One thing that this whole thing has brought into focus for me is how little attention gets paid to the flu each year and how we just take it for granted. More people are killed in the U.S. by the flu in bad years than Americans killed in Vietnam and all the subsequent smaller wars. Yet everyone just regards the flu as a yearly nuisance rather than a worldwide emergency. Some get flu vaccinations, others don’t even bother.
Covid19 is far worse than the flu in many people, of course, and the mortality rate is looking like it’s five or ten times higher. From what I’ve read, due to the stupidity of failing to gear up for massive testing, we still don’t have a good idea of how many people have only very mild or non-existent symptoms. In Italy, the mortality rate for identified cases was something like 7 or 8 percent. In my state of Utah, the mortality rate for identified cases is far, far lower at well under 1 percent or about an order of magnitude difference. The reasons are likely several, but the discrepancy points to a serious lack of understanding regarding what’s going on.
If the world had taken no measures to contain the novel corona virus, the world would likely be experiencing many millions of deaths. Here in the U.S., we easily could have lost a couple million people, but then again, maybe not — we just don’t understand this virus all that well yet.
We’re waiting to see how it will affect our ability to carry on some of our “traditional” Summer stuff, already lamenting the fact that our 8th grade daughter’s school year is up in smoke. Yeah, they’re doing some online work to avoid falling too far off, but she won’t ever be back in her school, or see her classmates and teachers, or experience middle school graduation, or get her second shot at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which was cancelled earlier this week. It’s robbin’ some shit.
I found one sure sign the pandemic is tapering off.
The local newspapers just went back behind their paywalls today.
They had been running open-access for the past 6 weeks or so as a public information service.
Today? Nope. “You have reached your free-article limit. Please subscribe.”
Masks are irritating (We’ve been mandatory since May.)
It’s hot, hard to breathe and now it’s gonna get really hot and humid for the next week plus.
I can’t wait.
Watch out!
I really wish you were right about the pandemic easing off. I see lots of signs that people and businesses are getting fatigued with the whole thing and starting to relax. This is despite infections in the U.S. increasing by new daily records at an alarming rate. The U.S. just reached the 3 million infections mark today. Florida is running out of hospital beds. The trend lines look awfully bleak. Rather than tapering off, things appear to be ramping up.
.
Here in Salt Lake, masks are mandatory when going to stores and restaurants, but most businesses are open. The governor, however, refuses to require masks for the whole state and is leaving it up to various cities and counties, most of which are opposed to doing much of anything. He’s also ruled out imposing any kind of lockdowns and is largely ignoring advice from the state’s epidemiologist.
Just up the street from us today, it appears there’s a big celebration of some sort at a house — maybe a kid’s birthday party. There are lots of cars, a big inflatable waterslide and dozens of kids running around with caterers coming and going. This isn’t an isolated thing, either. Way too many people here are just ignoring the problem and placing everyone else at risk. My wife just got word over the weekend that her brother is in the hospital with Covid.
Yesterday, we got a backyard wedding invitation in the mail. I’m sure at least 200 other people were also invited. We’ll send a gift, but there’s no way I’ll be going to something like that.
In my hometown, in the rural part of the state, infections are beginning to really take off, but I’ve never seen a single person there wearing a mask. It’s as though no one is taking it seriously. They scaled back the July 4th celebrations in the park, but that’s about it.
As for me, I’m working from home and venturing out to busy public places as infrequently as possible. I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
A family member had posted a gathering event for a birthday party … I feel bad … but I don’t quite know how to tell her I’m not coming. I don’t mind being around her personally … but I don’t want to be around all the other people and their children. I would be in a mask regardless but they won’t be… especially since water toys and pools and slides are involved
It gets awkward. We’ve reluctantly skipped a few extended family get-togethers for this very reason. Everyone has been understanding so far, but I’m just not quite sure what they’re thinking scheduling non-essential parties with lots of people (kids to older people) gathered together in the middle of a pandemic.
Nashville, TN here. Rolled back to Phase 2 a few days ago because no one can seem to stay away from bars… Our main tourist strip, Broadway, saw way too normal of foot traffic in and out of bars and about 5% wearing masks based on photos I saw.
Masks mandatory to enter the public at all now. Most places have a “Masks required” sign on the door now. Restaurants back to take-out only and all that too.
I do have a trip I had planned before all of this for the beginning of August to go visit family in Oregon. Luckily I’m just staying with my mother at her house in the middle of the woods so we’ll stay pretty secluded. Not looking forward to the airport/plane shenanigans though with all this going on… we’ll see if I even feel comfortable going when the time comes, lol.
My post about the tapering off was made way back on May 18!
I actually had a test done a couple weeks ago just to go to a specialty dentist. That was unpleasant. (It was negative.)
That explains it. I didn’t even notice the date, so that was my fault.
Yeah, it did seem to be tapering off back in May, then Memorial Day came along, too many people started getting relaxed about it, and cities and states started loosening up too soon.
Not so with our good neighbors to the north — Canada seems to have done an excellent job and mostly has it under control. It’s difficult for me to believe sometimes how haphazardly it’s been handled here in the U.S.
We are relaxing things a bit here in the UK but when the pubs re-opened last Saturday, there were some positive tests found and a lot of pubs closed again. Our curve is bad but nothing like the US.
I see they’re trying to classify it airborne now, but all they’re really getting is the RNA marker in the air, not the actual virus. And they don’t even know what level of concentration will actually lead to an infection. They’re even citing studies that have yet to undergo peer review.
Just.
Stop.
I wish you both a Happy Anniversary regardless 
