Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

[tw]

Originally Posted by Luce

From what I gather, it's actually less dangerous on a case-by-case basis, but also more contagious.

Something like 2 to 3% die from this virus. Typical influenzas only kill 1.3%. That alone makes it more dangerous than other flues. Apparently it can also be spread by urine and feces. Even SARs was not spread by that method. Isolated people in their cabins (having no contact even with crew members) got sick on the Diamond Princess in large numbers. This one is clearly much more contagious than SARs. Maybe as contagious as Ebola.

We do not yet know of additional methods that can spread this disease. Only speculate that a two week quarantine is sufficient. No problem. Tests can only report one had the virus - not report if one is still contagious.

Medical people must wait for a naive politician to authorize us to have knowledge. That should be the Surgeon General's job. But he is not a right wing political extremist. His entire life has only been about medicine and health. Worse, he is black. So he might not be extremist enough.

Winter means a virus lasts much longer. Many viruses only last ten minutes if warm. But can remain intact for hours in a cold environment. Wet environments also prolong potency. That is the life expectancy of a typical virus. Unknown yet is the life expectancy of this virus. However a package shipped from China could only have degraded proteins - a threat to no one. The way customs works, it would sit around too long.

How much preparation has America done? Only 200 testing kits exist in one state. Only the CDC has labs that can test for it. Obviously, American should have been stocking tens or hundreds of thousands test kits in each state. And labs should have been constructed/expanded so that testing can be done at the county and state levels. But our government, at highest level, had been downplaying their inaction. Since it might impact his re-election. It is about image - not about protecting Americans.

An ostrich position was obvious. Even increased manufacturing of facemask was done only by a few manufacturers. Because the Federal government kept saying, "Don't worry. Be happy." Did not even start stocking them.

Americans might finally learn that America has done virtually nothing (except ask questions at immigration points). But the President has created a Czar as the only spokesman. He can silence all medical people at Federal and maybe at State levels. Job was assigned to a politician who has less experience in disasters that Brownie did in Katrina.

Somehow he will know what to tell us; what we need to know. Because he is loyal to a man whose long history is to lie. To harm all others - to advance only himself. So Pence can be trusted?

A man whose long history was to even stiff his contractors and employees. Right wing extremists also said that is good. So he knew two month ago what was good for us?

Make Urbane Guerrilla the Czar. He too is just as knowledgeable. Also has healthy ability to invent lies. Has a history of promoting fiction to advance an extremist right wing position. Since that (and not America) is most important. He also would silence medical people who expose extremist lies. Since that would be in our interest?

America is unprepared for a pandemic. Past two months were wasted by doing nothing. No problem. We now have a Czar so that informed medical people must get permission to explain a threat, what must be done, and to be helpful.

We can test for other influenzas. So one does not have Covid-19 if they first test positive for other influenzas - the assumption. Only if other tests are negative, then can one be tested by a scarce Covid-19 test kit. And then wait even longer for that kit to be shipped to the CDC - the only place it can be tested.

No problem. Pence (or UG) will then tell them whether they can inform your doctor. "Trust me. I am a right wing extremist who also said Saddam had WMDs."