China is starting to get back to a more normal reality. So, if we use the China timeline, we’re looking at middle of June. However, we are implementing social distancing a lot quicker than other countries did. Hopefully we are learning from Italy. That social distancing is the correct thing to do. With that and the rising temperature, I think we could be back to normal by end of April. That’s my hope, at least. But just do your part. Listen to the experts. Stay home. Wash your hands. Be safe. This will pass.
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Agree. As a person with malaria (mine lives dormant) I can tell there are some side-effects of “The Q” but they are not life changing. I was showing symptoms and was put on it in Brazil. Later they put me on cyclical dosage of doxycycline. I would take it in a heatbeat. Hell, I would take Chloroquine just to keep from getting a cold. Its that mild. But it can make you itchy…like under your arms, around your neck…and, um, your nether-regions.
The trouble in Italy is that they did not distance themselves from China !!
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I was one of those skeptical about taking things too far (I was supposed to be in the Toyota Center next Friday and Sunday for NCAA Madness Sweet 16) but I have come around to the need for social distancing. If you are “older”, there are some real risks with this and I know some “older” people that could be susceptible to it. And, hopefully, life returns to “normal” by the end of summer and we can argue whether it was blown out of proportion or social distancing worked.
This link is to the Washington state update from today. COVID-19
About a 5% mortality rate overall but that climbs to about 15% when you look at those 70 or older.
So with those tables wouldn’t it make sense to quarantine anyone over the age of 65? Why shut down an economy and bring great pain to countless millions of people under the age of 65? As communities we could have mobilized grocery and medical services to make sure the elderly were taken care of as they shelter in place because they tend to shelter in place all of the time.
Just for information purposes, I have grandkids and I am high up on that mortality table. If you want to tell me to stay home, ok I get it. To tell a 30 year old with two kids living paycheck to paycheck to leave work is asinine. To tell a 40 year old small business owner who struggles to make payroll to shut down his business is cruel.
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We should have stopped travel before it came here. We were still allowing some to fly to China. That was the tiime to shutter air traffic and to make sure people feeling any sickness seek medical attention whereever you are located in the world. We still allowed travel which brought it to the mainland USA, Canada, and other nearby countries…Now our way of life has been affected. This may not hurt all, but from those of us still recovering from a layoff, this mess couldn’t happen at a worse time. Yes I am mad at this. Panic causes stuff not being found because greed. And fear to the public causes additional problems…like the market being affected.
Because you can’t effectively quarantine 65M people for 12-18 months until you have a vaccine. And, that doesn’t include those younger than 65 with compromised health.
You can argue different strategies and there are faults with each one. We will never know which approach was the best – I am making the best of the situation as much as possible: spending time with the wife and kids, saving on gas / mileage / tolls, eating home-cooked meals except to support the local establishments every so often.
And my TV is off almost the entire day (until Seinfeld and King of Queens reruns are aired on the KUBE).
And I am not stockpiling toilet paper and hand sanitizer.
When life gives you lemons, make margaritas.
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OK good idea. Because Biden an Trump are over 70 and they aren’t sheltering in place. Heck Sanders is so old you have to cut him open and count the tree rings.
Why in the hell do you bring pain and suffering to young people when we could just quarantine the old people. Me being one of the old people…
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A. How old are you? B. How do you know that they aren’t being sheltered and closely monitored? Do you follow them around? C. Are your parents still alive? If they got it today, would you tell people on this forum that their percentage of the population is less important and therefore this virus is not something to be taken seriously? Heck, if YOU get it tonight, would you be banging a drum around and hollering this crap? I get your point. But I definitely support taking every precaution to slow this crap down as soon as possible.
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UHCoog, I am in the high risk category with grandkids. I love my parents but they have been dead for decades.
I absolutely and positively believe that shutting down the economy for a virus that is deadly to people who for the most part aren’t working members of the economy is stupid. It is destroying lives of young people who are not at risk. By flattening the curve we haven’t eliminated anything other than kept young people from getting back to work. I maybe in the minority of my views but that is ok.
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It’s not just elderly people that require hospitalization. Younger age cohorts are getting seriously ill as well, even if their mortality rates are lower.
Even if we were able to successfully quarantine the most vulnerable popluations while the rest of us went about our business, millions of people would get sick, many seriously so. When people get sick, they can’t work.
This disease has the potential to paralyze the labor force if it is not contained. The economy takes a hit either way.
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Right, it’s about slowing down the virus and not letting it run around unabated. Because even if we just quarantined high risk folks, letting it run wild amongst the rest of the population can still infect at a rate where the number of hospitalizations peak above system capacity causing collapse.
I think most don’t realize how much of a “perfect storm” this virus presents. There’s no painless way to tackle it. There’s not a go to plan that can be relied upon.
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Thomas I respect everyone’s opinion. But this virus has as much risk to people under the age of 45 as the risk they have on the freeways driving to work. Ok I didn’t actually run the numbers to confirm that, but you get my point.
These under the age of 45 people who are employees of small businesses or own small businesses will find out in 2 to 3 weeks of sheltering that they there is no business left.
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Olutrain, they could have converted the vast number of military bases throughout this country to hospitals. Put respirator manufacturing on war footing. There were better ways to do this than ham handedly shutting down an economy.
That point is incorrect. Besides that, you weren’t talking about 45 until now. You were talking about 65. Where did 45 come from?
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Because the 45 year olds could have kept working.
The Pro athletes that everyday there are a few new cases being reported as someone positive with Covid19. Do you think they are contacting it from someone elderly or maybe any person of any age range. I’m just asking as I have no fight in this or what is right way or wrong way bec there are no perfect answers at the moment. I will say you can’t make mandates for some n then for others-- oh you have sm business carry on as usual. Just won’t fly!!. Other than that I’m keeping my distance! 
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So could 55 and 60 year olds at higher risk under your proposal of isolating 65+.
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Jess I suspect a lot of people have it. The reason the number of “confirmed “ cases keep growing is there are more tests available. It is already here and its already spread.
The Utah Jazz players are that were the first to test positive are saying they feel fine. Tom Hanks is alive.
We shut down an economy for a virus that is dangerous to the elderly. Everything is dangerous to the elderly, it is what defines being elderly.
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