Coronavirus COVID-19 *Global Health Emergency* #15

[margarita25]

“ALBANY, N.Y. — Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo declared a state of emergency on Saturday as the number of coronavirus cases in New York rose to 89, which include a Queens driver who worked for Uber and two unexplained positive tests of patients 200 miles to the north.

Moving on multiple fronts to curb the spread of the virus, Mr. Cuomo said the state of emergency would allow New York’s government to respond faster by lifting regulations.

The governor’s announcement came as concerns about the outbreak grew in New York City, which has 12 confirmed cases, up from six that were disclosed as of Friday. The epicenter in New York State continues to be just north of the city, in Westchester County, where there are 70 cases in total.”

[...]

“You know what’s worse than the virus — the anxiety,” Mr. Cuomo said, noting that most patients would suffer mild or no symptoms.”

Coronavirus in N.Y.: Cuomo Declares State of Emergency

 

[firebird]

If we're all going to catch it then how will hospitals be able to handle the rather large number of extreme cases that seem quite possible by other experts' difference of opinion? Cause that's the part that scares me...not the 'unnecessary folk' clogging up the ER, though it would help if that didn't happen...but what happens when all the beds are full, especially considering they've already been close to the edge with a kinda bad flu season that's not over yet either? Not mentioned by him at all,not addressed by those who are unhappy about all the panic...

The vast minority of people will not need to be hospitalized. So the only way it's going to overrun healthcare is due to unnecessary trips to healthcare and/or quarantining of healthcare workers.

 

[Inthedetails]

Nothing on MSM yet, but google Royal Princess cruise for status announcement.....

 

[escape2sc]

That's exactly right. If a lot of people get it, even if only a small percentage of these people needs hospitalization, those are going to be huge numbers of people who need hospitalization. And we don't have huge numbers of hospital beds waiting for them.

We may run short of nurses and doctors as well as beds.
IIRC - 11 exposed in Texas, 30 exposed in Nebraska and around 40 in New York from an Uber driver - all under self-quarantine and all today

 

[mickey2942]

Break out the handcuffs.

Okay, he relented. But he loves church, that is a full day of socializing for him, coffee before church with his guy friends, big lunch after church.

Old people love going to church. He thinks that I am mean. I feel like that woman in "Misery".

 

[Windsorite]

Italy has 5883 cases. (The 3rd highest in the world)
Italy has had 233 deaths (The 2nd highest in the world) and 589 have recovered.

Operations Dashboard for ArcGIS

I’m aware of what is going on in Italy, my point was we can’t make comparisons to say if that is unusually high, just average or low as of yet.

 

[zecats]

And it stays as relatively mild symptoms for most, apparently. I think it's clear a ton of people are going to get this, and the extreme majority to be negatively impacted are going to be the elderly and health compromised - as usual. The good thing about Corona is that it's generally relatively mild and that the young seem to be insignificantly impacted by it -- unlike the flu. I'm moving beyond "annoyed" to "pretty po'd" about the hysteria. jmo

Hysteria is often based on individual, unique circumstances as each of us has certain family members and friends to worry over. Elder parents, health compromised brothers and sisters, the occasional young person (daughter, son, niece, best friend) that may be affected seriously. JMO

 

[gregjrichards]

No, we don't, but people with pre-existing conditions want to live too. You seem to be arguing that because it mostly affects elderly and those with pre-existing conditions, there is nothing to panic about? As if those people don't count?

I am very concerned. I live with my Dad who is 73 and diabetic. I’m 35, disabled due to back surgery that was a disaster and also have Crohn’s disease and have a suppressed immune system. So both of us are high risk and neither of us are ready to die yet.

 

[Henry2326]

'I'm not urging calm': New York Governor Cuomo declares state of emergency as coronavirus cases rise to 89 after infected Uber driver walked in to Queens hospital and exposed 40 doctors and nurses

New York Governor Cuomo declares state of emergency due to coronavirus as number of cases skyrockets | Daily Mail Online

Wasn't he urging calm yesterday?

 

[firebird]

Hysteria is often based on individual, unique circumstances as each of us has certain family members and friends to worry over. Elder parents, health compromised brothers and sisters, the occasional young person (daughter, son, niece, best friend) that may be affected seriously. JMO

There can be a rational response to individual, unique circurmstances, as well. I have a child with a history of asthma. I've been ill with a respiratory illness, as have many of my c0-workers in a very small office. Some, so seriously ill that they've missed days or more than a week of work, which is highly unusual in my profession. And one has had a spouse hospitalized. So far, I'm still a little ill with a respiratory illness and my son is fine. I'm not hysterical.

 

[soylattesandsleuthing]

First presumptive case reported in Missouri out of St. Louis. Looks like a student contracted it while studying in Italy. Her and her parents are now self-quarantined.


Parson: St. Louis County woman is Missouri's first positive case of coronavirus

 

[margarita25]

Wasn't he urging calm yesterday?

Yeah there’s another quote I’d also like to post, Will get to that in a second

First, a short video piece from Denver 9news. There is a discussion about what appears to be differences between the Denver Dept. of Health and CDC re: advice about whether or not elderly people should stay at home.

Also, according to this video, you can get fined and 300 days in jail for refusing quarantine:

Number of Colorado's COVID-19 cases rises to 8

 

[escape2sc]

And it stays as relatively mild symptoms for most, apparently. I think it's clear a ton of people are going to get this, and the extreme majority to be negatively impacted are going to be the elderly and health compromised - as usual. The good thing about Corona is that it's generally relatively mild and that the young seem to be insignificantly impacted by it -- unlike the flu. I'm moving beyond "annoyed" to "pretty po'd" about the hysteria. jmo

I don't think the citizens of China or Italy think the "hysteria" is misguided. Of the 106,195 known cases, there were 3,600 deaths and 60,190 persons have recovered, leaving 42,405 cases undetermined. There have been reports of permanent lung damage in recovered patients.
If a little hysteria causes only 10% of the younger, less at risk population to be a little more cautious about covering their mouths when they cough or washing their hands often and those efforts result in 10% fewer elderly persons becoming infected..I am all for the hysteria.

 

[zecats]

There can be a rational response to individual, unique circurmstances, as well. I have a child with a history of asthma. I've been ill with a respiratory illness, as have many of my c0-workers in a very small office. Some, so seriously ill that they've missed days or more than a week of work, which is highly unusual in my profession. And one has had a spouse hospitalized. So far, I'm still a little ill with a respiratory illness and my son is fine. I'm not hysterical.

Anxious is perhaps a better word than hysterical...unless one of these people I mentioned (elderly parent, health compromised brother, children or grandchildren, others) are touched by this. It's scares me to think about it and I wish I could say I wasn't terrified.

 

[firebird]

I am very concerned. I live with my Dad who is 73 and diabetic. I’m 35, disabled due to back surgery that was a disaster and also have Crohn’s disease and have a suppressed immune system. So both of us are high risk and neither of us are ready to die yet.

To the extent there's an hysterical response, it's actually hurting you and your dad because people who absolutely do not need acute care are taking up resources that could better be directed to people actually at risk. Like every other disease every day.

 

[Henry2326]

Oh my....more waiting in line....for another cruise.

Passengers have reportedly been kept waiting for hours to board the Royal Princess cruise in Los Angeles. This report says decision soon to come about its "seaworthiness."
Steve Lookner on Twitter

 

[OhioBlues]

I’m aware of what is going on in Italy, my point was we can’t make comparisons to say if that is unusually high, just average or low as of yet.

I don't know what you are comparing.

Italy has had 5883 more cases in 2020 than they did in 2019. That has to be a burden on the healthcare system.

They have 16 million people under quarantine.

 

[Inthedetails]

Wasn't he urging calm yesterday?

I think "state of emergency" is a term that means state or federal money can be tapped.

jmo

 

[Auntie Cipation]

Another big cancellation in Orlando:

"The AFL-CIO today canceled a Florida forum featuring Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden.

The event was scheduled for March 12 in Orlando, five days before the state‘s presidential primary in which 219 Democratic delegates will be up for grabs."

AFL-CIO scraps Orlando presidential forum

This sends my mind spinning off in the direction of the election this fall, and the primaries (and conventions) still to come this spring and summer. Not getting into anything partisan here, just that these are situations of large numbers of people coming into contact with each other, but they are also foundation activities of the USA as a country and can't really be cancelled or even postponed without historic entanglements.

I recently learned on another forum that some US states do not permit their residents to vote by mail except in specific circumstances. I'm wondering if it might be appropriate for this year to allow all voters in all states to vote by mail, to avoid the need to go out on election day to a place of many others gathering. Thoughts?

The vast minority of people will not need to be hospitalized. So the only way it's going to overrun healthcare is due to unnecessary trips to healthcare and/or quarantining of healthcare workers.

The math has been laid out very plainly on this thread. Even if only 15% of those affected are in that "high risk" category of older and/or pre-existing health issues, and even if only 5% of those 15% need hospitalization, that still dramatically exceeds the hospital beds available in the US.

Also, as to your earlier comment about moving from "annoyed" to "po'd" about people's degree of worry -- I don't know if you're referring to the amount of worry you see here on WS or elsewhere, but on this thread it seems that many of us who have commented, would fall into the 15% of being at higher risk, and most of us, even if we are not in the 15%, have older family members or friends who would. So the potential fact that 85% of those stricken will have only mild illness, even if assumed true, still doesn't lead most of us to wave it off as insignificant. Sorry if we are annoying you. /sarcasm

It's almost like you have come into a discussion thread about, say, Alzheimer's disease, and started repeatedly emphasizing that we are overreacting because it affects mostly the elderly, as if that should cause people's focus on it to lessen somehow...

 

[firebird]

Anxious is perhaps a better word than hysterical...unless one of these people I mentioned (elderly parent, health compromised brother, children or grandchildren, others) are touched by this. It's scares me to think about it and I wish I could say I wasn't terrified.

I just posted to someone else, these loved ones we are concerned with are MUCH better served if this virus is not blown out of proportion to the point where people are unnecessarily consuming resources of all types - medical and consumer. If my asthmatic child should get this virus, I don't want his ER bed taking up by some otherwise healthy person who wonders whether their runny nose and cough is Corona.