SXSW cancelled over COVID-19 fear

[Oyster 2,458]

2 minutes ago, ChromeAngel said:

The panic with this virus vs what it does makes no sense. I feel like the government isn’t telling us something. Because from what we know covid-19 is significantly less dangerous than any common virus that goes around. I wonder if there’s something they know that we don’t? I wonder if it causes more extreme issues that they aren’t making the public aware of. Or also mass hysteria/mob mentality. That’s also very likely. Or maybe I’m just dumb! But it seems like, if you get it, it’s very very unlikely you’ll die. It causes flu like symptoms... that’s about it from what they’re telling us. The death rate is practically nothing. It’s about 3000 people worldwide. China is so incredibly densely populated and yet ONLY 3000? What am I missing. Is everyone just bored and waiting for something to get worked up over? 

in elderly people the death rate is 15% which is considerably worrying 

[crybrowz 3,391]

4 minutes ago, ChromeAngel said:

The panic with this virus vs what it does makes no sense. I feel like the government isn’t telling us something. Because from what we know covid-19 is significantly less dangerous than any common virus that goes around. I wonder if there’s something they know that we don’t? I wonder if it causes more extreme issues that they aren’t making the public aware of. Or also mass hysteria/mob mentality. That’s also very likely. Or maybe I’m just dumb! But it seems like, if you get it, it’s very very unlikely you’ll die. It causes flu like symptoms... that’s about it from what they’re telling us. The death rate is practically nothing. It’s about 3000 people worldwide. China is so incredibly densely populated and yet ONLY 3000? What am I missing. Is everyone just bored and waiting for something to get worked up over? 

My mom works at the University of MN and they’re talking about shutting campus down. There hasn’t been a single confirmed case in our state 

This^^ other than elderly/sickly people the disease doesn't seem to be that deadly towards the average individual. Unless there is something that I'm missing I really don't understand the hysteria that's surrounding the disease. 

[DeleteMyAccount 11,881]

And yet 20 thousand+ people have died in the USA since last fast due to the flu. Like.

[Franch Toast 27,776]

31 minutes ago, ltlmnstr said:

I’m trying to keep as level headed as possible but today I read someone gave it to their dog

I didn’t leave my house today

I don't think animals can actually become infected by it – I believe the dog was a carrier in the same way that, say, a door knob or a table or a cell phone might transmit the virus. 

But I didn't leave my house today, either. 

[PunkTheFunk 125,734]

58 minutes ago, RAMROD said:

 

 

 

Coronavirus and SARS

[PunkTheFunk 125,734]

17 minutes ago, ZacharyMark said:

And yet 20 thousand+ people have died in the USA since last fast due to the flu. Like.

Except the death rate for the flu is 0.1%, while it's between 3-5% for coronavirus. That's 30-50x more deadly.

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26 minutes ago, ChromeAngel said:

The panic with this virus vs what it does makes no sense. I feel like the government isn’t telling us something. Because from what we know covid-19 is significantly less dangerous than any common virus that goes around. I wonder if there’s something they know that we don’t? I wonder if it causes more extreme issues that they aren’t making the public aware of. Or also mass hysteria/mob mentality. That’s also very likely. Or maybe I’m just dumb! But it seems like, if you get it, it’s very very unlikely you’ll die. It causes flu like symptoms... that’s about it from what they’re telling us. The death rate is practically nothing. It’s about 3000 people worldwide. China is so incredibly densely populated and yet ONLY 3000? What am I missing. Is everyone just bored and waiting for something to get worked up over? 

My mom works at the University of MN and they’re talking about shutting campus down. There hasn’t been a single confirmed case in our state 

22 minutes ago, Amphetamine said:

This^^ other than elderly/sickly people the disease doesn't seem to be that deadly towards the average individual. Unless there is something that I'm missing I really don't understand the hysteria that's surrounding the disease. 

Media manufactured panic means more clicks and views and ad revenue

not only is it just like cold symptoms for reasonably young healthy people, it’s only about 1/3 as contagious as a cold

[DeleteMyAccount 11,881]

3 minutes ago, PunkTheFunk said:

Except the death rate for the flu is 0.1%, while it's between 3-5% for coronavirus. That's 30-50x more deadly.

And that's based on the US not even knowing how many people are even infected. Only vague estimates. 

[Serial Chiller 8,044]

6 hours ago, Ladey Gaygay said:

Booooooooo

Just wear masks or some sh*t

Exhibit A of person who doesn’t know how epidemics work. 

[ltlmnstr 2,771]

37 minutes ago, Franch Toast said:

I don't think animals can actually become infected by it – I believe the dog was a carrier in the same way that, say, a door knob or a table or a cell phone might transmit the virus. 

But I didn't leave my house today, either. 

Yeah I’m just burned out from the constant updates. It is my fault for being invested in this topic but I just know I’m gonna get this.  

[ctherainbow 3,162]

Good Lord, I’m not sure where ya’ll are getting these conflicting stats from, but CDC epidemiologists(aka LITERALLY THE TOP PROFESSIONALS IN THE FIELD OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES), have released information indicating that yes, it is significantly more deadly than the flu, especially for the elderly and people who are immuno-compromised.  While it’s not as deadly for younger people, it is very dangerous for older people, like your grandparents and people getting treatment for cancer and such.

Yes, more people get the flu and die from the flu yearly, because THE FLU IS NOT A NEW DISEASE THAT IS LITERALLY JUST STARTING TO SPREAD.  The flu has been with humans and near-humans for an estimated hundreds of thousands of years, at least.   

Because the coronavirus can spread well before people start to exhibit symptoms, it is extremely dangerous, especially in places like nursing homes, where there are large groups of extremely vulnerable people crammed together.  So while you may not be affected, your grandparents could die, or your nice little old lady neighbor.

Here is some information from the Washington Post, not Buzzfeed or WatchMojo, that cites actual leading medical professionals:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/03/04/coronavirus-flu-comparison/

So the coronavirus mortality rate is about 2%, if you average the best estimates they have so far.  The flu mortality rate is 0.1%.  This means that the coronavirus is around 20x more deadly than the flu, from what we know so far.  Sure, it’s no smallpox, but it could still do serious damage.  If you multiply the United States flu death toll from this past season by 20, that’s 320,000 people.  Still not a massive amount for a country of nearly 400 million people, but still... that’s a huge death toll.  Worldwide, using the same factor of mortality greater than the flu, the death toll could be about 9.4 million, and that’s assuming that people worldwide are getting the same average level of medical care as they would in the US or China, which is NOT the case by a longshot.

So in summary, please do not try to minimize this disease.  It is serious.  But also, don’t panic.  Follow the common-sense guidelines set out by epidemiological professionals, which include:

- Avoid unnecessary crowd situations

- Wash your hands frequently, especially after touching high-transfer objects, like doorknobs, especially in public places

- Try not to touch your face or nose after being in public, until you wash your hands

- Take extra care around the elderly and those with compromised immune systems

Spoiler

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk       

But seriously, please don’t blow this off, or go into panic mode.  Arming yourself with accurate information and following scientific methods of prevention and containment is the best chance we all have.     

 

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2 minutes ago, mauvais said:

SARS-CoV-2  is thought to be twice as contagious as the flu but we're not there yet globally because it's a new virus!

The r0 value for the coronavirus is 2.28, the flu is 1.2, and the common cold is 6. So yes it’s about twice as contagious as the flu but still far less than a cold

but I’m also looking at it from the perspective of someone with a killer immune system so other people might be more worried by those numbers 

[Whispering 18,865]

1 hour ago, Amphetamine said:

This^^ other than elderly/sickly people the disease doesn't seem to be that deadly towards the average individual. Unless there is something that I'm missing I really don't understand the hysteria that's surrounding the disease. 

A respiratory illness that has an r0 of at least 2.

A novel virus where any vaccine is at least 1 year away.

Multiple centers of self-sustaining infection (Korea, Iran, Italy).

A hospitalization rate of 10-20%, insuring even the most developed health systems will quickly become crippled.

A fatality rate about 20x the fatality rate of influenza.

Inadequate surveillance testing in the US thanks to inefficiency at both the CDC and FDA.

Rate of increase going from single digits to triple digits to thousands in a matter of a week or two.

 

More deadly than the common flu, more infectious than SARS/Ebola/MERs.

[Whispering 18,865]

Flu: 0.1% mortality rate. Corona virus: 2% mortality rate. That means it is 20 times more deadly: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-death-rate/#who-03-03-20

As of March 3rd, WHO is now saying the death rate is as high as 3.4%, making Covid19 34 times more deadly than the flu: https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---3-march-2020

 

Flu: symptoms appear within 1-3 days of catching it. Corona Virus: Symptoms appear 2 to 14 days after catching it. You may spread it for a week or two before you even know you're sick.

 

Flu: survives on surfaces for 1 day. Corona virus: survives on surfaces for 9 days. 

 

Flu: Has a vaccine. Corona virus: Doesn't. You can take preventative medical measures to protect yourself from flu exposure, but you can't with corona virus.

 

Flu: affects young and old similarly (though more deadly to infants and the elderly). Corona virus: does not appear to affect young children significantly (many are asymptomatic), but is far deadlier to the elderly (up to 20% mortality). This makes children a vector for transmission as they may have a little sniffle that wouldn't keep them home from school, but is deadly to older people.

[DeleteMyAccount 11,881]

1 hour ago, ctherainbow said:

Good Lord, I’m not sure where ya’ll are getting these conflicting stats from, but CDC epidemiologists(aka LITERALLY THE TOP PROFESSIONALS IN THE FIELD OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES), have released information indicating that yes, it is significantly more deadly than the flu, especially for the elderly and people who are immuno-compromised.  While it’s not as deadly for younger people, it is very dangerous for older people, like your grandparents and people getting treatment for cancer and such.

Yes, more people get the flu and die from the flu yearly, because THE FLU IS NOT A NEW DISEASE THAT IS LITERALLY JUST STARTING TO SPREAD.  The flu has been with humans and near-humans for an estimated hundreds of thousands of years, at least.   

Because the coronavirus can spread well before people start to exhibit symptoms, it is extremely dangerous, especially in places like nursing homes, where there are large groups of extremely vulnerable people crammed together.  So while you may not be affected, your grandparents could die, or your nice little old lady neighbor.

Here is some information from the Washington Post, not Buzzfeed or WatchMojo, that cites actual leading medical professionals:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/03/04/coronavirus-flu-comparison/

So the coronavirus mortality rate is about 2%, if you average the best estimates they have so far.  The flu mortality rate is 0.1%.  This means that the coronavirus is around 20x more deadly than the flu, from what we know so far.  Sure, it’s no smallpox, but it could still do serious damage.  If you multiply the United States flu death toll from this past season by 20, that’s 320,000 people.  Still not a massive amount for a country of nearly 400 million people, but still... that’s a huge death toll.  Worldwide, using the same factor of mortality greater than the flu, the death toll could be about 9.4 million, and that’s assuming that people worldwide are getting the same average level of medical care as they would in the US or China, which is NOT the case by a longshot.

So in summary, please do not try to minimize this disease.  It is serious.  But also, don’t panic.  Follow the common-sense guidelines set out by epidemiological professionals, which include:

- Avoid unnecessary crowd situations

- Wash your hands frequently, especially after touching high-transfer objects, like doorknobs, especially in public places

- Try not to touch your face or nose after being in public, until you wash your hands

- Take extra care around the elderly and those with compromised immune systems

  Reveal hidden contents

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk       

But seriously, please don’t blow this off, or go into panic mode.  Arming yourself with accurate information and following scientific methods of prevention and containment is the best chance we all have.     

 

Buzzfeed has actually done some great work making sure people are updated. Sources included. 

What we can't afford is this to cause hysteria among people. And it already has begun. Especially the racist attacks against Asians around the world.