Corona Virus

[Brooke]

Honestly, I think the media is causing a panic about this thing. I have 2 registered nurses in my immediate family and they say the corona virus has been around for years and this is another strain, but it is no worse that any of the others. Yes, if you are elderly or have a compromised immune system, any 'flu' is dangerous. I have an 87 year old mother with diabetes in the nursing home and she worries me a bit. But I believe if everyone is smart about it and washes their hands, doesn't go to work or school, or out in public if you're sick, then we will survive.

Remember the bird flu, sars, and ebola that was going to kill us all the last few years? Didn't happen..

The media..............

JMO!!

BTW, Austin, I am not uneducated and have no hidden agenda.

[WalshFan88]

Honestly, I think the media is causing a panic about this thing. I have 2 registered nurses in my immediate family and they say the corona virus has been around for years and this is another strain, but it is no worse that any of the others. Yes, if you are elderly or have a compromised immune system, any 'flu' is dangerous. I have an 87 year old mother with diabetes in the nursing home and she worries me a bit. But I believe if everyone is smart about it and washes their hands, doesn't go to work or school, or out in public if you're sick, then we will survive.

Remember the bird flu, sars, and ebola that was going to kill us all the last few years? Didn't happen..

The media..............

JMO!!

BTW, Austin, I am not uneducated and have no hidden agenda.

I vehemently disagree, Brooke.

Coronavirus, the name, has been around for years. This is true. However COVID-19 is unlike any other strain of corona, hence being called the "novel coronavirus". Novel means unlike others before it. This is very different than other strains, and is proven to be worse in certain populations than other strains of CV, and the flu. For some reason, it isn't hitting the youth like most viruses. It's mostly targeting older people. And the younger people that get it are mostly just carrying it with very manageable sometimes. Therein lies the problem. We probably have younger adults carrying it to their older loved ones, the older public, etc.

Ebola never made it over here. If it had, there would have been tragic results and honestly, we would have had a massive death count. The very small number of people that worked over there that came home went to Emory University in Atlanta to be treated at home (USA), but were never exposed to anyone else. It never broke loose in the US. We should be thankful for that, and not claiming it was a hoax. JMO. SARS and bird flu didn't have the impact that was predicted, true, but also the numbers of those affected here aren't there like they are with COVID-19. We also shouldn't compare it to influenza A or B - it just got here. And with more testing in more places, those stats will only continue to grow. I have no doubt in my mind there are more people actively infected with COVID-19 than have been documented. We need more tests.

Swine flu was very real, and H1N1 still infects people along with H3N2 and other strains of influenza. I personally contracted H3N2 two years ago, despite having flu shots! These strains can and do change and some of them can be far worse than others. Every virus can mutate and change and that's precisely what makes them so deadly. Especially if it's a major change from what was seen by it's closest comparison.

Again - we truly need to do more research into the why and how of COVID-19 CV and we truly need to find out why it's different, and how it's spread. It's been said that if people don't wash their hands for at least half a minute, they might as well not bother. Regular plastic saran wrap type gloves that food workers use aren't going to cut it either. Hence why hand sanitizer sales are up, and people are buying special masks. The other day when the stock market was down 2000+ points, Walmart's stock was still in the green! It's because people are panicking - and damnit I can see why! I don't think that is a bad thing. It's not OTT.

I agree completely about the handwashing, provided they are going by the recommend time set by CDC. I also agree and have said that people need to stay home if sick (with anything!), and not go to work. Even if it means you aren't paid. Even doubly so if you are in the food service or restaurant industry. I think that the food service industry is likely going to be one of the biggest if not the biggest in terms of transmit.

I don't think you have an agenda Brooke, nor do I think you are uneducated as a person, but I think we can safely say we fundamentally disagree on this outbreak and probably best to leave it at that.

[WalshFan88]

The WHO has officially recognized the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as a pandemic/PHEIC.

Events are being cancelled, orders are made in big cities that they cannot hold events with large numbers of people, and bands are cancelling/postponing tours.

Not at all out of proportion from what I'm seeing.

[shunlvswx]

We have our first presumptive positive in my state. The guy got it when he went to Florida. He has isolated himself at home.

I have tickets to see Joel Osteen on Friday and then I want to see JD in Tupelo this weekend. At this point, I'm thinking about not going to neither one of them. They have cancelled our St. Patrick Day parade. Our big boss of my agency don't want our agents to travel to Memphis.

I have sick time and its enough for three weeks. If I run out, they will probably have to go into my vacation time since I had to do that when I broke my ankle.

I'm not afraid, but I'm being very cautious.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Well - we got the directive at work yesterday to work from home until at least April 3rd. Our leadership based their decision on the recommendations of the CDC. I didn't read the entire CDC notice, but the thing they called out that make this different from other viruses is the speed at which it can spread and the fact that so many people are asymptomatic.

I know the media can hype some things, but I'm taking this seriously - this can get out of control very quickly if we don't heed these warnings.

[WalshFan88]

I know the media can hype some things, but I'm taking this seriously - this can get out of control very quickly if we don't heed these warnings.

Exactly, dreamer!

The MSM isn't out to get you or anything like that. Any news outlet joking or downplaying something as grave as this should be shut down, point blank. If anything, most of them (CNN, MSNBC, etc) are trying to keep people informed and clear up the miscommunication at times that might or might not be coming from the White House on any given day of the week. The media companies that try to downplay it or just refrain from it (one of them rhymes with rocks) are the ones to worry about. Those are the ones who probably have the agenda that the current administration has! Those are the ones I try to watch out for and speak out against. If this had been before the 2016 election it wouldn't have been made political, but in the current "climate" shall we say - anything and everything can be politicized for the benefit of one party. I'm not a pessimist. I'm also not an optimist. I don't see the glass as half full or half empty by default. I take it day by day and look at the data and make my conclusion on how I should view and handle things. I guess there is a third category - a realist. While I think pessimism gets old, so does optimism especially in the face of reality when reality is telling a different story. Overly positive people can be just as dangerous. I don't think there is anyone who fits this bill yet, but I could see it getting out of hand. I think there are people who are turning a blind eye in Washington and I think there is a serious problem with that! Right now it's just denial, rose-colored glasses, and a bunch of downplaying. But the minute we get happy about things we will know we're in even worse off shape than we are now. Volatility is at an all time high now!

Personally, as someone who is quite literally one adrenal crisis away from death at any given moment, my family and I will take this as serious as it is. My father isn't in the best of health, my mother is the healthiest of us 3 but she's no spring chicken (sorry Mom!) either. Not to forget my grandpa, grandma, and step-grandpa who are older and some of whom have serious comorbities as well. It makes me nervous. I feel like at any minute someone who I love dearly could become infected and at risk of dying. I myself worry about dying anyway, I didn't need COVID-19 to make this any worse. Coronavirus worries are real. People aren't being hypochondriacal for worrying. Especially those who have poor health and/or over the age of 60. As Dreamer says, in young people there are a large number that are just simply carrying it.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure...

[KingWalsh]

Well tonight at work hardly anyone coming to the ER unless true emergency; which is a drastic turn from days prior where we were getting so many people for flu like symptoms etc. I think people are self quarantining themselves more. Even driving in there was much less cars on the road for a Weekend. My kids are home now for two weeks as well and will be doing e-learning. Convinced my Mom to stop going to the gym for a while.

hang in there everyone, wishing the best for all....stay safe.

[WalshFan88]

Just found out two tested positive for COVID-19 in Springfield, IL. Not too damn far from where I live (only about 1 and a half hours). One is in the ICU.

[WalshFan88]

As was suspected, asymptomatic younger and middle age people are spreading it.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/14/healt...ead/index.html

[MarthaJo56]

Yesterday, I gave into my gut feeling and called Kaiser's advice line. I'd been having a little cough, runny nose, headaches etc. They advised me to go into the ER, which I did. Although they don't have the Covid-19 test, I got x-rays & blood work & an EKG. I'm happy to say, my blood work was all good, my lungs are clear & my heart is healthy. I knew this all, but the cough was bugging me.
The doc said, what I think is true,that it's environmental.
We also have a beautiful tree full of orange blossoms, so my allergies are kicking in, hence the runny nose & headaches.
That all being said, I'm headed to out tonight, to hang out with friends and relax before my Kevin heads off to work. I am safe!!! And will continue on with my healthy living & eating☺️ I'm 64, by the way.