8 thoughts on “A good read on COVID-19

  1. I found the part regarding the fact that the virus shares approximately 96% of its genetics with another corona virus found in bats, and that therefore it must be a mutation from the bat virus, rather interesting. Humans share 96% of our DNA with chimpanzees… Figure out the rest for yourselves based on your own theory of life.
    I personally find the fact that it was first seen in the same town as the Wuhan Institute of Virology…interesting. Both theories are probably based on the same thing – a bunch of nothing

  2. The demographic data-table was interesting.
    Age % of population % of infected Fatality
    0-9 12.0% 0,9% 0 as of now
    10-19 11.6% 1.2% 0.1%
    20-29 13.5% 8.1% 0.2%
    30-39 15.6% 17.0% 0.2%
    40-49 15.6% 19.2% 0.4%
    50-59 15.0% 22.4% 1.3%
    60-69 10.4% 19.2% 3.6%
    70-79 4.7% 8.8% 8.0%
    80+ 1.8% 3.2% 14.8%

    Among the age 0-19 cohort (meaning school-age kids) which represent 23.6% of the population, they have only 2.1% of the infections (even though schools are notoriously petri-dish like) and just 0.5% of the fatalities. So they are under-represented by a factor of 10 on infection rates, and if they contract it they are at only 1/4th the odds that it is fatal compared to the “average” for the total population. And that is in an area with horrible air quality and general pollution problems, marginal sanitation and personal hygiene, and no tradition of hand-washing.

    Not to minimize the risk, but I think out schools are freaking out mostly for nothing. They’ll lose more people to suicide, drugs, car wrecks, and gang violence, possibly even each of them individually.

    • Closing down schools makes sense because well children don’t get sick they are very good at spreading sickness. If you were a parent how many times have you gotten sick from something your child brings in from school?

      • To be clear – I’m not saying that they (schools, parents, teachers, students, etc) should ignore the risks and do nothing. I’m saying that it’s a understandable disease, with known vectors, and we have the knowledge and skills and equipment to deal with it fairly well. Therefore, the need to OMG WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE AND WE NEED TO PREP FOR THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE AND STOCK UP ON A THOUSAND CASES OF TP AND ORANGE MAN BAD AND OMG!!!!1!! sort of panic buying and freaking out while breathlessly blaming some politicians that some people are engaged in is not necessary.

        Closing some schools, working from home if you can, stocking up on reasonable consumables in the event of a quarantine, lots of hand-washing, sanitizing surfaces as appropriate, making arrangements for not attending large meetings, and so-forth are not freaking out, they are prudent precautionary steps. Keep calm and deal, folks.

  3. In the U.S. only 47.5% of all statistics are made up on the spot as opposed to the unspoken general agreement that in China, ALL of them are. But yes, if these have any validity at all, then the correct name for this is the Corona Flu or maybe better, the Wuhan Flu, which rolls off the tongue more easily.

    Wash your hands, and by mid summer of 2021, the FDA will have approved a vaccine that will be as much as 20% effective against it, if there’s any still around by then.

  4. The second bullet point seems significant. “5% of people who are diagnosed with Covid require artificial respiration. Another 15% need to breathe in highly concentrated oxygen – and not just for a few days.”
    This reminds me of the Spanish Influenza of 1918-19, and the famous”Heliotrope Cyanosis where oxygen-deprivation turned lips and ears a purplish shade of blue.
    That pandemic was theorized to have originated in China as well. It was called the “Spanish Influenza” because Spain was unpopular for being neutral during WW1.

    • According to The Great Influenza it started on a pig farm in Kansas. U.S. soldiers in WWI carried it to Spain. The U.S. was very quiet about the impact on U.S. soldiers because it affected their military capabilities. Hence, it was more publicly seen as showing up in Spain and got it’s name from there.

      The book is very good reading unless you have a tendency toward hypochondria or excessive worrying. It’s might also give you nightmares for a while. Scary stuff.

      My Great Uncle Walt Huffman was a U.S. soldier in Europe during WWI. In his diary he mentions he was in the hospital for a week with the flu.

      • I’ll have to get that. The last book that gave me dreams was “The Terrible Hours” by Peter Maas, about the rescue of the Submarine Squalus in 1939, and I had dreams of deep dark water, so I’m not that afraid. 🙂

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