The concern with this one is 1) ease of spread (similar to common cold virus) and 2) it's killing about 3 or 4% of victims confirmed by testing, the optimistic view is the kill rate will turn out to be around 1% which is huge if it infects 100,000,000 people.?ÿ A faster peak will cause a higher kill rate because many older victims will be triaged out of more advanced medical intervention.
For my age group the COVID-19 kill rate is running about 10 times that of influenza.
That was reinforced at the press conference today. Dr, Deborah Birx reported that about 11% of Covid 19 tests come back positive, so 89% of the people tested have something else. That may not be exactly true because we know that a fair number of asymptomatic people, including the president and most of the Utah Jazz, have been tested, but it does highlight the fact that other dangerous diseases are still lurking around.
I went to the grocery store this afternoon. No paper products and no supplements like zinc, but plenty of produce, The butchers were stocking prepared meats and they said that stocking is a full-time job.
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There may have been a second Influenza A victim in our county.?ÿ Only about 22 years old.?ÿ She has a child that attends the same Pre-K classroom as mentioned above for the 32 year-old victim.?ÿ ?ÿ Two deaths in less than a week.?ÿ People are getting scared.?ÿ They immediately want to assume it is COVID-19.
Plan to be a participant in an odd funeral ritual today.?ÿ This is for the first Inlluenza A death mentioned above, but affected by the COVID-19 policies.
The close family members will surpass the maximum number of 50 allowed at the funeral service.?ÿ The overflow and everyone else who might want to honor this wonderful young lady will be standing along the first several blocks of the path the hearse will take following the service.?ÿ Some may appear at the cemetery but remain at a distance from the family.?ÿ The normal handshaking, hugging and direct comments of sympathy will be absent.
Just wrapped up a case of the flu. The secondary pneumonia is beginning to clear.
The post-flu pneumonia that I got in 1999 is the closest I've ever come to wanting to die, and it wasn't even a very serious case.?ÿ I'll never forget that experience.
Post-flu viral bronchitis in early 1978 was a very similar experience to Jim's report.?ÿ Drugs.?ÿ Lots of legal drugs.?ÿ Middle of a horrible Michigan Winter to boot.?ÿ No comfort in any form seemed to help.
