Posted on 04/02/2020 4:36:46 AM PDT by Kaslin
There isn’t a lack of information relative to the Wuhan coronavirus. There’s a ton of it put out there every single day. But it’s the same information, while some other important information is lacking. While the media is focusing on retroactive hypotheticals – “If we’d acted sooner, long before we knew how bad it was because China was lying (something they never mention), could this have all been avoided?” – information that could either make people more or less concerned, is not being given or asked about.
First, let me start by saying I’m of two minds on all of this lockdown stuff. On one hand, I see why it could be necessary. If I were responsible for spreading coronavirus I would feel awful, if I were ultimately responsible, through recklessness, for spreading it to someone who died, I don’t know how I’d live with that.
The important caveat is “through recklessness.” Sometimes you have to go out, whatever the reason - food, medicine, sanity - but the idea of going on spring break or to a party is reckless. If someone catches coronavirus at the grocery store, that’s different than someone catching it from a keg stand or a body shot because it happens to be a fun way to pass the time.
A lot of these lockdown actions are being taken, at least in part, because of the morons feeling 10 feet tall and bulletproof refusing to socially distance themselves or even take the most basic of precautions to stop the spread. If they could sign a legally binding waiver denying them any medical care whatsoever, for anything, for the duration plus 15 days (since there’s up to a 14 day gestation period), and their right to sue afterward for the denial of that care, I’d be fine with letting these people have as many of their fellow morons over they could convince to also sign the waiver. I’m fine with nature thinning the herd of idiots.
The problem is those idiots are the Johnny Appleseeds of pandemics - they’d be fine, but some of the people in their wake wouldn't be.
Or at least that’s what we’re led to believe, which leads to the other of my minds on this issue: I need more information.
My anti-idiot policies remain in place, always, but I want to see more data. Not more of the same data we’re seeing - number of confirmed cases and number of deaths - I want to know the number of people diagnosed with coronavirus who require hospitalization and, of those, how many require a ventilator.
We’re told we are on the cusp of some really, really bad times in the next few weeks, with the rosiest of scenarios having 100,000 preventable deaths. That’s horrible and a difficult reality to wrap our minds around, especially considering how relatively low the fatality numbers have been thus far. That projection isn’t for the rest of the year; it’s basically for the rest of the month.
My issue is I’m not seeing it in the numbers we have so far.
Every death is a tragedy, but even the experts are telling us we’re only catching a fraction of the infected in testing, as a lot of people who had it never sought care or even knew they had it, likely having been infected long before we knew about it. That means no set of numbers is going to be complete, but knowing how many of the known infected require hospital stays, and how many of them require extraordinary care to survive would be helpful.
Admittedly, that information would lead to one of two reactions: calm or concern. Both emotional reactions would likely be exaggerated, the odds are still significantly against you getting it, especially if you haven’t so far, but it would help in knowing what to expect if you should get it.
How much easier would it feel if of, say, 10,000 cases, only 50 required hospitalization? But the reaction would be significantly different if the number was 1,000 out of 10,000. And how many of those hospitalized require intubation and machines to keep breathing? And for how long?
The fact is, we have no idea what a diagnosis actually means to the average person. All we have is a number of infected and a number of dead. That hole in the middle leaves a lot of room for minds to wander, to fill in the blanks. Maybe it’s good; maybe it’s bad. Each person fills it in themselves, which can lead to fear or stupidity, depending on what you use to fill it.
This is an odd situation for political and medical leaders, where the best-case scenario is they come off looking like they overreacted for no good reason. There’s not going to be a parade at the end of this if the horrible projections for deaths don’t pan out. There will be grousing about how it was unnecessary. On the other end, if there’s a lot more death, they will also be blamed. There is no real “win” in this.
What there can be is a more informed public, better prepared for whatever comes their way.
There must be more than just a computer model for all of this to take place, because the models, to this point, don’t add up when you look at the rest of the world. If these experts and the president know more than they’re telling us, they need to tell us. We can handle it, or at least prepare ourselves to handle it. Because if it’s truly bad enough to warrant shutting down the planet, we’re going to have to deal with it one way or another.
Here in the Austin area, the authorities refused to give locations of where positive cases or deaths occur, saying they didn’t think the public needed to know that info.
Why is it so difficult to get the demographic breakdown of the people who die?
Why is it so hard to get the breakdown of people with pre-existing conditions who die?
Why is it so difficult to get the breakdown of people who took the Hidroxicloroquine, zinc, etc. treatments that died vs lived?
Those figures matter, and are easy to gather, but for some reason are hard to get.
This is the only one (bottom figure)
https://www.mediterranee-infection.com/covid-19/
There has finally been a second death in this group.
Well that’s a damn stupid title. (Not blaming you Kaslin)
A lot of this information is conspicuous in its absence. Sometimes you can learn more from something someone is not telling you than what they are telling your.
This is why I don’t trust much of the information here. And I notice when I get into arguments with ChinaVirus alarmists, they always argue about what COULD happen, not what is actually happening. That is the same kind of nonsense that was argued during all the other outbreaks.
And none of those led to the economic collapse of the world’s economy.
Sometimes it would just be better if everybody did WTF they wanted and let the disease sort them out.
I want to know the number of people diagnosed with coronavirus who require hospitalization and, of those, how many require a ventilator.
More details, not just the daily update in the totals, would be very helpful. Too bad our so-called news media do not ask for these details.
Ecuador Infierno - Guyaquil Ecuador Going Through Coronavirus Hell
This is what “let her rip, it’s just the flu, go for herd immunity” looks like.
5 minute video. Viewer discretion advised.
Free Republic Thread with video link.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3830894/posts
Direct YouTube link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idbisJsl1sI
Please see #8.
They wouldn't want to look like they are being "racist"
My take for the last 40 years is that if my questions are not being answered, it’s on purpose. When a news story begs more questions than it answers, it’s on purpose. How do I know this? Because reporters are, by job description, highly curious. So either they have asked the same questions - at least in their own minds, or they are nincompoops that should not be reporters.
Or they are lying by omission.
The news reporters at the C virus briefings can ask any questions that they choose. Why aren’t they asking these questions? Are they stupid, incompetent or does their desire to take down the President override everything?
With more specific information, especially when an antibody test is available to show who has already had the C virus, something between doing nothing and shutting down the economy may be possible. It looks like Ecuador did nothing.
Just the tip of the iceberg of the data problem.
GIGO - the data is curated to drive the outcome.
Sort of confirms my belief that despite all the posturing of “experts” they really don’t know a hell of a lot.
Guayaquil, a port city of 2 million near the equator (always warm, obviously) shows Coronavirus in its wild state running free. As a port city connected to Asia, this will be the Covid-19 launching point for all of South America.
I can’t believe there are still folks say, “Let it go, it’s just the flu.” If CV is tough to handle in America, imagine dealing with it in the more crowded and much more impoverished 3rd world.
Look at what comes up on Youtube with the search results “Guayaquil Ecuador.”
It’s the biggest story in Latin America, barely touched in the USA.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=guayaquil+ecuador
See 16.
Ecuador is definitely not doing a let er rip approach. I live here. They are on lockdown country wide with more restrictions than I see reported in US. Curfew from 2 pm till 5 am. Violators fines $100 first offense, year salary second, and jail for third. There are no parties on the beaches here. Vehicles are limited to three days per week depending on last license plate digit. Indeed Guayaquil is this country’s NY. And it has way more than 2 million people. Testing is insufficient but what has been reported by the government is on a par with other countries.
Thanks for the report. How would you say Guayaquil’s mitigation efforts (beyond curfews and lockdowns) compare to New York City, or any major American city?
Hospital beds, ICUs, ventilators, doctors and nurses, PPEs, that sort of thing.
What is the prognosis for the city population? Is it going to spread across South America from there?
Yeah, like a simple question: what temperature and how long should I bake my incoming mail?
Why aren’t there masks?
Why the lies and contradictions about them?
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