Is this overblown?

ClapBack wrote: For them, it's all about saving their investments and how they are entitled to the young's last breath to save their investments.

All the media is focusing on the danger to the old, when in fact there is increasing evidence to suggest that the young can be as severely affected and can die from it too. I agree that there is far too much talk of investments. You simply can't put a price on human life. And you could very successfully argue that it's more important to preserve the lives of the younger people, who may well have young children at home who need them to survive. I have two boys at home and too young to drive. I'm taking this very seriously.

carbon20 wrote: I don't suppose any of you Yanks have watched our prime minister giving his covid19 briefs, There is a vast differenence how both leaders are addressing this,  I Give out PM 10 out of 10 and our opposition  party  10 out of 10 for backing PM Aussies are pulling together, everyone is heeding the goverments advice, Make me very Proud of my Fellow AUSSIES And of Our Prime Minister , whose party I never vote for ,but at this time it's time for all to pull together, We have been told that this is here for months.... That's the truth

Well said Carbon. NZ's prime minister is being just as responsible and the opposition is backing her to the hilt. It's time for all parties to pull together and for the populace to support them. A poll yesterday showed that 93% of Kiwis fully support the four week lockdown we're starting today. 

Thank heavens we both live in the bottom of the Southern Hemisphere - far away from the Northern hemisphere and the madness that is about to erupt there.

FluMom wrote: I think the President is correct give it until Easter to keep people home they let the younger people go back to work with some restrictions on gathering places and businesses one rotations of some kind to keep people at a distance.  Old people and people with medical problems isolate.  That is what I am planning on until August.  Old folks home care takers use PPE to keep the old people well.  This can be done I thing by Easter too.  I am willing at 70 to stay home for the youth to go back to work!

No.  Don't forget, the medical evidence points to fecal/oral transmission as well as aerosol from close contact.  That is why the Diamond Princess cruise boat experience was so bad.  We cannot mingle exposed/incubating cases with non-immune cases.  That path is suicide.  

My colleague, Dr. Marc Lipsitch, discusses what we need to do in this article:

a) test everybody - some folks will have immunity & will be able to work immediately, some will be positive and should be quarantined until they prove recovery/immunity, and make sure that we protect the vulnerable (immune compromised, elderly etc.)

b) go slowly - pushing this outbreak will only cause much higher deaths and economic misery. 

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/03/finding-ways-to-forge-through-the-covid-19-pandemic/?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%2520Gazette%252020200323%2520%281%29

As the coronoavirus pandemic spreads and hunkered-down Americans wonder when and how they’ll get back on the job, a Harvard epidemiologist said a second type of test being developed could clear for work the small but rising numbers of those previously infected, and thus immune to the virus.

Marc Lipsitch, director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said development and use of serological testing — which is already done routinely to check exposure to other pathogens — could help identify those who may be immune.

Lipsitch, speaking in a media conference call on Friday, said there’s no reason the second wave of testing should have to wait for completion of the first round  involving people suspected of having COVID-19. Serological testing, which may be even possible to do at home, could identify those who had been infected but had mild or no symptoms. Similar tests reportedly have been performed in China and other countries, and U.S. researchers such as Florian Krammer at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine have developed a serological test for coronavirus, though it still needs to be scaled up for mass use.

“There’s no reason why we have to wait for one [test] to do the other,” Lipsitch said. “The value would be potentially tremendous if we had a workforce that was growing as the epidemic progressed that could safely go back into various jobs — including health care workers.”

Trump can be bombastic, but he has a habit of being correct over the longer term. 

As much as i think he's wrong. He has some very intelligent people advising him. 

Personally I've always though of the virus as a powderpuff. I think its overblown by the media. Dont get me wrong. I know its killing people and its worse than the flu, but not much worse than the flu. 

cobber wrote: Trump can be bombastic, but he has a habit of being correct over the longer term.  As much as i think he's wrong. He has some very intelligent people advising him.  Personally I've always though of the virus as a powderpuff. I think its overblown by the media. Dont get me wrong. I know its killing people and its worse than the flu, but not much worse than the flu.

I keep looking at the numbers and it just doesn't sit right with me - the reaction to this vs the numbers... I understand the exponential features of this, but if huge numbers are asymptomatic or really mild (and it seems like the younger you are the better chance of not being serious/deadly) then are we following 'overblown' type headlines and worrying about a disease, novel as it is/going to kill lots on first & poss. second wave...but are we reacting to overblown statistics?  Like I said, something just doesn't sit right with me about all this.  Tin foil hats get better reception??? Is Covid the scrape goat for dying world economy, or the blame for food shortages or...??? I realize this is in some ways another whole conversation (if you feel like reaction is overblown then it's not), but looking back after first wave goes through - what do you think is coming?

Hong Kong - a region supremely qualified when it comes to experiencing novel disease outbreaks - just relaxed it’s social distancing requirements, and it’s numbers doubled in a few days. This should convince anyone that doing the same thing here is sheer folly.

Albert wrote: Trump in the briefing today said that the flu is far worse, and more people die in car accdients.    Clear White House message - is that the flu is worse and this is overblown.  Not sure what to think.  Is Trump correct, and yes he is major conman lol, but is he doing a con or is thing basically over as he claims?  Would love for this to be over as he is saying.  Any thoughts?

I think we are getting the true picture of what is going on from the HCW who have shared their recent shift experiences.  I would trust their input 100% over .gov.

1600 people die a day in Italy. They have one of the oldest populations. 

Now instead of these people dying from other diseases they are now dying of corona. 

This thing is super overblown. I just wish we could all get back to work. 

I reckon more people will die from the market down turn. The cure is worse than the disease.

Cooler heads need to prevail. We all need to stop this quarantine garbage. It should only be limited to over 60's and people with health issues. Everyone else go to work, get sick and get the hell on with things...  

I've called this a powderpuff from day one. Its still a Powderpuff...

I think the Fins have the right approach. 

My thoughts have been to allow the young, 40 and under, to roam free. They don't get terribly ill. They all get sick and we as a group develop heard immunity.

It may be a simplistic view of this. I don't know how you manage a young person living with the elderly, but surely there's a better way than full lock down.

As soon as we open up again the risk is still there. We have only delayed the inevitable. 

Its frustrating because I'm immunocompromised and i just want to get on with work..

PS: just heard that my sister has Corona. okay gotta go....

Trump appears to be listening to doctors and economists and striking a balance. No person could ever strike a perfect balance. I told myself early on that I would not play armchair general and critique persons for finding a different balance than someone else would. You have to protect the economy or people will die and you have to consider the medical costs of the disease or people will die. I have heard many many statements from our admin that tells us they are trying to protect both. The proof is inntheir actions that they are trying to do both.
of course, the lack of testing and masks is totally messed up. That doesnt prove our leaders dont care or arent trying but it does prove gov is incompetent in the face of this trial

. P.S we should not blame Obama who also had many faults, for not restocking masks. With a limited budget, a different mission statement, and not having the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, our stockpiles focused on other medicines. We should thank them for having a stockpile not for having an imperfect one.