The Politics of a Health Crisis

[henry quirk]

I don't think Johns Hopkins would lie, but I seriously doubt they or anyone else can get accurate numbers at this point.

The JH folks would probably agree.

Note the word approximately...

Infections

COVID-19: Approximately 1,026,974 cases worldwide; 245,573 cases in the U.S. as of Apr. 3, 2020.

Flu: Estimated 1 billion cases worldwide; 9.3 million to 45 million cases in the U.S. per year.

Deaths

COVID-19: Approximately 53,975 deaths reported worldwide; 6,058 deaths in the U.S., as of Apr. 3, 2020.

Flu: 291,000 to 646,000 deaths worldwide; 12,000 to 61,000 deaths in the U.S. per year.


I just read this afternoon several people in China claim the government undercounted deaths by at least 40,000. Seems a lot of governments are doing that to make themselves look better.

I have no doubt the commies in china are deflatin' the death count just as I have no doubt some of the commies (er, I mean socialists oops, I mean progressives) here, in the U.S., are inflatin' death counts.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Looking at the CDC numbers they're still only estimates for the '17-'18 season and nothing on the '18-'19 season.
What are they doing waiting to see if they stay dead?



As I understand it there is a shitload of flu types out there and each year they predict which ones they have to cover with the vaccine du jour... er, du year?
Some years it works well and some years not so well, '17-'18 not so good and '14-'15 really bad.
With the death toll ranging from 12,000 to 61,000 for the last 10 years.

Of course there's no vaccine for the corvid-19, there isn't even enough tests kits.

I also saw this...



Bastards are picking on me, elder abuse I say.

[Griff]

Wash your hands, don't touch your pretty face, don't be so touchy-feely, consult your doc if you're worried, don't look to employees for solutions, don't listen to talkin' heads, and calm down.

I'm not sure you have a clear picture of the emotional state of folks who are being careful, we're very calm here. I could imagine your terror of expert advice and government, but I hope that isn't your state. I have employees for exactly this situation, so that they can advise me about things I lack expertise in. I am hopeful that due to social distancing the death count will be low enough so that you can continue to make your claims.

[sexobon]

What if this had been a biological attack on major metropolitan areas and transportation hubs instead of a natural occurrence? No difference. Everyone knows the Feds can't get relief into place fast enough from experience with previous disasters. It comes down to local and individual preparedness. Both usually drop the ball and neither change their ways afterwards. This has been covered in the Cellar before:

Originally Posted by youknowwho

… For the same reason (i.e. inadequate collective defensive systems), some people want to have their own gas masks and chemical protective suits. The government isn't going to issue these items to civilians, except for a few politically high profile locations, even if there is a chemical, biological, or radiological (e.g. dirty bomb) attack let alone just because people may live in a high risk area for these.

That's why it's BYOG(guns), A(ammo), PG(protective gear), W(water), F(food), ... BYOEverything; or, BYEBYE! It's simply not irrational these days to be prepared if one has the means.

You can lead a horse to water; but, you can't make it drink... not unless you give it a rap in the throat. - Rodney Dangerfield

Municipalities that are suffering can consider this their rap in the throat.

[Diaphone Jim]

It must be tough for Fauci to stand next to Pence and Pennywise and listen to their prevarications.
You can see his pain sometimes, but he realizes the country needs someone sane near the helm.

[BigV]

That's a pretty big germ circle.

[sexobon]

Sure, it's a germ-in-nation.

[glatt]

He lost me on his first point about panic buying of toilet paper. He’s wrong about toilet paper. There is a shortage of toilet paper not because of panic buying, but because people are not shitting at work and using the industrial grade commercial toilet paper. My own toilet paper consumption has increased 250% and yet I am not shitting more.

My daughter is home from college, and she is using our toilet paper exclusively.

Our household consumption of toilet paper has probably doubled or maybe tripled.

If you multiply that out for all households, you wind up with a shortage of toilet paper. It’s simple math.

My employers building likely has a glut of toilet paper, and there are pallets of commercial grade toilet paper sitting in warehouses somewhere while the consumer grade shelves are empty.

It’s the same thing with food. Not panic buying. People are eating at home when they used to eat out. The restaurant supply houses have lots of food that they can’t sell, and the supermarkets are empty.

[henry quirk]

Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases as of 4-4-20

Total Confirmed: 1,196,553

Total Deaths: 64,549

Total Recovered: 246,152

-----

World population: 8 billion

Numbers: pay attention.

[henry quirk]

He lost me on his first point about panic buying of toilet paper.

Yeah, decline the meal cuz you dislike the garnish.

[Undertoad]

Surely the panic buying was what started emptying the shelves; if they're still empty that would make sense though

[sexobon]

Was it really panic buying; or, just small-time investors planning on making a killing in resale profits?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Here's one for you henry.

“Anyone repeating lines like “the Trump administration has failed” is spreading an Orwellian lie. There is no “Trump administration.” There is an elected showman and his cronies, fronting for an unaccountable permanent government. The celebrities are neither in charge of the bureaucrats, nor deserve to be. Anyone can be excused for thinking either team is worse than the other. No one can be excused for confusing the two.”

Using the people on the Diamond Princess may be the best case study we have but I doubt it's a representative population for the country. It may even be overpopulated with a more vulnerable tilt toward elderly. There is always going to be a coulda, shoulda, woulda, factor in the end.

By the way that Navy ship in NY isn't much help, same shit with that ship on the west coast.
The rules from the Navy are no Covid-19 allowed on the ship, no crew leave the ship for the duration. It's supposed to relieve the hospitals by taking the auto accident, heart attack, or other non Covid cases. Since elective surgery is history almost all cases are emergency. The fly in the ointment is before they are brought onboard they have to be tested at a hospital. First responders will tell you, ain't nobody got time for that.

[sexobon]

The Comfort's admission rules have changed.

The updated guidelines say that an asymptomatic patient does not need to have a negative coronavirus test before they can be transferred onto the ship.

[Happy Monkey]