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I would expect to see the same level of concern for the flu too!! (once this is all over and done with).
We do have flu vaccines, but the 'anti-vaxxer' movement is discouraging people from taking it, and some people are scared of it for some other reasons.
We can model and fund an aggressive program to battle influenza and coronavirus (and other pathogens) through a National Health Care program. It is as important as the Pentagon, it is as important as Homeland Security, it's national defense in it's own right.
It would be a helluva lot cheaper to the economy than any 'shelter in place' scenario we have to endure now.
But perhaps it should be mentioned, the flu is listed on a lot of death certificates of people who were already in poor shape, many in the hospital already for some other condition (or accident). These people are not the typical cruise line customer, one doesn't hear about passengers happily vacationing (dining, dancing, drinking) on cruise liners catching the flu and dying from it within weeks very much these days. It's just not that kind of threat.
Likely, those who will die of the flu this year had been exposed to the seasonal flu previously, countless times. They survived previously because they were healthier ... their immune systems were strong. Their more recent states of health could be complicated by a chronic condition that is getting away from them, perhaps a lung disease or something else. It will be hard to get those numbers down much. COVID-19 will probably do the same from now on, killing weakened people even before they catch the flu and driving the stats for cancer and flu deaths down.
This new corona virus is catching and killing a lot of people (otherwise mobile, active and vigorous) that the flu types we know about would not be able to kill. It is attacking and disabling their lungs, and in some cases attacking their hearts.
I know there is a lot of fear-driven coronavirus hysteria being pumped by the media these days, but let's look at some actual facts. The CDC estimates the flu kills between 291,000 - 646,000 people WORLDWIDE every single year. And this is WITH the flu vaccine which the "experts" claim is so effective. So in theory, the worldwide deaths from the flu would be FAR greater without the flu vaccine (according to the "experts" own flu vaccine "effectiveness" numbers). Potentially up to the 1 million+ flu death range every single year without the vaccine.
As of the time of this post, the coronavirus has killed under 50K people worldwide without any vaccine, yet based on all of the media hype and hysteria, you would think it is the end of the world.
Turn off the fear-mongering media and think for yourself.
This is what I thought about a month ago, but I've come to the conclusion that this isn't being overdone. CV19 is much worse than the flu, it's more contagious, less predictable, and we don't have a vaccine or effective drugs to fight it. The situation sucks, but I am still clinging to some hope that once the weather warms up, the virus will be contained.
I would expect to see the same level of concern for the flu too!! (once this is all over and done with).
Social distancing is HERE TO STAY imo, I also expect non-essential businesses will be closed down annually from now on, (to prevent spreading of the flu) or any other new virus that may be out there.
This will change the world drastically.
I don't.
People are social creatures, social distancing can't be enforced indefinitely.
Even in Italy, people are already getting restless over the quarantine/lockdown measures...
We will just have to live with various viruses and their different strains and accommodate accordingly.
The flu is to CV19 what a raccoon is to a wild grizzly bear.
* With flu, even if the annual vaccine isn't a match, it tends to make the illness significantly milder for the patient. https://www.mdmag.com/medical-news/f...nts-prevention With CV19, we have nothing but prevention via distancing.
* Flu patterns are predictable enough for hospitals to be well-prepared to handle the influx of patients. That means patients in need will have the best chance at beating the illness and recovering.
* The incubation period for the flu typically maxes out at 4 days. Compare that to 14 days for CV19. That's a lot more time to unknowingly spread the virus to people going about their daily lives.
* The CV19 virus can survive for up to 9 days on surfaces compared to no more than 2 days for the flu virus. The virus was even detected 17 days later on the Princess Cruise cabins. https://www.livescience.com/how-long...-surfaces.html
* The flu tends to focus on the upper respiratory tract (sinuses, nose, throat, etc). CV19, on the other hand, likes to attack the lungs directly, which is a lot more serious for obvious reasons.
* Flu is as old as time. CV19 is brand new, only a few months old, and it's already ravaging the world. Of course flu has more total deaths at the moment. It's had a lot longer to circulate among humans.
That's why it's vital to look at death/hospitalization RATES rather than raw numbers.
The flu is to CV19 what a raccoon is to a wild grizzly bear.
* With flu, even if the annual vaccine isn't a match, it tends to make the illness significantly milder for the patient. https://www.mdmag.com/medical-news/f...nts-prevention With CV19, we have nothing but prevention via distancing.
* Flu patterns are predictable enough for hospitals to be well-prepared to handle the influx of patients. That means patients in need will have the best chance at beating the illness and recovering.
* The incubation period for the flu typically maxes out at 4 days. Compare that to 14 days for CV19. That's a lot more time to unknowingly spread the virus to people going about their daily lives.
* The CV19 virus can survive for up to 9 days on surfaces compared to no more than 2 days for the flu virus. The virus was even detected 17 days later on the Princess Cruise cabins. https://www.livescience.com/how-long...-surfaces.html
* The flu tends to focus on the upper respiratory tract (sinuses, nose, throat, etc). CV19, on the other hand, likes to attack the lungs directly, which is a lot more serious for obvious reasons.
* Flu is as old as time. CV19 is brand new, only a few months old, and it's already ravaging the world. Of course flu has more total deaths at the moment. It's had a lot longer to circulate among humans.
That's why it's vital to look at death/hospitalization RATES rather than raw numbers.
An extreme introvert? Admittedly I have some introverted tendencies but not to that degree...
Very extreme.
I'm not for forced social distancing being an anarchist but it still grinds my gears to see people complain about having to slow their roll for a month or so. Society is based on being social and a lot of times for no reason whatsoever.
Again, healthcare systems in the country do not have the capacity to handle a new virus that popped up overnight. Just look at what is happening to figure that out. Hospitals systems are made to handle flu cases because you can predict yearly cases.
And since they is no vaccine or treatment, this can go one for a very long time without other measures. With the flu, we have a vaccine and medication treatments.
And still it kill thousands of people a year.
Apparently, it's a raccoon that kills thousands of people per year.
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