The Coronavirus Thread...

[Cowboysrock55]

From what I’ve read, the scariest part of the virus is how highly contagious it is.

A person who is positive can infect others fairly easily/rapidly.

It’s the rate that it can be spread that is worrisome. Not so much that it’s a death sentence if you get it. What I read is one person that has it and not know it can infect 10 people before they know they have it and so on. One person could trigger 10,000 cases within a week to 10’days.

That’s how I understood it.

Yeah clearly it spreads very quickly and easily. Hell 1/3 to 2/3 rds of America is going to get it before it's done. It's really just about spreading that hit out over a longer period of time so medical facilities can handle it.

 

[lostxn]

I would like for someone to simply tell me the basis for this logic that’s going around. To my knowledge this virus is not any more dangerous or lethal as dozens of other viruses that have made their way to the public. The potential fatal result is determined to be highest with those who are as a general matter the most vulnerable across the board for everything else medically. 80 plus with respiratory problems ridden individuals are the likely agents for demise at the hands of this demon malady. Guess what? ......This is the same scenario that every other virus coming down the pike for as long as I have a memory has been.

Even comparing the stats of other countries and extending out that same exponential it still is less than the routine cold and flu season cases that occurs every year.

How is is that someone has come to a conclusion that this particular strain at this particular time with this particular country needs to lock down and put the financial and social well being of the entire population at risk of wrecking the economies of this country and millions of its citizens?

Again what is the basis for the trade off to engage this absurd process to save citizens from nothing more than the same infectious viruses that occurs routinely year in and year out.

This whole process stinks of something very clandestine or the other explanation is that I am not capable of understanding what danger we are facing. Is there something I have been deprived from knowing about all this that I should be informed of so that I can become scared and paranoid with the rest of the citizenry?.

Sigh. Well as the ED physician of the board I can tell you we're all extremely worried. Look at Iran and Italy and you can see how quickly a pandemic like this can overwhelm the healthcare system. Most tertiary hospitals in DFW were already on divert prior this outbreak so there isn't a ton of extra hospital beds to receive an influx of patients in respiratory distress. We only have so many vents. If you look at the example of Seattle, they quickly ran out.

We hear horror stories of the number of critically ill in Washington. 2 ED doctors are intubated and vented after caring for COVID pts. Every doctor and RN who puts a critical COVID pt on a vent risks receiving a lethal bolus of the virus aerosolized by the pt desperately trying to survive. Italy is having to take anyone over 80 off vents and let them die so they can save younger patients. That is horrible.

This virus is in Dallas and there is community spread now. I've already sent 2 people home that I was sure had it but couldn't test them. Then I have to worry about whether I was safe enough with my mask, gloves, and gown. I have to worry about bringing the virus home to my family and to older members of my family. Bringing home a virus that has a 2% chance of killing my wife isn't really thrilling. Not to mention if I get the virus I'll get quarantined and be on unpaid leave for god knows how long. The numbers that are reported as to the number of infections are a joke. The Health department is barely testing anybody. This will change in the coming week, fortunately. But they are planning 5,000/week. There are 6,000,000 people in DFW.

I know it makes you feel like a boss to poo-poo the whole thing but it's for real. It is far worse than the flu and people who think otherwise are simply ignorant.

 

[Sheik]

Didn’t Travis Frederick’s situation have to do with his immune system?

If that’s right, I hope he’s living in a bubble
right now until this shit blows over.

 

[lostxn]

Didn’t Travis Frederick’s situation have to do with his immune system?

If that’s right, I hope he’s living in a bubble
right now until this shit blows over.

He's under no special risk. Other than from that mess of a beard being a germ magnet.

 

[yimyammer]

any thoughts on this guy lostxn?

 

[Chocolate Lab]

L.T. -- the more stories you read, this is not the flu. It's a lot more serious. No, that doesn't mean people won't survive. But even if you do, it can be extremely unpleasant. Worse, you can pass it to an older person who might not make it.

In fact -- no, not to make it about me -- but if anyone remembers, I made a thread in mid-late November asking what is the worst care of the flu they've ever had because I was by far the sickest I'd ever been and it wasn't going away. It's weird, but the stories I'm reading and hearing sound exactly like what I had: sudden inability to breathe fully, very high fever, violent cough, pain and extreme tightness in the chest... One lady who had it described it as feeling like a tightening belt around her chest. That's exactly what I felt. I even remember thinking at the time that an older and less healthy person wouldn't survive this. It's months later and my lungs are still not back to normal. And I tested negative for the flu, and docs don't think it was bacterial. (Antibiotics didn't seem to help.) There's more, but I've read of others in this country having similar illnesses at the end of last year.

Anyway, I'm not in favor of shutting down the entire country either. But I am saying this isn't the flu, this is more like SARS (it's even in the official name of this), which fortunately didn't spread in the US last time. I'm not really worried about myself at all. But I am pretty worried about my parents.

 

[Cotton]

Why is it stupid?

To me, there need to be aggressive action since basically our entire country lacks common sense.

I can't think of bigger breeding grounds for a virus than fitness clubs and movie theaters.

As for the bars, go stock up at the liquor store.

Your stupid social interaction at a bar is not that important.

This is going to put a lot of businesses out of business. The government shouldn't be mandating whether a business can be open or not. The tweet I posted yesterday was spot on. If you give up your rights that easily without a fight then you can't expect for them to come back. Or, you resign yourself to having them taken away so easily next time there is a scare.

 

[Cotton]

Something about it seems so wrong. Telling people they can't earn a living. I'm just not ok with it. Businesses should he allowed to do as they fucking please. And customers can decide for themselves if there is a risk or not.

This is 100% correct. Let them decide what is best for them. If people don't show up, then it's on them wasting money paying employees to sit around.

 

[Cotton]

Houston has done the same now

Jesus Christ, this world has gone fucking crazy. The flu is 100 times more deadly and we don't shut our lives down during flu season every year. Just because this one has a different name we are all suppose to freak the fuck out? This has gotten insane.

 

[Cotton]

No but I don't trust the checker at the grocery store/Walmart either. Or the gas station worker. Or pretty much anyone.

Right. Where does this insanity stop? Where is the bottom of this slippery slope? The government telling me I have to register my temperature every day? This is fucking America. Or at least it was.

 

[Cotton]

I heard Romney is trying to get back in the good graces of his constituents. He’s calling for every adult in America to receive $1,000.

Yeah, that isn’t going to do shit to fight off a recession if that’s what they fear.

He joined the YangGang.

 

[Cotton]

Sigh. Well as the ED physician of the board I can tell you we're all extremely worried. Look at Iran and Italy and you can see how quickly a pandemic like this can overwhelm the healthcare system. Most tertiary hospitals in DFW were already on divert prior this outbreak so there isn't a ton of extra hospital beds to receive an influx of patients in respiratory distress. We only have so many vents. If you look at the example of Seattle, they quickly ran out.

We hear horror stories of the number of critically ill in Washington. 2 ED doctors are intubated and vented after caring for COVID pts. Every doctor and RN who puts a critical COVID pt on a vent risks receiving a lethal bolus of the virus aerosolized by the pt desperately trying to survive. Italy is having to take anyone over 80 off vents and let them die so they can save younger patients. That is horrible.

This virus is in Dallas and there is community spread now. I've already sent 2 people home that I was sure had it but couldn't test them. Then I have to worry about whether I was safe enough with my mask, gloves, and gown. I have to worry about bringing the virus home to my family and to older members of my family. Bringing home a virus that has a 2% chance of killing my wife isn't really thrilling. Not to mention if I get the virus I'll get quarantined and be on unpaid leave for god knows how long. The numbers that are reported as to the number of infections are a joke. The Health department is barely testing anybody. This will change in the coming week, fortunately. But they are planning 5,000/week. There are 6,000,000 people in DFW.

I know it makes you feel like a boss to poo-poo the whole thing but it's for real. It is far worse than the flu and people who think otherwise are simply ignorant.

I feel sorry for you folks in the medical industry. But, I'm not sacrificing my rights or the economy because a new strain of the flu same out. But, you signed up for this profession knowing full well the risks the job held. Again, I am sorry that you're on the front line with this stuff. Stay safe, brother.

 

[Texas Ace]

Why is it stupid?

To me, there need to be aggressive action since basically our entire country lacks common sense.

I can't think of bigger breeding grounds for a virus than fitness clubs and movie theaters.

As for the bars, go stock up at the liquor store.

Your stupid social interaction at a bar is not that important.

Exactly.

Same point I tried to make yesterday.

The human race has proven time and time again that we are a destructive species and people have to be protected from themselves.

If we as a nation are to be more successful in containing this thing early on, then aggressive measures have to be taken.

 

[bbgun]

lemme guess: she doesn't own a business

 

[lostxn]

any thoughts on this guy lostxn?

He knows what he's talking about. All the shit we're doing now to hunker down we won't see benefit for 2 months.

 

[lostxn]

I feel sorry for you folks in the medical industry. But, I'm not sacrificing my rights or the economy because a new strain of the flu same out. But, you signed up for this profession knowing full well the risks the job held. Again, I am sorry that you're on the front line with this stuff. Stay safe, brother.

I know what I signed up for. As for you sacrificing your rights or the economy, the decision is being taken out of your hands. Which it should be. Because if you recklessly get the virus, you could pass it to your family which could pass it to 2 other families and on we go. The government's primary job is to protect its people. Social distancing is the way they do it right now.

There is some excellent youtube videos out there about the logarithmic growth of this virus in Italy and in America. If we had waited longer to do this, we would talk about millions infected rather than thousands.

 

[L.T. Fan]

Exactly.

Same point I tried to make yesterday.

The human race has proven time and time again that we are a destructive species and people have to be protected from themselves.

If we as a nation are to be more successful in containing this thing early on, then aggressive measures have to be taken.

Really? Allow me to give an example of how responsible the human race as a whole is with something we are all familiar with. The nuclear weapons arsenals have been in existence for about 80 years and if the majority of the human race were destructive then you and I wouldn’t be here. What we have instead as a world population continued to resist irresponsible governments in the world having access to these weapons. Even when a nation has such a weapon the majority of the countries of the world keep a constant vigil on them and have stated that every precaution will be taken to keep allowances of these weapons to be obtained by them. Or if a country has such a weapon and is even presumed to be a risk other countries come together and even threaten annihilation of the government of such a circumstance.

I believe this same spirit resides in the majority of the human race which is a survival instinct rather than a self destructive mentality.

Having said that it isn’t a commentary on the Coronavirus panic pandemic or the legitimacy of the efforts underway currently.

 

[Texas Ace]

Really? Allow me to give an example of how responsible the human race as a whole is with something we are all familiar with. The nuclear weapons arsenals have been in existence for about 80 years and if the majority of the human race were destructive then you and I wouldn’t be here. What we have instead as a world population continued to resist irresponsible governments in the world having access to these weapons. Even when a nation has such a weapon the majority of the countries of the world keep a constant vigil on them and have stated that every precaution will be taken to keep allowances of these weapons to be obtained by them. Or if a country has such a weapon and is even presumed to be a risk other countries come together and even threaten annihilation of the government of such a circumstance.

I believe this same spirit resides in the majority of the human race which is a survival instinct rather than a self destructive mentality.

Having said that it isn’t a commentary on the Coronavirus panic pandemic or the legitimacy of the efforts underway currently.

CSB.

 

[Sheik]

Idk if it’s just the current crisis mode that everyone is in or what, but I’m selling the shit out of these “family style” dinners.

I hope I can make this a permanent thing.

 

[L.T. Fan]

CSB.

Is that a response?