There's nothing like a pandemic to make everyone humble

[dgibbons]

This is kind of interesting. Like the Imperial College report, the ultimate takeaway is that all of the measures to suppress or mitigate just buy time for a vaccine.

https://covidactnow.org/

New York is in big trouble.

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

This is kind of interesting. Like the Imperial College report, the ultimate takeaway is that all of the measures to suppress or mitigate just buy time for a vaccine.

https://covidactnow.org/

New York is in big trouble.

Every large populace is. We are severely under-reported, simply because we can't test enough people to get good numbers. I've heard a projection of 400K people infected right now, with it getting worse before it gets better.

Who knows what that will mean for the actual mortality rate, but regardless this entire thing will be looked back upon as an enigma, start to finish.

 

[dgibbons]

Every large populace is. We are severely under-reported, simply because we can't test enough people to get good numbers. I've heard a projection of 400K people infected right now, with it getting worse before it gets better.

Who knows what that will mean for the actual mortality rate, but regardless this entire thing will be looked back upon as an enigma, start to finish.

New York is in trouble. The spike is just beginning and the mitigation and suppression measures won’t show up in the statistics for two weeks or so.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

I'm grateful that I've had a fortunate life and my wife and I are in a position to ride things out for a while if we need to. My sister lives in Vegas and has already been furloughed from one of her jobs and is going to be in really bad position if she gets laid off from her other job. She lives in a house that I own and we'll help by reducing her monthly payment as much as we can afford and she'll be ok, but there are a lot of people that are really in harm's way if this extends too long.

What's scary is the realization is that despite the fact that we've done our best to be smart with our money and establish a good foundation, even our situation is tenuous if things get really silly. So much of our stability relies on the majority of people believing that everything is going to be fine. It's humbling to realize how much we depend on other people to be decent, rational and reasonable to one another and there's no guarantee that happens.

 

[dgibbons]

New York is in trouble. The spike is just beginning and the mitigation and suppression measures won’t show up in the statistics for two weeks or so.

Also adding that a key piece of information not being reported in the media is hospital bed capacity and usage. It’s all calls for more masks, ventilators, etc.

 

[grahamcoug]

I really miss getting together with people from school, our church, and neighborhood.
In 2008 we lived in Niamey, Niger (West Africa) for a year and had spotty electricity and internet. We learned a lot about appreciating electricity and convenience. During the current covid19 crisis, I am reminded of how fragile life is, imo how much I really need God, and how much I miss football. He doesn't promise convenience or that he will be like a cosmic pez dispenser, but he does promise comfort in a disturbingly physically painful time for people.

I am extremely grateful for my wife, the health care workers, first responders, people praying, food packers, and store employees who are keeping America rolling.
Go Cougs!

 

[Coug90]

Also adding that a key piece of information not being reported in the media is hospital bed capacity and usage. It’s all calls for more masks, ventilators, etc.

My sister is a geneticist. All of her clinics have been canceled. Basically everything they do has been shut down and it will be all hands on deck for Covid. She will go from working 20 hour weeks doing genetic research to 80 hour weeks trying to save lives with limited equipment, putting her life on the line every day. She’s been drafted in a war essentially, with a wrist rocket and some rocks.

Everyone has their own story. Some people on here will lose friends and loved ones. I know some people don’t like the politics, but thats part of the equation. Just as in any war, decisions that are made by our leaders can cost lives/save lives. Pride swells up in some, anger in others. I’m angry with how I’ve seen things develop with this, and it’s hard for me to understand otherwise. I love all my coug brothers and sisters, and wish you all the best.

 

[chipdouglas]

I'm a big proponent of not delving into political discourse on this board. We'll leave it at that. Like I said, I'm following the rules.

Indeed. The initial question was a good one - about humility - and within a few posts we were having a political roll call in which leftwing posters bash rightwing news and righting posters bash leftwing news. Zero "humility" among those involved.

For me, I don't know about humility but these are my learnings:

• Notwithstanding the negative handwringing about "greed" and some central authority's failure to act (a staple of any news cycle), little focus has been given to the HUGE, grassroots outpouring of community support. In my neighborhood, people are actively seeking out volunteer opportunities, synthesizing safety information, using 3D printers and sewing machines and donating masks to local hospitals, organizing local restaurant gift card buys, sharing groceries and intel about groceries, and of course spending a ton of time with their kids and stepping up to be parents, employees and educators, while still managing the rest of their responsibilities. Numerous companies (like mine) have also stepped up to guarantee employment and pay and health care, and even pay 100% of all COVID-19-related expenses. So little coverage of this but tons of coverage of each political party's sh-- list. Why?

• People are all over the board on concern for this thing and that's OK. My wife is scared, and one of my female coworkers literally will not go outside. A friend called me last night to complain about people he saw taking a walk together. My mother told me a woman in Seattle was visibly appalled to see she and my sister occupying the same city block-sized park. This is totally foreign to me - I believe in taking reasonable precautions but I also do not believe we are living through World War Z so I'm still going outside, walking/riding my bike, and making the trips I need to survive. But I have learned to respect that people are really scared about this, and they are free to feel that way.

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

Indeed. The initial question was a good one - about humility - and within a few posts we were having a political roll call in which leftwing posters bash rightwing news and righting posters bash leftwing news. Zero "humility" among those involved.

For me, I don't know about humility but these are my learnings:

• Notwithstanding the negative handwringing about "greed" and some central authority's failure to act (a staple of any news cycle), little focus has been given to the HUGE, grassroots outpouring of community support. In my neighborhood, people are actively seeking out volunteer opportunities, synthesizing safety information, using 3D printers and sewing machines and donating masks to local hospitals, organizing local restaurant gift card buys, sharing groceries and intel about groceries, and of course spending a ton of time with their kids and stepping up to be parents, employees and educators, while still managing the rest of their responsibilities. Numerous companies (like mine) have also stepped up to guarantee employment and pay and health care, and even pay 100% of all COVID-19-related expenses. So little coverage of this but tons of coverage of each political party's sh-- list. Why?

• People are all over the board on concern for this thing and that's OK. My wife is scared, and one of my female coworkers literally will not go outside. A friend called me last night to complain about people he saw taking a walk together. My mother told me a woman in Seattle was visibly appalled to see she and my sister occupying the same city block-sized park. This is totally foreign to me - I believe in taking reasonable precautions but I also do not believe we are living through World War Z so I'm still going outside, walking/riding my bike, and making the trips I need to survive. But I have learned to respect that people are really scared about this, and they are free to feel that way.

If you included me in your "zero humility" roll call, I'd like to apologize and state that I didn't mean to be political or partisan in my post. The root of my post was that between the sentimentalization by the media of the actual pandemic and 24 hour news cycle of Ds and Rs pointing fingers, I'm over it. Maybe I was more pointing out the lack of humility by those in power - that is what is first and foremost on my mind when I think about this situation. That and all the idiots at the beach/ home depot/ etc over the weekend.

As for me, I happen to be closely associated with an industry that has been deemed essential, so I am very blessed that I have the assurance that I will be able to continue to provide for my family. I am blessed that most of my family are also in positions that they can either work for home or haven't been greatly impacted by social distancing measures.

 

[79COUG]

Well, ill add this to the discussion. After 32 years in the commercial printing industry, I was laid off today for the first time in my career. I'm in sales in Eastern Washington and if there are no clients to call on, well, I understand their position. Hopefully things will change sooner rather than later.

 

[CougEd]

Well, ill add this to the discussion. After 32 years in the commercial printing industry, I was laid off today for the first time in my career. I'm in sales in Eastern Washington and if there are no clients to call on, well, I understand their position. Hopefully things will change sooner rather than later.

Wow...this is real and I am sorry!

 

[79COUG]

Wow...this is real and I am sorry!

Thanks Ed. Appreciate that.

 

[roses04]

Thanks Ed. Appreciate that.

79 Sorry to hear about the job, unfortunately you’re not alone, hopefully medical science comes up with cures, a bigger key is quick reliable testing so healthy people can get back work, before the solution to this virus creates a much bigger problem, that will last longer.

The run on toilet paper simply proves there are a lot of ass wipes in this country, however I do believe the good people still out number them.

I am in an office with 15 people, fortunately we are still working for now, but at home. Four people are single and have no one in their lives at this time. I do a quick little silly funny video each morning send it to them, and will actually call them each daily along with a few emails just to let them know someone cares. I have a wife at home and kids that are grown and gone, but just a text or call away. People that have no one need our support, they are now almost prisoners in their own homes. I think we all know someone alone, simply reach out, it will mean more to them than you’ll know.

 

[etowncoug]

explain- does hitting the iceberg head on mean everyone going about their business for the most part and letting the virus thin the herd?

The University of Illinois had an outbreak of Coronavirus. The school responded by closing the campus and sending everyone home. You have a bunch of young adults who are likely to only experience mild symptoms but possibly carrying the disease returning to their home towns. This is one anecdote, but there will be lots of ways our attempts to avoid the fallout from this has only made this worse.

 

[Coug90]

The University of Illinois had an outbreak of Coronavirus. The school responded by closing the campus and sending everyone home. You have a bunch of young adults who are likely to only experience mild symptoms but possibly carrying the disease returning to their home towns. This is one anecdote, but there will be lots of ways our attempts to avoid the fallout from this has only made this worse.

Seems the worst case scenario is what we are trapped in as a country. You either shut it TF down completely and serious consequences for those who disobey orders (China, S Korea) or you let it go, warn people who are at risk, and establish heard immunity more quickly knowing that more people will die with the strain on the HC system. The in between stuff along with lack of testing and isolation plans is a recipe for long term life and economic disaster.

 

[mikalalas]

Seems the worst case scenario is what we are trapped in as a country. You either shut it TF down completely and serious consequences for those who disobey orders (China, S Korea) or you let it go, warn people who are at risk, and establish heard immunity more quickly knowing that more people will die with the strain on the HC system. The in between stuff along with lack of testing and isolation plans is a recipe for long term life and economic disaster.

"Either Karate do yes, or Karate do no. Karate think so-SQUISH just like grape"

 

[etowncoug]

Seems the worst case scenario is what we are trapped in as a country. You either shut it TF down completely and serious consequences for those who disobey orders (China, S Korea) or you let it go, warn people who are at risk, and establish heard immunity more quickly knowing that more people will die with the strain on the HC system. The in between stuff along with lack of testing and isolation plans is a recipe for long term life and economic disaster.

You assume we would be able to shut things down long enough to make a difference. America doesn't have a population as used to totalitarian lockdown measures like in China (which, TBH, who knows if we can believe the numbers coming out of China) nor is as simple to lock down like South Korea.

The US has 327 million people spread out over 3.8 million square mile landmass. It's hard enough to stop people from crossing the US Mexico border illegally, how in the world do we think we can keep people indoors for the 2-4 weeks necessary to let this bug die out? I just don't see it being effective at stopping the spread

 

[cr8zyncalif]

etown, I think you are right. But we don't have to stop it. Frankly, I don't think China has stopped it, either, unless they have a vaccine.

What we have to do is keep the infection rate slowed to the point that people are not lying in the hallways of hospitals, as you see every night from Spain.

I think that is realistic, whereas as you point out, an absolute quarantine is not realistic.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

Just found out that one of my co-workers has a son with COVID-19. He was in Germany doing a study abroad program and came home as soon as the notice went out last month. The good news is that his son has stayed at home in self-quarantine since he got back.