Coronavirus Outbreak

[Josh]

One of the assumptions here is that resources cannot be scaled up quickly to do what is needed. In the past, we’ve been able to do that, and I’m not sure why this would be an exception.

Another assumption is that we can’t build and manufacture more things like ventilators and hospital beds. If we had 2 million people in need of these things, I believe it would be possible to meet the need.

I’ve been a bit alarmist about this myself but the level of doom and gloom from some circles is getting to be ridiculous. For some perspective I’ve been listening to what elderly people I know have to say about it - they’re unimpressed, having lived through polio, the Cold War, and a pandemic like this popping up periodically. One told me about a major flu outbreak in 1968 I didn’t even realise happened that killed many people.

My generation has a serious lack of perspective, including that it’s our responsibility to meet the needs of our fellow man during a time like this. Instead we seem to feel we are owed medical services, tests, and a government that makes us feel “safe”.

[Ken]

I’ve been a bit alarmist about this myself but the level of doom and gloom from some circles is getting to be ridiculous. For some perspective I’ve been listening to what elderly people I know have to say about it - they’re unimpressed, having lived through polio, the Cold War, and a pandemic like this popping up periodically. One told me about a major flu outbreak in 1968 I didn’t even realise happened that killed many people.

Maybe so, but people are getting alarmed, and it doesn't bode well for Trump. Here's the latest polling from this week:

A new national Public Policy Polling survey finds that voters are very concerned about the coronavirus and strongly disapprove of the administration’s response. 72% of voters say they’re concerned about the impact the virus will have on the economy, including 36% who say they’re ‘very concerned.’ 57% of voters say they’re concerned that they or someone in their family will get sick from the virus, including 24% who say they’re ‘very concerned.’

Voters take the virus a lot more seriously than the president does. Only 8% of voters agree with Trump’s claim that the virus is a Democratic hoax, while 82% think the virus is real. Only 16% of Trump’s own voters agree with him that the virus is a hoax.

Trump’s handling of the coronavirus could threaten his reelection. By a 20-point margin, voters say his administration’s handling of the virus makes them less likely to vote for him this fall. Independents say they’re less likely to vote for Trump by 32 points because of how he’s dealt with this issue. Only 37% of voters agree with Trump’s assessment that his administration is doing a “great job” dealing with the coronavirus, while 53% disagree.

Voters are also concerned about the administration’s failure to commit to an affordable coronavirus vaccine – 67% of voters have serious concerns about the administration’s statement that “they can’t control that price.” 61% of voters also have serious concerns with the administration’s advice –“tell people to turn their televisions off for 24 hours” -- in response to the historic decline in the stock market.

Source: https://www.protectourcare.org/wp-conte ... s-3-20.pdf

[MaxPC]

Josh, I agree and it was not just 1968 that was a bad year. I’ve lived through 80+ flu seasons and this one is actually less lethal than many I have seen. Political pundits and biased polling are being used to manipulate the public. Medical studies and objective stats give a better picture - you won’t see them quoted in the news because ‘panic’ sells news. It all returns to “if it bleeds, it ledes.” Hearst’s yellow journalism lives on.
With that in mind there is another protocol to help strengthen the immune system against viruses. In addition to hand washing, etc. ...

Boosting essential vitamins to effective therapeutic dosage levels have been found to counter viral pathogens according to double blind studies through the National Institute of Health and other reputable scientific sources. Here is an example of just one such study (there are quite a few more available from reputable science sources).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23700397/?

In light of the prevalence of the vitamin-poor western diets, below is one suggested protocol for therapeutic dosages for prevention and mitigation. Keep in mind that if a person is already exposed and showing symptoms one should still seek medical help.

Vitamin C: 3,000 milligrams (or more) daily, in divided doses.

Vitamin D3: 2,000 International Units daily. (Start with 5,000 IU/day for two weeks, then reduce to 2,000)

Magnesium: 400 mg daily (in citrate, malate, chelate, or chloride form)

Zinc: 20 mg daily

Selenium: 100 mcg (micrograms) daily

Vitamin C, Vitamin D, magnesium, zinc, and selenium have been shown to strengthen the immune system against viruses. ***Consult your doctor about taking any OTC vitamins or meds.***

Again these are measures to reduce risk. If you are feeling unwell, running a fever, or otherwise symptomatic seek medical help.

[Robert]

Maybe so, but people are getting alarmed

Could it be because the media is hyping this up way past what it is? Why are we so scared? The flu is much worse right now. Thousands die from it, but the media is not putting any context to the numbers on covid-19. Now why would the media want to hype this so much? Because it drives ratings? Well, the swine flu would have done the same, but they did not hype it so much. Texting while driving is killing much more that this virus.

So what else could it be? Is there, like, some election coming up? No. Couldn't be. The media is supposed to be objective and balanced.

[Josh]

I’ve been a bit alarmist about this myself but the level of doom and gloom from some circles is getting to be ridiculous. For some perspective I’ve been listening to what elderly people I know have to say about it - they’re unimpressed, having lived through polio, the Cold War, and a pandemic like this popping up periodically. One told me about a major flu outbreak in 1968 I didn’t even realise happened that killed many people.

Maybe so, but people are getting alarmed, and it doesn't bode well for Trump. Here's the latest polling from this week:

A new national Public Policy Polling survey finds that voters are very concerned about the coronavirus and strongly disapprove of the administration’s response. 72% of voters say they’re concerned about the impact the virus will have on the economy, including 36% who say they’re ‘very concerned.’ 57% of voters say they’re concerned that they or someone in their family will get sick from the virus, including 24% who say they’re ‘very concerned.’

Voters take the virus a lot more seriously than the president does. Only 8% of voters agree with Trump’s claim that the virus is a Democratic hoax, while 82% think the virus is real. Only 16% of Trump’s own voters agree with him that the virus is a hoax.

Trump’s handling of the coronavirus could threaten his reelection. By a 20-point margin, voters say his administration’s handling of the virus makes them less likely to vote for him this fall. Independents say they’re less likely to vote for Trump by 32 points because of how he’s dealt with this issue. Only 37% of voters agree with Trump’s assessment that his administration is doing a “great job” dealing with the coronavirus, while 53% disagree.

Voters are also concerned about the administration’s failure to commit to an affordable coronavirus vaccine – 67% of voters have serious concerns about the administration’s statement that “they can’t control that price.” 61% of voters also have serious concerns with the administration’s advice –“tell people to turn their televisions off for 24 hours” -- in response to the historic decline in the stock market.

Source: https://www.protectourcare.org/wp-conte ... s-3-20.pdf

Dude, can we take a break from talking about Trump?

It’s like he’s possessed some of you people’s minds.

[RZehr]

Maybe so, but people are getting alarmed

Could it be because the media is hyping this up way past what it is? Why are we so scared? The flu is much worse right now. Thousands die from it, but the media is not putting any context to the numbers on covid-19. Now why would the media want to hype this so much? Because it drives ratings? Well, the swine flu would have done the same, but they did not hype it so much. Texting while driving is killing much more that this virus.

So what else could it be? Is there, like, some election coming up? No. Couldn't be. The media is supposed to be objective and balanced.

I think you’re right.

[Josh]

I've heard people express two sentiments:

"This coronavirus thing is just the media overhyping something again. Since the media always overhypes things, it's not worth listening to them."

"Why did the media wait until now to tell us about this problem? It was a big problem back in December and January and they barely talked about it. Are they covering it up or downplaying it?"

One thing is for certain - few people are trusting the media or institutions anymore. That's a problem.

[RZehr]

We are living in at a time when it is important to be responsible and wise and thinking and discerning people. There is more manipulating in the media than in the recent decades past. There is unbelievably vast quantities of falsehoods being spread faster and easier than ever. Likeminded paranoid conspiracy folks are listening to each other online and falling further down the rabbit hole, instead of being part of a healthy minded real community, a real community who knows them personally in multi dimensions and is able to speak and reason with them in a healthy context, instead of one dimensional online topical interest groups.
It is a time where the President and other high ranking politicians are under no obligation or expectation from the citizens to be at all honest/factual, fair/unbiased, measured/careful, visionary on behalf of the nation, or think beyond their term.
Hype and clicks rule.

We can’t expect to be told how things really are, it is incumbent upon us to sort through the distortion, exaggeration. Of course, unfortunately, this generation has been taught from birth that it is someone else responsibility to make sure life and disasters are properly mitigated and their individual role only amounts to online outrage. It is businesses and governments job. No quarter is given to organizations who don’t take maximum action to whatever the media deems worthy of action. Reasonableness is not given and not allowed. I think this is a direct result of society moving further from God coupled with capitalism.

[RZehr]

Good thing about the Coronavirus? It won’t last very long. Made in China.

[RZehr]

I don’t know if the Surgeon General is impartial or if it is more of a political position, so I’m not sure how to really take this. I have a small red flag because he refers to something the President said. Do your own research I suppose. But since it confirm my own thinking, I’ll share it.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/risk-of-c ... talization

The risk of contracting coronavirus remains low for most Americans, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams reassured Friday.

"When you look at the people who are getting coronavirus, 80 percent of them are not needing to be hospitalized," Adams continued. "They're having a mild illness like the cold or like a minor flu."

"Of the 20 percent who go on to need hospitalization or more medical care, we know that the folks who are most at risk tend to be people who are elderly and people who have medical problems: heart disease, lung disease, cancer, and chemotherapy," he told Ingle.

"And so, what we want most of America to know is that you're not at high risk for getting coronavirus, and if you do get it you are likely to recover. Ninety-eight, 99 percent of people are going to fully recover," Adams said. "And, we want the people who are at-risk...to know that you need to take extra precautions, you need to be extra careful about keeping your hands clean and about social distancing -- making sure you're staying away from large gatherings and people who might be sick."