Official Austin COVID-19 thread and discussion. (island, rain, party)

[whereiend]

Before the pandemic, the value of an American life used in the insurance industry was about $10 million dollars. This value was determined by economists based on the preferences of Americans. Eg, if a job had a 1/1000 chance of death, an average american would be willing to take that chance for about $10,000.

So, by that metric, 1.5 million deaths would be the economic equivalent of 15 trillion dollars, which is 3/4 of the US GDP.

The point being, 1.5 million deaths would be a massive, massive cost to the country. That is not a drop in the bucket in any way.

Personally I'm not a fan of the "lockdown" as it was originally implemented, but the idea that we can live our lives 100% normal and whatever happens, happens, is an even worse strategy I think. It does bother me that people (Trump supporters?) think wearing a mask in a grocery store is such a big deal. That seems like the absolute easiest thing we can do to curtail spread.

[ScoPro]

It appears mask wearing or not knows no age or political limits.

[rangergrit]

A poster wrote:

"The trajectory goes up, Texas is #6 in the nation for cases (surpassing many other states) yet Abbott, in a stratasphere occupied by himself, continues to aggressively reopen places at increasing capacity as if the data doesn't exist."

It's unfortunate that some people are so politically biased that they ruin a rational discussion.

[CarnivalGal]

Originally Posted by VAF84

I don't see why those who are wearing masks are worried about those who are not. Let the none mask wearers be.

@Trainwreck20, I'm not sure how you would make someone uncomfortable by just staring at them. Quite frankly the only thing the other person is seeing is someone looking at them, and from their perspective it more looks like you're terrified of the person without the masks, rather than a scolding. If someone made eye contact with me, I'd smile and nod because we're in Texas. If you're making eye contact while scolding, then it probably just makes you come across as a mean and angry person. Additionally, at this point the non-mask wearing population has become normalized to being around people with masks, and the occasional attempt by someone to shame them into using one.

Also, usage differs by regions. One block might have all mask wearers, and the next might be maybe 25%. I've witnessed this personally. Another point, is it could be a cultural thing. In Islamic society (and others), there can be the view point that it's God's will if you die, regardless of what you do. So, do you chastise them for their beliefs? Should you hate someone for their lasseiz-faire approach to life?

Another question for the mask wearers, and my biggest issue with wearing a mask. For how long? Vaccine's not guaranteed. So is the plan to wear a mask for the foreseeable future? For some, that's preposterous. Wearing a mask for a virus with such a low mortality rate indefinitely? I'd take my chances with the virus, rather than spending years staring at masked strangers everywhere. Then again, that goes back to a cultural issue, and one's views on what it is to live and how to live life in general. We're all different, so there's no sense in vilifying non-mask wears and calling them names just because they approach life differently.

The way masks work is that they protect other people from your germs. Not wearing one basically says, "I don't care if other people get sick."

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by rangergrit

A poster wrote:

"The trajectory goes up, Texas is #6 in the nation for cases (surpassing many other states) yet Abbott, in a stratasphere occupied by himself, continues to aggressively reopen places at increasing capacity as if the data doesn't exist."

It's unfortunate that some people are so politically biased that they ruin a rational discussion.

Uh I didn’t mention politics at all. Give me a break. I criticized Abbott’s decisions and I could not give a flip what party he’s affiliated with.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by whereiend

Before the pandemic, the value of an American life used in the insurance industry was about $10 million dollars. This value was determined by economists based on the preferences of Americans. Eg, if a job had a 1/1000 chance of death, an average american would be willing to take that chance for about $10,000.

So, by that metric, 1.5 million deaths would be the economic equivalent of 15 trillion dollars, which is 3/4 of the US GDP.

The point being, 1.5 million deaths would be a massive, massive cost to the country. That is not a drop in the bucket in any way.

Personally I'm not a fan of the "lockdown" as it was originally implemented, but the idea that we can live our lives 100% normal and whatever happens, happens, is an even worse strategy I think. It does bother me that people (Trump supporters?) think wearing a mask in a grocery store is such a big deal. That seems like the absolute easiest thing we can do to curtail spread.

you are off by a decimal, it would be 1.5 trillion. Even so, those utility numbers have nothing to do with economic value to society.

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by Austin97

you are off by a decimal, it would be 1.5 trillion. Even so, those utility numbers have nothing to do with economic value to society.

1.5 million x 10 million is 15 trillion

[Trainwreck20]

Well, not exactly a 'silver bullet', but it looks like something useful, at least:
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-53061281

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

Originally Posted by rangergrit

A poster wrote:

"The trajectory goes up, Texas is #6 in the nation for cases (surpassing many other states) yet Abbott, in a stratasphere occupied by himself, continues to aggressively reopen places at increasing capacity as if the data doesn't exist."

It's unfortunate that some people are so politically biased that they ruin a rational discussion.

Any "rational discussion" is impossible with the irrationality that exists in plain sight.

[VAF84]

Originally Posted by Westerner92

This comes across as extremely disingenuous. If you actually respected a viewpoint that's dependent on everyone cooperating, cooperation would outweigh the small inconvenience. It's fine if you're taking a purely self-centered approach to the situation, but own up to it.

I don't have time at the moment to get into circular discussions with the standard COVID responses, but as this was a comment on my character I thought I'd briefly respond. I'll use an example, I don't have to practice someone's religion to respect it. I also don't have to agree with another person's political views to respect them. Some have one view, and others view things differently, and I think that's great; it's called diversity. Diversity of thought helps us from getting caught up in group think. I think that's the biggest problem facing our society today. For whatever reason, if you disagree with someone you are an "idiot, ignorant, selfish, and possibly bigoted". It's easy to just censor and shame.

Call it self-centered, but in my situation I just use the information I collect, add what I'm seeing in person (I'm considered essential so I've been in major/mid-sized/rural Texas cities), throw in some perspective/context/experience, and make decisions based on a combination of those. If my resulting actions make me appear self-centered, then so be it.

On a side note, where I'm at right now, the only place I've seen masks is at the hospital. Where I was before in a suburban city had 25% masks usage, in the last major city (similar situation as Austin) all of the employees had masks, but only the HEB in an affluent area had about 90% masks, other major city areas tough to say but 25-50%. Needless to say, it's been interesting to see the different approaches in different regions. I look forward to a few years down the line when the numbers harden up; as to what conclusions will be drawn.

Anyway, enjoy the discussion folks.