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Originally Posted by Brownmoose13
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Thanks for the link. (For those who haven’t looked, it says
38 million to 54 million flu illnesses this season.
18 million to 26 million medical visits for flu this season.
400 thousand to 730 thousand hospitalizations for flu this season.
24 thousand to 64 thousand deaths from the flu this season.
It also says this: “ How does the number of flu hospitalizations estimated so far this season compare with previous end-of-season hospitalization estimates? The number of hospitalizations estimated so far this season is lower than end-of-season total hospitalization estimates for any season since CDC began making these estimates.”
By contrast, the current count of Coronavirus cases in the U.S., as of this moment, is 105 THOUSAND, with under 1,800 deaths. This disease has the possibility of being gigantic, and certainly it is leading to problems at hospitals in a few cities, but it may also end up being a relative flash in the pan compared to what the flu does yearly. Wouldn’t that be terrific?
Perhaps we are right to be extremely cautious. I’ve been in voluntary quarantine for three weeks now, apart from a few trips to stores (not for toilet paper). I applaud The Villages for shutting down restaurants, pools, recreation centers, etc. That will save lives! And stop complaining about losing your Amenity Fees. The extra cost of running the place right now far surpasses the cost of amenities at normal times.
Why are we in panic mode? Primarily television news, whatever your favorite channel may be. For example, I get my weather news from a very accurate source called WeatherUnderground.com. Say there’s snow in the forecast in New York City. Weather Underground says 1-3”. The television weather people say “This could be the worst storm ever for this date! Experts say we could get as much as 18” of snow! Emergency teams are getting ready! Stay home, whatever you do! Stay tuned for more storm information after these local advertisements that are going to bring us many thousands of dollars!” And New York gets 1” of snow. Weather Underground was right. Do the television news teams offer a profound apology? No way!
What I’m saying is that rumors of epidemics and storms and terrorist events keep people glued to the news channels, so the television news gives us what we want in order to maximize profits, even if what they tell is is highly exaggerated.
One thing I’m sure of is that the social distancing we are practicing right now will save lives: not only deaths from the Coronavirus but deaths from the flu. Quite possibly many thousands of deaths from the flu. Maybe even more deaths from the flu than from the Coronavirus. I’ll bet we could save thousands of lives a year if we did this every flu season. I think it’s quite possible that there are far more people right now in The Villages with the flu than with the Coronavirus, and there may be many more deaths in The Villages this year from the flu. Yet we don’t panic about that. We just get our vaccines and avoid other people when we get sick.
Am I scared? Well, yes! Am I doing what it takes to stay alive? You bet! Are we unduly terrified? Probably. Are we doing the right thing? Maybe. But is our panic damaging our economic structure and my retirement funds? Sure is! Is it causing economic hardship to millions? Yup! Is it adding immense amounts to the national debt (that WE owe!)? Yes.
Yesterday I talked with my 91 year old father on the phone. He lives in Denver. My sister lives in Tucson. He said her daughter (his grand-daughter) had called, sobbing, because she had just driven my sister to the emergency room of a local hospital, and she had been explaining where to find her will and her passwords and who to call when she died. My sister was sent to a triage tent. Then she was sent to the emergency room. Her daughter wasn’t let into the emergency room, so she was waiting in the car, sobbing to my dad. My sister’s symptoms were a running and clogged up nose, a fever, a wet cough, and body aches.
Did you catch that? Are you up on Coronavirus symptoms, or are you among the panicking sheep? My dad knew instantly that my sister did not have the Coronavirus, and so did I. The symptoms are wrong. While her daughter was still on the phone to my dad, my sister came out, knocked on the car window, and said, “Let’s go home.” The emergency room nurse said she had a heavy cold or a mild case of the flu. If my sister hadn’t panicked and had known the symptoms, she would have stayed home and not been part of the problem in the hospital. She also could have saved the health care system (us) a lot of money in hospital costs.
How many of the people in The Villages who got tested for the Coronavirus this week didn’t need to be?