I have appreciated the need to socially distance in order to not overwhelm the medical system. Really, so the fuck what if most people don’t die or even have a serious reaction? If we can slow the spread so that those who are the most susceptible will still have access to medical resources that are not yet exhausted (personnel, hospital beds, and drugs and treatments included) that is only decent.

Our town has just decided not to have the Saint Patrick’s Day parade this weekend. People are outraged. The decision was made by a committee formed by people that we all elected, and who have access to more information than we do.

This isn’t panic talking, it’s prudence. We would do well to heed the recommendations of the countries who are handling it better than we are, with appropriate testing available, measures put in place to stop the spread, treatments that show some efficacy in the face of an unknown circumstance.

One thing that I wonder about is that of course there is not enough ventilators for everyone..but

could it be possible to have a room that is ventilated in same way to handle more than one

patient?

( Something like a air conditioner but is a huge ventilator for the whole room?)

(just looking for possible solutions)

I am currently being housed in a AFB hotel; quarantined because I was on the cruise ship where 19 crew members and 2 passengers have CoVid19.

There were 2,000 passengers on that ship. We are fine.I haven’t seen anyone here who is demonstrably ill. I suspect we are being held to show the government is doing something, but I just see money wasted. I could easily self quarantine at home.
Keep in mind the 19 crew members who tested positive for the virus will remain on the ship. Senators and White House officials who have been exposed are either self quarantining, or ignoring the fact they were exposed.
In the meantime, I am sitting on a hotel bed, posting the stupidity of it all.

@filmfann
Create a blog and update hourly or daily?

I think a vlog would be a great idea.

This talks about my biggest worry with this C-19. That it has a very high percentage of those infected needing respiratory support. The death rate is as “low” as it is because of modern medicine. If our hospitals get overwhelmed, or simply the hospitals nearest to where you live are overwhelmed, you could literally die because we don’t have enough medical equipment or staff or both, when typically you would survive with medical intervention.

I live where people are at very high risk for severe disease. I’d guess 80% of our population is over 60, and many residents here have underlying conditions.

I wonder if Italy has been hit especially hard because it has an older population and because they are so touch touch. Double kisses on the cheeks, very social. Their cultural norms would be conducive to spreading illness. I don’t know if there some specific events that happened in the country that spurred it on maybe and I’m off base.

People from my city were interviewed on CNN. Most of the people they interviewed aren’t worried. Playing softball and dancing in the clip. They’re mostly Fox News Trumpers. We have a lot of them. I’m out still doing everything, but if it hits here I think they should do a lockdown similar to Italy to try to stop it in its tracks. Most of us have food and TP for a couple of weeks in our houses.

I have shared this essay with multiple people, some of whom mentioned they thought it was a hoax. They thanked me, and thank you, @jca2 for posting it. Not only is it informative, it’s well written.