OT - Current Affairs/COVID/Vaccines, etc

[WeekapaugGroove]

This highlights a unique problem we have in this age of the internet and endless information. Things like Corona, climate change, war, food/products causing cancer, ect are all real and serious issues but the unique challenge people of this current time have is how to balance between being ignorant and burying your head in the sand vs over consuming this information and litteraly driving yourself crazy. And that's not even touching on how we have to try to discern what's actually real and what's not. Interesting times we live in.


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[lilfishi22]

Sars had a 10% mortality rate and I dont remember it being as big of a deal. Its hard to believe this is as big of a threat as they are saying when they're telling people to "self quarantine", like what?! I am far more casual about these things than most people. I just refuse to feed into the frenzy of misinformation in a time where literally anyone can inject false headlines into mainstream social media.

There's a difference between being smart about weeding through the crap that the media throws out to get to the facts and completely disregarding the news and information available because you're anti-MSM.

It's almost certainly bigger than it's reported in terms of actual numbers because we know there are/were many who have been infected and died in China that and were not reported as being related to the corona virus. There's a lot of news out there that a good amount of deaths in China were reported as just pneumonia without reporting the underlying cause (the virus) and bodies that were not checked for cause of death. With the severe misreporting, government control of information and arrest of people in China that want to speak out about exactly how bad it is, it is almost certain that the numbers are under reported and not completely reliable.

Combine that with the the asymptomatic nature of this virus and slow initial response from China, it's not a big surprise it's spread far further than SARS ever did.

[lilfishi22]

This highlights a unique problem we have in this age of the internet and endless information. Things like Corona, climate change, war, food/products causing cancer, ect are all real and serious issues but the unique challenge people of this current time have is how to balance between being ignorant and burying your head in the sand vs over consuming this information and litteraly driving yourself crazy. And that's not even touching on how we have to try to discern what's actually real and what's not. Interesting times we live in.


Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

Couldn't agree more. We have access to more information than ever before in human history but the flip side to that is now you have to actually work hard and have a reasonable mindset to figure out what's real and what's bogus.

[lilfishi22]

I disagree. Quite frankly this whole virus circus is fear mongering propaganda by the media. I have to give them a tip of my cap because they have the U.S. in a full blown panic over a flu that has a smaller mortality rate than the "common flu", whatever that is. People say "but there's no cure for the corona virus" and I ask, since when has there ever been a cure for a flu? Sure you can get a flu shot but that doesn't mean you wont get sick. While Trump deserves some of the flack he gets because of his poor bedside manner, It's just so predictable that literally anything in the world that is wrong at this point is Trump's fault. World War 3, never forget. Trump derangement syndrome seems to be more of a threat to humanity than some wonky flu virus that I've survived 3 times in the last 10 years. (bird/swine/ebola)

I completely agree that the media has blown it totally out of the park with the fear mongering (which has also sparked unnecessary panic buying and an increase in racism) and while it certainly isn't the humanity ending virus that some publishers have made it out to be, I think being ignorant to it is just as dangerous.

Also if it had a lower mortality rate than the common flu, nobody would care because it'll just be consider a different strain of the flu virus. But this is different because it has a much higher mortality rate vs the flu which is between 2-3% (you're right it's fluid but it's been pretty consistently over 2%) for the corona-virus and about 0.1% for the flu. Additionally, the average virus transmission rate is about 1.5 - 2x higher than the regular flu. So this virus is more deadly and spreads easier than the regular flu.

+1

It's a serious matter, 3% mortality rate is no joke. It's not fear mongering, the constant attention is necessary. The public, as a general rule, are slow and dim-witted. The situation would be 100x worse if the media didn't constantly harp about it. Without the quarantine protocol in place and people being vigilant (travel is grinding to a halt, etc), the death number would be exponentially above what it is currently. I think the media, for a change, is serving some good.

Ignorance is a contributing factor into why this mess is worse than it is. The Chinese government didn't take it seriously in the beginning, when they were told that this had pandemic potential. In Italy, one hospital messed up and is probably largely responsible for the rapid spread. One hospital. In South korea, a cult was responsible for the spread ...

I think it's a fine line between fear mongering/sensationalising and keeping informed. Yes, you might be right that the situation could be worse if the media didn't report on it (like Chinese media early on) but on the other hand, the ridiculous headlines to sell papers/subscriptions is disproportional to the actual threat. As mentioned, it's sparked panic buying affecting supplies, an increase in racist attacks towards the Asian community and it's the news media are almost certainly profiting from the constant coverage they are providing.

[MrMiyagi]

Less hand shaking, more hand washing and, as you should always, cover your mouth when you cough and sneeze. Don't go out when you're sick (compromised immune system makes you more susceptible). Maybe carry around some hand sanitizer and go to less large public gatherings. There's not much else that you can really do as far as preventative measures. If stocking up on non-perishable foods and water makes you feel better, more power to you.

Healthcare providers should definitely be concerned and have plans in place to treat and quarantine patients, and there is a risk that given how contagious it is (cases seem to be arising exponentially) that hospitals can become overwhelmed (it's not uncommon for many hospitals to already be operating at or near capacity). They might need to convert vacant buildings into health centers, and ventilator shortages might arise due to severe cases.

I get that it's easy to lob criticisms at media coverage causing panic and sometimes they are definitely deserving of criticism, but at the same time, there is a real possibility hundreds of thousands and maybe even millions of people will die because of this if things get out of hand. That possibility needs to be taken seriously. You also might never meet anyone who has coronavirus. And here's the real kicker, both might be true. Just like the media needs to provide adequate context in their coverage, we need to adequately contextualize our own experience. For example, just because I didn't get Swine Flu and didn't know anyone who did doesn't mean that hundreds of millions didn't get sick and hundreds of thousands didn't die because of it. But I have seen people dismiss Coronavirus because "they said the same thing about Swine Flu!" Responding seriously to contagious illnesses is vital to public safety, and I personally would rather have an over-response than an under-response.

I get that for-profit media has it's own motives ($$$$$$), but at the same time we (people in general and sadly myself included) don't respond to moderate headlines, so the catch-22 becomes keep things copacetic and go unnoticed or go sensational and get noticed. I think this would be an issue even if profits weren't the motivating factor. It's just human nature. Respond to the impending threat, ignore all else.

[WeekapaugGroove]

This highlights a unique problem we have in this age of the internet and endless information. Things like Corona, climate change, war, food/products causing cancer, ect are all real and serious issues but the unique challenge people of this current time have is how to balance between being ignorant and burying your head in the sand vs over consuming this information and litteraly driving yourself crazy. And that's not even touching on how we have to try to discern what's actually real and what's not. Interesting times we live in.


Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

Couldn't agree more. We have access to more information than ever before in human history but the flip side to that is now you have to actually work hard and have a reasonable mindset to figure out what's real and what's bogus.

Its underappreciated that we are right on the front end of the biggest change in information availability since the printing press.

I'm 40 and I think about how my generation was really the last one to grow up without the full internet or even cell phones. Now we were young enough when these things hit where they aren't some weird foreign things but I do question how I'll try to guide my kids through this when they reach teen age years since it's not something I experienced at those ages.

Side corona note: the 'its like a flu' thing even if true (which it really isn't) doesn't give me comfort. I caught a flu bug a few years back that made me legit feel like I was dying. I've got a flu shot every year since because I would prefer to never feel that way again.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

[bwgood77]

This highlights a unique problem we have in this age of the internet and endless information. Things like Corona, climate change, war, food/products causing cancer, ect are all real and serious issues but the unique challenge people of this current time have is how to balance between being ignorant and burying your head in the sand vs over consuming this information and litteraly driving yourself crazy. And that's not even touching on how we have to try to discern what's actually real and what's not. Interesting times we live in.


Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

Couldn't agree more. We have access to more information than ever before in human history but the flip side to that is now you have to actually work hard and have a reasonable mindset to figure out what's real and what's bogus.

Its underappreciated that we are right on the front end of the biggest change in information availability since the printing press.

I'm 40 and I think about how my generation was really the last one to grow up without the full internet or even cell phones. Now we were young enough when these things hit where they aren't some weird foreign things but I do question how I'll try to guide my kids through this when they reach teen age years since it's not something I experienced at those ages.

Side corona note: the 'its like a flu' thing even if true (which it really isn't) doesn't give me comfort. I caught a flu bug a few years back that made me legit feel like I was dying. I've got a flu shot every year since because I would prefer to never feel that way again.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

The flu bug thing is scary. I work in a fairly small office and 3-4 people have been out sick with colds and flus. I actually had a closed door meeting with one person today who was out for 3 days and I started to a little bit get concerned because it got a little stuffy and I had that tingling in my throat...I know stuff doesn't happen that fast. But I even talked to my boss (who was out sick too for a couple days this week) about how scary it is that people are out sick with this coronavirus going around, but I kind of got the feeling he thought it was ridiculous I was bringing it up. And I knew it might sound ridiculous, since there hadn't been any cases reported in Austin (one in SA and then that person went to the mall though).

But I mentioned it to one person a couple days ago at work about it being scary with people out and that going around. Today her door was closed with a note that said "send a g-chat if need to talk. Also, wash your hands".

It just makes you wonder, what if someone you work with got diagnosed because they started having symptoms. The fact that it is asymptomatic for awhile makes it really scary. Would you even want to be at work?

I mean I see people saying it's such a low mortality rate so not a big deal, but if people you worked with had been diagnosed would these people just think "Well, there's only a 1 in 30-50 chance it will kill me if I do get it, so no big deal."

[lilfishi22]

Couldn't agree more. We have access to more information than ever before in human history but the flip side to that is now you have to actually work hard and have a reasonable mindset to figure out what's real and what's bogus.

Its underappreciated that we are right on the front end of the biggest change in information availability since the printing press.

I'm 40 and I think about how my generation was really the last one to grow up without the full internet or even cell phones. Now we were young enough when these things hit where they aren't some weird foreign things but I do question how I'll try to guide my kids through this when they reach teen age years since it's not something I experienced at those ages.

Side corona note: the 'its like a flu' thing even if true (which it really isn't) doesn't give me comfort. I caught a flu bug a few years back that made me legit feel like I was dying. I've got a flu shot every year since because I would prefer to never feel that way again.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

The flu bug thing is scary. I work in a fairly small office and 3-4 people have been out sick with colds and flus. I actually had a closed door meeting with one person today who was out for 3 days and I started to a little bit get concerned because it got a little stuffy and I had that tingling in my throat...I know stuff doesn't happen that fast. But I even talked to my boss (who was out sick too for a couple days this week) about how scary it is that people are out sick with this coronavirus going around, but I kind of got the feeling he thought it was ridiculous I was bringing it up. And I knew it might sound ridiculous, since there hadn't been any cases reported in Austin (one in SA and then that person went to the mall though).

But I mentioned it to one person a couple days ago at work about it being scary with people out and that going around. Today her door was closed with a note that said "send a g-chat if need to talk. Also, wash your hands".

It just makes you wonder, what if someone you work with got diagnosed because they started having symptoms. The fact that it is asymptomatic for awhile makes it really scary. Would you even want to be at work?

I mean I see people saying it's such a low mortality rate so not a big deal, but if people you worked with had been diagnosed would these people just think "Well, there's only a 1 in 30-50 chance it will kill me if I do get it, so no big deal."

I'm fairly young/healthy and I think I have a decent immune system so I'm not too worried about catching the virus (& have my immune system deal with it) and the mortality rate isn't super concerning to me since it's so far only affected those who are older and already sick. The biggest concern to me is not that I would catch it but that I catch it, not know I've caught it and pass it on to loved ones, some who are older and may already have a suppressed immune system.

[bwgood77]

Its underappreciated that we are right on the front end of the biggest change in information availability since the printing press.

I'm 40 and I think about how my generation was really the last one to grow up without the full internet or even cell phones. Now we were young enough when these things hit where they aren't some weird foreign things but I do question how I'll try to guide my kids through this when they reach teen age years since it's not something I experienced at those ages.

Side corona note: the 'its like a flu' thing even if true (which it really isn't) doesn't give me comfort. I caught a flu bug a few years back that made me legit feel like I was dying. I've got a flu shot every year since because I would prefer to never feel that way again.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

The flu bug thing is scary. I work in a fairly small office and 3-4 people have been out sick with colds and flus. I actually had a closed door meeting with one person today who was out for 3 days and I started to a little bit get concerned because it got a little stuffy and I had that tingling in my throat...I know stuff doesn't happen that fast. But I even talked to my boss (who was out sick too for a couple days this week) about how scary it is that people are out sick with this coronavirus going around, but I kind of got the feeling he thought it was ridiculous I was bringing it up. And I knew it might sound ridiculous, since there hadn't been any cases reported in Austin (one in SA and then that person went to the mall though).

But I mentioned it to one person a couple days ago at work about it being scary with people out and that going around. Today her door was closed with a note that said "send a g-chat if need to talk. Also, wash your hands".

It just makes you wonder, what if someone you work with got diagnosed because they started having symptoms. The fact that it is asymptomatic for awhile makes it really scary. Would you even want to be at work?

I mean I see people saying it's such a low mortality rate so not a big deal, but if people you worked with had been diagnosed would these people just think "Well, there's only a 1 in 30-50 chance it will kill me if I do get it, so no big deal."

I'm fairly young/healthy and I think I have a decent immune system so I'm not too worried about catching the virus (& have my immune system deal with it) and the mortality rate isn't super concerning to me since it's so far only affected those who are older and already sick. The biggest concern to me is not that I would catch it but that I catch it, not know I've caught it and pass it on to loved ones, some who are older and may already have a suppressed immune system.

Well, this virus is pretty much in it's infancy, and viruses evolve and can do so pretty rapidly, so those concerns could change.

[sunsbum]

I'm a conspiracy theorist... not as much as I used to be but I still get a wild conspiracy up my ass once in a while. I'm seeing that Seattle is banning gatherings of 250 people and I find that interesting. It sure seems like we are breathing down the neck of marshal law doesn't it?

[bwgood77]

I'm a conspiracy theorist... not as much as I used to be but I still get a wild conspiracy up my ass once in a while. I'm seeing that Seattle is banning gatherings of 250 people and I find that interesting. It sure seems like we are breathing down the neck of marshal law doesn't it?

I've seen a lot of conferences get canceled. People who had already booked plane tickets from my work are now stuck with unusable tickets, though luckily they got credits...these were smaller gatherings than 250. It's going to happen everywhere here in time.

[ATTL]

Possible national emergency being declared.

I'll be at home, eating spoon fulls of honey and drinking vodka, wiping my ass with one of the 400 rolls of toilet paper I hoarded a month ago.

[bigfoot]

Couldn't agree more. We have access to more information than ever before in human history but the flip side to that is now you have to actually work hard and have a reasonable mindset to figure out what's real and what's bogus.

Its underappreciated that we are right on the front end of the biggest change in information availability since the printing press.

I'm 40 and I think about how my generation was really the last one to grow up without the full internet or even cell phones. Now we were young enough when these things hit where they aren't some weird foreign things but I do question how I'll try to guide my kids through this when they reach teen age years since it's not something I experienced at those ages.

Side corona note: the 'its like a flu' thing even if true (which it really isn't) doesn't give me comfort. I caught a flu bug a few years back that made me legit feel like I was dying. I've got a flu shot every year since because I would prefer to never feel that way again.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

The flu bug thing is scary. I work in a fairly small office and 3-4 people have been out sick with colds and flus. I actually had a closed door meeting with one person today who was out for 3 days and I started to a little bit get concerned because it got a little stuffy and I had that tingling in my throat...I know stuff doesn't happen that fast. But I even talked to my boss (who was out sick too for a couple days this week) about how scary it is that people are out sick with this coronavirus going around, but I kind of got the feeling he thought it was ridiculous I was bringing it up. And I knew it might sound ridiculous, since there hadn't been any cases reported in Austin (one in SA and then that person went to the mall though).

But I mentioned it to one person a couple days ago at work about it being scary with people out and that going around. Today her door was closed with a note that said "send a g-chat if need to talk. Also, wash your hands".

It just makes you wonder, what if someone you work with got diagnosed because they started having symptoms. The fact that it is asymptomatic for awhile makes it really scary. Would you even want to be at work?

I mean I see people saying it's such a low mortality rate so not a big deal, but if people you worked with had been diagnosed would these people just think "Well, there's only a 1 in 30-50 chance it will kill me if I do get it, so no big deal."

It's not a 1-in-30 chance of dying for young people. It's more like 1-500 chance for ages 10-39 an 1-250 for 40-49. The elderly are the most at risk with 3.6% to 14.8% mortality rates from 60 to 80+. The real risk is younger people who are asymptomatic and don't know they have the virus putting elderly folks at risk (for example they visit their grandparents).

[bigfoot]

Possible national emergency being declared.

I'll be at home, eating spoon fulls of honey and drinking vodka, wiping my ass with one of the 400 rolls of toilet paper I hoarded a month ago.

Question. If you were walking in your yard barefoot and stepped in a pile of dog poo would you just wipe it off with a paper towel??? Buy a bidet ... clean azz and saving money on the TP bill.

[ATTL]

Possible national emergency being declared.

I'll be at home, eating spoon fulls of honey and drinking vodka, wiping my ass with one of the 400 rolls of toilet paper I hoarded a month ago.

Question. If you were walking in your yard barefoot and stepped in a pile of dog poo would you just wipe it off with a paper towel??? Buy a bidet ... clean azz and saving money on the TP bill.

I usually shower after the more hefty movements.

[bwgood77]

Its underappreciated that we are right on the front end of the biggest change in information availability since the printing press.

I'm 40 and I think about how my generation was really the last one to grow up without the full internet or even cell phones. Now we were young enough when these things hit where they aren't some weird foreign things but I do question how I'll try to guide my kids through this when they reach teen age years since it's not something I experienced at those ages.

Side corona note: the 'its like a flu' thing even if true (which it really isn't) doesn't give me comfort. I caught a flu bug a few years back that made me legit feel like I was dying. I've got a flu shot every year since because I would prefer to never feel that way again.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

The flu bug thing is scary. I work in a fairly small office and 3-4 people have been out sick with colds and flus. I actually had a closed door meeting with one person today who was out for 3 days and I started to a little bit get concerned because it got a little stuffy and I had that tingling in my throat...I know stuff doesn't happen that fast. But I even talked to my boss (who was out sick too for a couple days this week) about how scary it is that people are out sick with this coronavirus going around, but I kind of got the feeling he thought it was ridiculous I was bringing it up. And I knew it might sound ridiculous, since there hadn't been any cases reported in Austin (one in SA and then that person went to the mall though).

But I mentioned it to one person a couple days ago at work about it being scary with people out and that going around. Today her door was closed with a note that said "send a g-chat if need to talk. Also, wash your hands".

It just makes you wonder, what if someone you work with got diagnosed because they started having symptoms. The fact that it is asymptomatic for awhile makes it really scary. Would you even want to be at work?

I mean I see people saying it's such a low mortality rate so not a big deal, but if people you worked with had been diagnosed would these people just think "Well, there's only a 1 in 30-50 chance it will kill me if I do get it, so no big deal."

It's not a 1-in-30 chance of dying for young people. It's more like 1-500 chance for ages 10-39 an 1-250 for 40-49. The elderly are the most at risk with 3.6% to 14.8% mortality rates from 60 to 80+. The real risk is younger people who are asymptomatic and don't know they have the virus putting elderly folks at risk (for example they visit their grandparents).

Yeah, I meant 1 in 300-500.

[bwgood77]

Possible national emergency being declared.

I'll be at home, eating spoon fulls of honey and drinking vodka, wiping my ass with one of the 400 rolls of toilet paper I hoarded a month ago.

Question. If you were walking in your yard barefoot and stepped in a pile of dog poo would you just wipe it off with a paper towel??? Buy a bidet ... clean azz and saving money on the TP bill.

Funny you mention....a half hour before your post we were discussing this very thing here. viewtopic.php?f=69&t=1950411&start=60#p82451022

[sunsbum]

Ive been preaching bidets for 5 years now. Do yourself a favor and spend 300 bucks on the fancy heated water/seat with remote. Seriously.

Also, you should check out what youve been shoving in your corn hole your entire life, how tp is made and what exactly is in white toilet paper specifically. *puts tin foil hat back on and climbs back into doomsday dumpster*

[lilfishi22]

Its underappreciated that we are right on the front end of the biggest change in information availability since the printing press.

I'm 40 and I think about how my generation was really the last one to grow up without the full internet or even cell phones. Now we were young enough when these things hit where they aren't some weird foreign things but I do question how I'll try to guide my kids through this when they reach teen age years since it's not something I experienced at those ages.

Side corona note: the 'its like a flu' thing even if true (which it really isn't) doesn't give me comfort. I caught a flu bug a few years back that made me legit feel like I was dying. I've got a flu shot every year since because I would prefer to never feel that way again.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

The flu bug thing is scary. I work in a fairly small office and 3-4 people have been out sick with colds and flus. I actually had a closed door meeting with one person today who was out for 3 days and I started to a little bit get concerned because it got a little stuffy and I had that tingling in my throat...I know stuff doesn't happen that fast. But I even talked to my boss (who was out sick too for a couple days this week) about how scary it is that people are out sick with this coronavirus going around, but I kind of got the feeling he thought it was ridiculous I was bringing it up. And I knew it might sound ridiculous, since there hadn't been any cases reported in Austin (one in SA and then that person went to the mall though).

But I mentioned it to one person a couple days ago at work about it being scary with people out and that going around. Today her door was closed with a note that said "send a g-chat if need to talk. Also, wash your hands".

It just makes you wonder, what if someone you work with got diagnosed because they started having symptoms. The fact that it is asymptomatic for awhile makes it really scary. Would you even want to be at work?

I mean I see people saying it's such a low mortality rate so not a big deal, but if people you worked with had been diagnosed would these people just think "Well, there's only a 1 in 30-50 chance it will kill me if I do get it, so no big deal."

It's not a 1-in-30 chance of dying for young people. It's more like 1-500 chance for ages 10-39 an 1-250 for 40-49. The elderly are the most at risk with 3.6% to 14.8% mortality rates from 60 to 80+. The real risk is younger people who are asymptomatic and don't know they have the virus putting elderly folks at risk (for example they visit their grandparents).

The "young person" is also assumed to be generally healthy (which young people generally are). But if you do have an underlying illness or weakened immune system, it does put you in a high risk category as well.

So young people with asthma for example, are at a higher risk.

[Bogyo]

Watch on YouTube

Not sure this has reached you guys. I don't want to spread panic, but do take this seriously!
This is one of the richest part of europe, with the best healthcare. In OECD rankings this region got a 8,6 score from 10, with nobody reaching the actual 10 level I think. (The region where I live had a score of 2,6).

Take care, and stay safe with your loved ones.