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The problem is that the 10-20% with severe cases are going to completely overwhelm our healthcare system.
Other than Washington state nursing home residents, that is really the only concern with this thing. A comparatively decent percentage of those who catch beer flu require hospitalization and their is only so much room in the hospitals.
Me, I keep going out to the Walmarts daily. I'm sure I'll catch it eventually so I want to get it over with.
We were supposed to attend a group dinner this weekend here in NH, but the hosts cancelled it as they came back from a trip in Italy a week or so ago. They decided to refund the money and wait until later in the year when the fear had died down. There's an example of a two people who are looking out for others. My wife who works in the healthcare field and may have had some influence on this decision. She's not one to panic, but is cautious.
That's a balanced view. You've got some people that are frightened, staying inside and hording facemasks, and others that are saying this is nothing to even pay attention to or to justify changing anything.
Things aren't too bad yet, but this is a developing situation and there's been enough experience in other countries already to inform attention and due caution here. I'd suggest people pay attention to what top health officials (e.g. the CDC) are saying on a weekly basis and take sensible, proportionate precautions as they advise. Don't listen to politicians.
It is all politics and the media is an arm of politics. Part of their job is to keep the sheep fearful and distracted
Check out what's happening in Iran or Italy right now. The crises there are quite real. Hospitals in Italy are so overwhelmed they're attempting to drag people out of retirement and fast tracking degree programs in order to acquire more workers.
Someone mentioned that classes had been cancelled at Dartmouth earlier. To be clear, it was just some classes at the Tuck school of business.
International study abroad classes have been cancelled at many other colleges too, besides Dartmouth.
Just part of yet another vast conspiracy in the minds of some people, I suppose.
Check out what's happening in Iran or Italy right now. The crises there are quite real. Hospitals in Italy are so overwhelmed they're attempting to drag people out of retirement and fast tracking degree programs in order to acquire more workers.
Someone mentioned that classes had been cancelled at Dartmouth earlier. To be clear, it was just some classes at the Tuck school of business.
International study abroad classes have been cancelled at many other colleges too, besides Dartmouth.
Just part of yet another vast conspiracy in the minds of some people, I suppose.
The region of Italy that has been hardest hit is the Lombardy region, ancient, heavily populated and still reeling from its own industrialized past and the resultant pollution it caused. Iran is also in the same category. Oh and gee, so was China.
The CDC is advising people to monitor information from public health officials regularly and to make sensible changes in their behavior so as to protect both themselves and others in their communities, and thereby head off a major epidemic here. These are very serious people and they are *not* sensationalizing things.
So far, in terms of what we know, the prevalence is still quite low in the US. A little over 800 cases and 28 deaths in the US. But this is a developing situation, i.e. it's going to get worse before it gets better. It's far better to get out in front of this than to be behind the curve, because the disease is in some ways like a wildfire - once it gets to be a certain size, you'll lose the ability to control it. To the extent that we can limit its ultimate propagation, or even just slow down the propagation to occur over the course of a year instead of a month, we'll also limit the mortality.
The CDC is advising people to monitor information from public health officials regularly and to make sensible changes in their behavior so as to protect both themselves and others in their communities, and thereby head off a major epidemic here. These are very serious people and they are *not* sensationalizing things.
So far, in terms of what we know, the prevalence is still quite low in the US. A little over 800 cases and 28 deaths in the US. But this is a developing situation, i.e. it's going to get worse before it gets better. It's far better to get out in front of this than to be behind the curve, because the disease is in some ways like a wildfire - once it gets to be a certain size, you'll lose the ability to control it. To the extent that we can limit its ultimate propagation, or even just slow down the propagation to occur over the course of a year instead of a month, we'll also limit the mortality.
Solid advice.
Uncontrolled, rapid spread could easily overwhelm our healthcare system. For example, anyone out there getting up there in age who has asthma, COPD, or other comorbidities is at much higher risk since there's only so many ventilators in the hospitals. Once they're in use... sorry!
Don't panic but don't succumb to normalcy bias either.
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