Possibilities before a vaccine/cure becomes available?
 

During these past weeks, we have been living with the guidelines and orders designed to mitigate new infections and keep us safe. Which by most measures is working.

Now as businesses start to re-open and restrictions easing there is the ever present threat/reality of a resurgence of some magnitude.

What if an uptick in cases/deaths from where we are now occurs.

Do we shut everything down and tighten restrictions again?

Being in our early 80's we wonder what the coming 24 months could be like.

I personally expect there will be an increase virus infections (just a guess).
The economy and financial impacts would not tolerate reverting back to a complete shut down of undetermined duration.

Will we be confronted with a scenario of some description where, for the majority, life must continue.....not like before the pandemic, but more open than we have been these past couple of months? Continue taking actions to protect the most vulnerable.
New cases and deaths (not death rate) could end up increasing until such time as the vaccine(s) or cure(s) become available.

Hopefully, with continued social distancing, masks, hand sanitizing and compulsive washing of hands and not touching the face, the number of new cases will be less than before we had all these measures in place.

Could we be faced with the impacts of the "cure" of the past few weeks being worse than the virus.

What do you think about the possibility?

I think you nailed it. There is likely to be a smaller second wave. We cannot afford to keep our economy closed. As you said, life must go on for the majority of us.

We know we lose about 30,000 people each year due to flu. This despite the fact that over 60% of the population take a immunization shot each year. We know when the flu season months. Yet we continue with our lives during flu season because the cost of staying home is just too great. We have to look at the current virus through a similar lens following the unprecedented measures already taken.

Glad to see a piece of good critical thought on here.

I have to agree with this thoughtful post.

A related thought I wanted to share. My aunt had heart surgery Monday. The doctors let her know there was a very realistic chance she would not survive the surgery. Her attitude was she had to do as she had no quality of life without surgery so what was the point of not doing it. I love her and love her zest for life.

I have an anaphylactic reaction to flu vaccine. So cold day in hell before I would ever have a vaccine injection that has not been on the market for multiple years for Covid.

After all it took over 50 years before it was realized Agent Orange had properties that included cancer, lung, heart, and others.

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I can't recall where, but I recently read an opinion piece that was quite eye opening (for me at least.)

It was written by someone in their late thirties who said that just opening everything back up, with any restrictions left solely to each individual and let the cards fall where they may, was the best way to go. He mentioned that in general, due to a number of reasons, his generation was at a disadvantage for professional upward mobility and he didn't see his future as being as rosy as I recall being around the same age. I also recall him saying that the things a lot of us "older" people had, such as good pension plans and an ability to become upper middle-class with just a high school diploma, are now almost non-existent to his and younger generations. He pointed out the fact that many people over 60 now choose to still work, thus also suppressing the chances of advancement for younger workers.

Although he didn't come right out and say it, the tone I got out of it was that it wouldn't necessarily be all bad if 'thinning the (older) herd' occurred, which would then allow younger generations more opportunities. I have no idea if he had any conversations with his parents or grandparents of his opinions, but I'm guessing that even if it isn't being discussed openly at the family gatherings, Thanksgiving or Christmas tables, that a lot of families have relatives with this guy's same outlook. Oh to be a fly on those walls. lol

Of course, The Villages is a unique place and a lot of "us" (I've already mentally moved there-lol) probably disagree about being put on the proverbial ice floe and shoved off to sea. To be perfectly honest though, if I were his age, in his shoes and looking around the country and the world, I'm not sure I could honestly say that I might not have some of the same viewpoints.

A little scary actually.

I'm going by daily new infections..Reported Daily deaths are highly askew..When the daily infections start declining then I'll start re evaluating, till then just keep doing same routine