What are your thoughts on the Kung Flu?

[Fitzwho]

I have been planning a fishing trip to Christmas Island (Kiritimati) in the middle of the Pacific for nearly 15 months. According to an email I got this weekend, the island is now closed to all visitors. They are effectively quarantining themselves from the rest of the globe.

They are going to re-evaluate by March 31st. That's 5 days before I was supposed to leave for the trip. If they open it up, I am still going to go, but at the rate this is blowing up, I highly doubt I will be going anywhere.

Totally understandable what and why they are doing so.

 

[ramsdude47]

Interesting to hear people claiming 5% mortality. Maybe that is true for the folks who were exposed to a high viral load very early on. The best sources I am reading are citing between 2-2.5%. That number should drop too with all of the measures that have been put in place and the degree of public awareness.

Part of before shift report at the large, well supplied hospital I work at included that there is a shortage of masks. It is shameful that people are buying these up to make money, but hey that's Capitalism/human nature.

 

[*zap*]

(fox)

A staggering 50 people died in the Iranian city of Qom from the new coronavirus in the month of February, Iran's semiofficial ILNA news agency reported on Monday. The new death toll is significantly higher than the latest number of confirmed cases that Iranian officials had reported just a few hours earlier, which stood at just 12 deaths out of 47 cases, according to state TV.

 

[Trial153]

5% mortality with this kind of infection rate is serious, your looking deaths in healthy people with that kind of number

 

[NDGuy]

5% mortality with this kind of infection rate is serious, your looking deaths in healthy people with that kind of number

Even with a 2% fatality rate, if hundreds of thousands or millions get it that's a lot of dead people.

 

[Yakykgoose]

The other thing to consider is that there is probably 2 death rates. There is a death rate if you are one of the lucky ones that get infected while there are still hospital beds. You get the best treatment science can offer and have a high likelihood of survival.

Then there is the second rate where hospitals are overrun and people just have to stay in their house and hope for the best. People are dying from not enough oxygen in their diseased lungs or an overreaction by the body in defense of the lungs. There's not much they can do about the overreaction but there are several things hospitals can do about you not getting enough oxygen.

 

[Jd259]

Correct me if I’m wrong but aren’t masks kind of irrelevant when it comes to this virus I thought I read somewhere that you can contract it through your eyes? The only way a mask is really effective is if the infected person is wearing it... I may be way off but that’s how I understood how this thing is spreading...

 

[ramsdude47]

When it comes to the cheap, widely used masks you are correct. Those are minimally effective, except to minimize the viral load being "spewed" by the sick person. As a not sick person you want an n95. But the cheap masks are better than nothing.

All bets are off if this virus can be spread via airborne transmission. Then it is full blown PAPR with negative airflow rooms or bust. There aren't very many negative airflow rooms available, even in big city hospitals.

 

[EastMT]

Well stocks are taking a beating as expected. China is 19% of worlds GDP. With their economy on the brakes, cant see much for returns until it’s under control

 

[MtGomer]

I’ve looked into disease outbreaks a bit after learning The flu outbreak of 1918 killed my great great grandparents, leaving my great grandmother at age 16 to raise her 5 siblings alone in a 1 room house with no electricity in rural Montana.
The interesting thing about that outbreak of I recall, was instead of killing the young, old and sickly like most flu, this one attacked people with healthy immune systems the hardest.
Is the coronavirus killing people of a certain age more than others? Anybody know?

 

[BeaverHunter]

You’re Likely to Get the Coronavirus

Most cases are not life-threatening, which is also what makes the virus a historic challenge to contain.

www.theatlantic.com

This article has a lot of good information in it even if it’s a little nerve racking to read.

 

[BeastOfTheTrees]

We’re beginning to stock up on canned goods and ain’t going nowhere if this thing hits the US which I believe it will. Scary shit for sure.

 

[ramsdude47]

I’ve looked into disease outbreaks a bit after learning The flu outbreak of 1918 killed my great great grandparents, leaving my great grandmother at age 16 to raise her 5 siblings alone in a 1 room house with no electricity in rural Montana.
The interesting thing about that outbreak of I recall, was instead of killing the young, old and sickly like most flu, this one attacked people with healthy immune systems the hardest.
Is the coronavirus killing people of a certain age more than others? Anybody know?

Deaths are most prevalent in males over the age of 50 with pre-existing comorbidities. The rates of smoking in China are higher than they are anywhere in the world. Diabetes is also just as big of a problem there as it is here. I can't find the source where I read that, but the only detail I'm not positive of is the age which might have been 60.

The death of the ~33 year old doctor "whistleblower" got people scared, but realistically the viral load he was exposed to was likely significantly higher than the average person. Either that or the commies put him down...only semi kidding there.

 

[16Bore]

My 15 year old daughter informed me last night that if you get diagnosed with it, you should get Lyme disease as well.

Nobody likes Corona without Lyme

 

[Rs3003]

Rush Limbaugh said “It looks like the coronavirus is being weaponised as yet another element to bring down Donald Trump.” He got a great medal so yinz are probably not worried. FYI i don’t believe him. This can be bad for our country.

 

[16Bore]

Hate to say it, but there’s a shitpile of people begging for it to hit us. We love a good boogeyman.

 

[Mule3006Elk]

Interesting to hear people claiming 5% mortality. Maybe that is true for the folks who were exposed to a high viral load very early on. The best sources I am reading are citing between 2-2.5%. That number should drop too with all of the measures that have been put in place and the degree of public awareness.

There were regional (provinces in China) mortality rate very close to 5%. Some folks heard/read this and incorrectly generalized that percentage to the entire outbreak. Most UTD % I read is 2.3%.

 

[Mule3006Elk]

Don't forget about our current influenza season. Most of us are are comfortable with influenza to some degree and become complacent. I'm more concerned about influenza vs. COVID-19 for the time being.

Per CDC, between 2010-2019 influenza seasons, the range of deaths was between 12,000 (2011-2012) - 61,000 (2017-2018). Current estimates for 2019-2020 are at minimum 16,000 deaths.

 

[Fatcamp]

Don't smoke and if you do quit now, lose weight, eat a healthy diet, wash your hands.

If you have a compromised immune system, COPD, or asthma you should be very careful with exposure.

I work on a pulmonary unit. Flu kills. Not just this Chinese stuff.

 

[NDGuy]

You’re Likely to Get the Coronavirus

Most cases are not life-threatening, which is also what makes the virus a historic challenge to contain.

www.theatlantic.com

This article has a lot of good information in it even if it’s a little nerve racking to read.

Good read. I like him stating that this is everyone's problem. This disease isn't looking like something that is going to go away on its own.