Corona virus cases will skyrocket in a week.

Except...

The, "it couldn't happen to me because the death rates are so low" theory depends on two things:

1) The virus remaining the same. It's not. The strains in Italy and Iran are much tougher than the vanilla 1.0 version of the virus. The original version had a 5% serious enough to require hospitalization rate. The 2.0 rate is closer to 30%! Every time a new person is infected it gives the virus another try at mutation. Expect v. 3.0 before much longer.

2) Modern medical facilities operating at normal capacity. Projections (based on v. 1.0) show US hospitals being at full capacity by early May. That means all beds are full and all healthcare workers are wearing diapers because they're too busy for bathroom breaks. No new patients - not just for the China Flu - for car accidents, other diseases, heart attacks, etc.

 

The numbers are marching higher.

Church was essentially empty today, we still had service. But I think maybe 8 people or a few more at that. 4 were coughing. Which did not sit well with me. I think that would be my last church for the year until this clears out whenever it does.

 

Someone finally has common sense... Right now we, as a society, need isolation from each other so it DOESN'T spread worse that it's gonna be. Not saying become a hermit, but going out to the store while your sick, IS NOT A GREAT IDEA. Keep your coughing, sneezing butt at home.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

From the CDC:
There is currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus. However, as a reminder, CDC always recommends everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases, including:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
• Follow CDC’s recommendations for using a facemask.
  • CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a facemask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19.
  • Facemasks should be used by people who show symptoms of COVID-19 to help prevent the spread of the disease to others. The use of facemasks is also crucial for health workers and people who are taking care of someone in close settings (at home or in a health care facility).
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
  • If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.

 

Italy has a much higher hospitalization and death rate because they have the second oldest population in the world behind Japan and many of the elderly have underlying health conditions that make them vulnerable. A virus will typically mutate when jumping from one host to another, and not always for the worse. Claiming that 30% of the people who get the virus are hospitalized is just wrong. We don't know how many people actually have the virus in any given country. There aren't enough test kits to go around so everybody that has it isn't being tested, and we will never the actual mortality rate because a high percentage of people who get the virus will show no symptoms or think they have a common cold. Those people will never be counted.

I'm not trying to downplay this illness because it's going to get a lot worse here. My parents are in their late 80's and I'm worried for them. But there is tons of misinformation out there.

 

How many self driving tru cks are there? A Quarantine would definitely halt trucking.

 

It's already started to affect loads for the general driver. We have a job to do, but if you don't take precautions, you'd be stupid.

Common sense and some light reading can do wonders... But the big thing is COMPREHENDING what your reading and adapting your lifestyle to protect yourself while your on the road and at home.

If you don't care. Cool by me, just stay the F*** away from me and anyone else if you get sick.

 

I'm glad we can agree on that. Unfortunately, the facts don't care about your feelings:

Type L vs. Type S
Type L is 2.0, Type S is original recipe.
"L-type more aggressive and contagious than S-type, says study"

Live updates by country

At the time I'm typing this (2048 PST on 08 March) China shows 19,014 active cases with 5,111 in serious/critical condition or 5,111/19,014 = .2688 or, "Closer to 30%".

 

And I see that my point went completely over your head. :"Active cases" has absolutely nothing to do with how many people actually have the virus. You're comparing the number of people hospitalized to the number of people that China is claiming they have diagnosed with the virus, and not how many people actually have it which is completely unknown. If 10 million people in China are walking around with the virus, but only 20,000 have shown symptoms and tested positive for the virus, that make your "facts" completely useless. The CDC uses modeling to estimate how many people will be infected with the flu in the US every year, how many will require hospitalization, and how many will die. That's how they estimate the mortality rate. There is no modeling for Covid-19 because the number of people walking around with it that haven't gotten sick, been tested and diagnosed as positive for the virus is unknown.

Yes there are 2 strains of the coronavirus and the more aggressive strain is responsible for 70% of the deaths in China, but it also leveled off in early January and instances of that strain have dropped off considerably since then.

Researchers identify two coronavirus types as China cases dwindle

 

Wow, such a panic over a little virus.

 

Think hos will be suspended if loads outweigh number of drivers?