, and you just need some gallstones removed or a broken bone set or if you just accidentally sliced a finger off in your table saw (my late husband did just that!) - well, I don’t know how soon anyone’s gonna be able to treat you fixed up...

that’s all I’m sayin

[Recursion]

114. Because we have 900K hospital beds

And if the infection and respiratory failure rates are the same as China's, we will need 1.6 million hospital beds.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

126. It's because we don't understand it that it's dangerous.

We don't know exactly what it is, or how it's transmitted, or whether a vaccine can be developed.

And we have the stupidest president in the history of the nation lying to us every time he opens his mouth. One who puts his "hunches" above scientific research.

That's why it's so dangerous.

[Miigwech]

129. Now we know, except that we don't know ...

but I know trump is not up to the task of helping anyone in the USA from acquiring this new disease.