I wonder? (Coronavirus)

Is the cup half full, or half empty?
I don't think I have ever seen the press focus on survival rates, it just isn't as newsworthy.
For people my age (77) the "estimated" death rate is pretty high at 8%, and scary since I am already dealing with the aftermath of prostrate cancer.
LOL My wife, who protects me like a junkyard dog, may put me in a restricted travel status all on her own.
 

I'd like to know what it is about this virus which makes it so different from previous ones. Every year there is something 'doing the rounds' and which causes a certain number of deaths. The majority of people recover from this one, so why is it being treated as though it's akin to the Black Death?
 
You can’t turn on a computer screen, a TV, or look at a phone without dozens of new stories about how the deadly Coronavirus is lurking like a silent killer waiting to end millions of lives. :eek: You hear terms like “pandemic”, ICU”, and “Emergency Funding”. The shelves at COSTCO are bare. Any sane person would be scared and freaked out at this point. However, I’m neither. Why? Because if you look at the actual science emerging and read through the media hype machine designed to whip up a frenzy, what you see is VERY different than a deadly pandemic killing spree, you see something much less lethal and more like a nasty flu bug.

The average seasonal flu kills between 291,000 to 646,000 people worldwide each year. :( You need to think about that for a second. Half a million people die from the average flu bug each winter. The CDC recently announced that the seasonal flu has killed 20,000 people in the United States this year with 350,000 hospitalizations. To date, worldwide, less than 4,000 people have died of Coronavirus. That’s less than 1% of the number of people who die from the seasonal flu.

Every where I look, I see people comparing this to the 1918 Spanish flu. Ha, apples and oranges.
If you’re a virologist or epidemiologist, the “big one” happened just after World War I. This was called the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic. This influenza virus had a 2-3% mortality rate and killed an estimated 30 million people worldwide (1.7% of the world’s population). That number is hard to compare to today because this was before modern medicine and intensive care techniques. Now we have ventilators, anti-viral, drugs, and modern life support. In 1918 we didn’t even have simple things that can save lives like the widespread use of oxygen.
 
squatting dog said:
You can’t turn on a computer screen, a TV, or look at a phone without dozens of new stories about how the deadly Coronavirus is lurking like a silent killer waiting to end millions of lives. :eek: You hear terms like “pandemic”, ICU”, and “Emergency Funding”. The shelves at COSTCO are bare. Any sane person would be scared and freaked out at this point. However, I’m neither. Why? Because if you look at the actual science emerging and read through the media hype machine designed to whip up a frenzy, what you see is VERY different than a deadly pandemic killing spree, you see something much less lethal and more like a nasty flu bug.

The average seasonal flu kills between 291,000 to 646,000 people worldwide each year. :( You need to think about that for a second. Half a million people die from the average flu bug each winter. The CDC recently announced that the seasonal flu has killed 20,000 people in the United States this year with 350,000 hospitalizations. To date, worldwide, less than 4,000 people have died of Coronavirus. That’s less than 1% of the number of people who die from the seasonal flu.

Every where I look, I see people comparing this to the 1918 Spanish flu. Ha, apples and oranges.
If you’re a virologist or epidemiologist, the “big one” happened just after World War I. This was called the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic. This influenza virus had a 2-3% mortality rate and killed an estimated 30 million people worldwide (1.7% of the world’s population). That number is hard to compare to today because this was before modern medicine and intensive care techniques. Now we have ventilators, anti-viral, drugs, and modern life support. In 1918 we didn’t even have simple things that can save lives like the widespread use of oxygen.
Click to expand...
Some things to think about...thanks, SD.
 
squatting dog said:
You can’t turn on a computer screen, a TV, or look at a phone without dozens of new stories about how the deadly Coronavirus is lurking like a silent killer waiting to end millions of lives. :eek: You hear terms like “pandemic”, ICU”, and “Emergency Funding”. The shelves at COSTCO are bare. Any sane person would be scared and freaked out at this point. However, I’m neither. Why? Because if you look at the actual science emerging and read through the media hype machine designed to whip up a frenzy, what you see is VERY different than a deadly pandemic killing spree, you see something much less lethal and more like a nasty flu bug.

The average seasonal flu kills between 291,000 to 646,000 people worldwide each year. :( You need to think about that for a second. Half a million people die from the average flu bug each winter. The CDC recently announced that the seasonal flu has killed 20,000 people in the United States this year with 350,000 hospitalizations. To date, worldwide, less than 4,000 people have died of Coronavirus. That’s less than 1% of the number of people who die from the seasonal flu.

Every where I look, I see people comparing this to the 1918 Spanish flu. Ha, apples and oranges.
If you’re a virologist or epidemiologist, the “big one” happened just after World War I. This was called the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic. This influenza virus had a 2-3% mortality rate and killed an estimated 30 million people worldwide (1.7% of the world’s population). That number is hard to compare to today because this was before modern medicine and intensive care techniques. Now we have ventilators, anti-viral, drugs, and modern life support. In 1918 we didn’t even have simple things that can save lives like the widespread use of oxygen.
Click to expand...

We didn't have antibiotics either. But COVID-19 is different from influenza. The Spanish flu, which did not originate in Spain BTW, killed mostly people aged 20-40. This pandemic, pneumonia like, is killing off us elder folks so I do appreciate the cooperation of youngsters not attending classes, already cancelled in many cases, avoiding attending sporting events, rock concerts, college mixers, cruises, air travel, etc. so that us geezers can perhaps survive awhile longer. It just pays to be cautious IMHO.
 
chic said:
We didn't have antibiotics either. But COVID-19 is different from influenza. The Spanish flu, which did not originate in Spain BTW, killed mostly people aged 20-40. This pandemic, pneumonia like, is killing off us elder folks so I do appreciate the cooperation of youngsters not attending classes, already cancelled in many cases, avoiding attending sporting events, rock concerts, college mixers, cruises, air travel, etc. so that us geezers can perhaps survive awhile longer. It just pays to be cautious IMHO.
Click to expand...
Antibiotics are not effective against viruses.
 
Pecos said:
Is the cup half full, or half empty?
I don't think I have ever seen the press focus on survival rates, it just isn't as newsworthy.
For people my age (77) the "estimated" death rate is pretty high at 8%, and scary since I am already dealing with the aftermath of prostrate cancer.
LOL My wife, who protects me like a junkyard dog, may put me in a restricted travel status all on her own.
Click to expand...
I have seen the survival rates were mentioned over the last couple of days. I watch ABC: World News Tonight, GMA and 20/20, which had a Corona virus 2 hour special last week. Since the numbers change daily, it's hard to keep up with exactly what those numbers are.
 
First rule: There is too much of the unknown to adapt one opinion or another. All the positive info has been aired a well as the negative but you have to pay attention and listen. One thing is certain the number of cases can't be determined without the adequate number of tests kits.
 
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