Be careful but not overreact
 

As of today, July 8 2020, Florida has 225,000 positive cases and 3880 deaths. That is now 1.7 % death rate. The annual flu death rate is about 1%, about 60,000 people die every year of the flu. How many months or years are we going to let politicians and doctors with agendas scare us? We were forced to shut down businesses. At one point threatened fines if we left our homes, threatened fines if we did not wear masks in public, asked to leave businesses without a mask, executive orders by politicians. The swine flu from 2009 is still around and killing people today. Then there was the Numerous other virus’s and outbreaks world wide every year. It’s time for us to be careful, good hygiene and go on with life.

And I'm waiting for the panicked posts when people learn that there is a new swine flu coming - -again from China - that is more deadly than the 2009 one. I've lived through 4 pandemics and have been a victim/survivor of one of them as has my wife. Been quarantined for German Measles and lived in fear of polio as a young child. Not since today did we ever close the economy down nor allow "leaders" to dictate our behavior.

We did the right thing back then and followed the guidelines. There was no need for draconian orders from on high. Sad to see how inept and uneducated the public has become. We are the children of the Greatest Generation and we were taught right from wrong and personal responsibility. Why did these values not get passed on?

No worries friend
 

Yep. I can handle this and I’ll be fine. You dont have to Wow about me friend. I take care of myself and I’m personally responsible. The Pros have been all wrong from the beginning. You trust who you like. I’ll be alive in 25 years because I’m younger, vital and I stay safe. I don’t feel it important to roam around the local restaurants Looking for crowds. I’m not that bored.

Dr. Birx, bless her, is the best voice/data I heard today. The others, no thanks. They’ve proved nothing to me 3Million later.

Oh and kudos to the Sumter County Health Dept. for efficiently testing county residents quickly, easily for free.

The one fact that is almost always omitted is how many of the new cases require hospitalization. To me, that is the key bit of information. Is this information deliberately omitted? Or is it unavailable? A lot of people test positive but have few or no symptoms. Is there any place this information is available?

Create fear, turmoil and destruction of our countries history and economy.

Respectfully disagree with your assessment. This pandemic has been mismanaged from the get go. We could have had a much better outcome at this point if only our leader would listen to the experts. He is totally denying the crisis and I'm sad to say I did not expect this from him.

Isn't it time for people to start taking some personal responsibility?

Your death rate is calculated using only confirmed cases. CDC estimates that there are 10 times that number if asymptomatics are included. That results in a death rate of 0.17%

Open the Square
 

Personally, I’m the opposite. Don’t close it down... I think at least one Square should open for those who choose to attend because its outdoors and there is space to spread out including 1). A socially distanced live band each night, 2). Close off vehicle traffic to square and place well defined socially distanced tables for diners to patronize restaurants, while listening to live music, 3). Rework the environment, everything from “stand here”, signs, to a Bingo game I can imagine to make social distance fun for everyone, In fact there are tons of interactive ideas to get people socially distanced and connected/involved, as other attractions have done, to accommodate our “current normal”. The Squares have the space, the staff, PA system, tons of possibilites... A creative entertainment department should already be figuring this out. I’m sure many here have great ideas to rework the social areas and remain distanced - and still enjoy and have fun. I can think of a few.

I still won’t attend now however as I choose to stay in. I feel everyone has the right to choose for themselves. I do feel we are paying for amenities. All companies’ are going to have to figure out a new way. What if this goes on a while?

I think just the opposite. ICU beds and deaths are meaningless. That only tells how many people with underlying conditions have contracted the virus.

The more people that have it, the better than chance of catching it. The total number of cases is what's important.

Of course if they are counting people have have had two positive tests as two cases, and if people who have had it and have recovered as cases, then the numbers don't mean anything.

The only thing to be concerned about is the total number of active cases. That is the number that determines the chance of other people contracting it.
The more people that have it, the more it can spread.

I agree.
 

I totally agree. The more who are infected, the greater the chance and the longer I choose to stay completely away - which is a bummer.

I advocate entertainment and activity at the Square. I must stress I assume/pray that people can responsibly Social distance so it works for all of us.

Stats — I’m watching it all. I was shocked to find Sumter County had 9 ICU beds available the other day. Nine. That got my attention. I appreciate a few Posters here who provide solid perspective as we all navigate this novel situation. Each day I reevaluate and adjust. So far, I choose to stay in and away 100%. It’s the only defense I can count on.

That surprises you????? I did my residency in a 600 bed University hospital with 32 ICU beds and 44 step down beds.. Guess how many were available at any given time?------ZERO, and that was just any normal year. There are so many variables in deciding whether or not to admit a patient to ICU and whether or not to keep them there that it is useless to use as a metric.

exactly my thought too...

no one should be waiting around for someone else to make a 'command decision' that things are being shut down...take control of your own life...do what you feel is right for you

just don't expect that everyone one is going to go about it the same way you are...chances are they may have different opinions and risk tolerance than you, or may choose to ignore it all and continue on with life as usual.

so, if you are uncomfortable that others may be playing tennis, pickle ball, going to restaurants, not wearing a mask, attending church services, going to the gym, etc. then just stay clear of those people...it's really that simple

not sure who they are? Then practice social distancing, wear your mask, wash your hands, avoid crowds...grocery shop on odd hours or have it delivered...

you may not like their behavior, but just don't make an issue out of it

IMHO, it really isn't difficult to play it safe, there's a lot that you can still do... get out and walk around the neighborhood, pack a lunch and go on a picnic, you can go for drive and explore parts of Central FL that you haven't seen...grab some takeout for lunch

Yes. It surprised me. Nine isn’t very many during a Pandemic in a community filled with elderly at-risk population. When available ICU beds goes to 8, 3, to 1. I’ll know things are picking up around here. Alternatively, if more of the 24 ICU beds reported in Sumter County at Clickorlando.com become more readily available, it will seem things are less dire than presented. It’s One personal yardstick for me.

Actually, you won't. It's a lousy metric. At any given time, at least 50% of the people in an ICU don't really need to be there. You are assuming everyone in ICU is critical and on a ventilator and 4 or 5 drips. That simply isn't the case. Physicians are generally reluctant to move their patients out of the ICU setting, the feeling is that they get better nursing care in the unit, more attention, better monitoring, etc. In addition, when a patient dies the day after being transferred out of ICU, the optics are real, REAL bad. As chief of staff at a community hospital of 250 beds and 20 ICU beds, I frequently had to go and review cases in the units and "suggest" to the attending physician that a patient be moved to a floor when critical cases were waiting in the ER. And even then there was a great deal of resistance. Monitoring ICU bed availability looks good on the surface, but once you know the real inner workings of a hospital, you would agree it is a lousy metric.