Your reactions/thoughts on COVID-19

[Lucky Bolt 34,915]

I’m sorry but the OP seems to be overreacting just a smidgen....

[ToastedScone 382]

It's bad, yes, but I do wish people would leave returning travellers alone. I have a good friend who's just come back from Northern Italy, and our teachers are constantly fussing about whether she has it or not and some people are even ignoring her...it's horrible, really. She's fine!

[Pentium100 2,057]

There are two new cases in my country. While it looks like people are overreacting somewhat, IMO, for this it is better to be too ready than not ready enough. Cancelling mass events before someone sick spreads the virus is preferable to doing it after.

[Here No Longer 5,270]

I think it is something to be taken seriously, but also we've had worse in the recent past. It really only kills the elderly and the already ill. Just wash your hands regularly and it will be fine. In fact, its overall fatality rate is only 2%.

 

What I will say though, is that I'm very suspicious the Chinese are hiding something and the "experts" saying otherwise are getting paid off to say that. By hiding something, I don't mean small. I mean a massive cover-up on par with the CIA's MK Ultra experiments.

Edited March 11, 2020 by Angel_Dust

[Buzz 1,769]

COVID-19 is by no means to be underestimated, given how fast its spreading and the worlds governments responses, but i think that people are going overboard in responses. First off, the disease being the next Spanish flu is just not going to happen; its predicted that 80% of people who will become infected will have mild symptoms and that will be all, a further 18% having more severe symptoms but nothing life threatening with only 2% mortality rate, which only applies to the severely elderly and those with serious health conditions. People are going on about suspending governments and mass gatherings but also want there to be no panic and for everyone to carry on like normal. THE TWO DO NOT GO HAND IN HAND! The best thing people can do is to keep up good self-hygiene (washing your hands regularly, showering everyday, etc.), stop panic buying toilet paper and hand wash and help those who this disease might harm (doing their shopping, walking their pets and just generally helping with day to day stuff). Over thinking this is what will bring us down, not the virus itself. If everyone starts staying indoors for two weeks and not attending gatherings or events, economies are gonna drop, people who are self employed, like myself, are gonna be screwed and we're all gonna start living like we're back in the cold war and no one can be trusted; but instead of being a Russian spy this time they'll have just got back from holiday.

[Pentium100 2,057]

9 minutes ago, Angel_Dust said:

In fact, its overall fatality rate is only 2%.

 

10 minutes ago, Buzz said:

only 2% mortality rate

Yes, it does not look that high at first (though a lot higher than the flu which has ~0.1%), but the rate goes up a lot with age of the patient to something like 14% for 80+. Add the fact that you can be spreading the virus while having no or only mild cold-like symptoms and there is a big problem.

Incubation period for the flu is only a few days and after that the person usually stays at home in bed and is not traveling. 

 

[Here No Longer 5,270]

1 minute ago, Pentium100 said:

 

the rate goes up a lot with age of the patient to something like 14% for 80+.

 

 

That's the case with pretty much every infectious disease there is, because the elderly will naturally have weaker immune systems and other conditions on top of it... That doesn't make COVID-19 in any way more serious than anything else. In fact, that's still quite a ways lower than SARs' overall mortality rate is.

4 minutes ago, Pentium100 said:

 Add the fact that you can be spreading the virus while having no or only mild cold-like symptoms and there is a big problem.

 

 

Yet again, this is also the case with other viruses. Many of them will manifest originally with minor symptoms that won't really be looked at further. Heck, the Ebola virus initially comes on with only minor flu-like symptoms and it has a net fatality rate over 20 times higher.

[Luna the Great of all the Russias 2,705]

The most concern I have about this is its potential to negatively affect the economy rather than whether I will die from it. Even then, I have not lost sleep because of it.

[Cash In 21,517]

It's a thing. I'm not particularly worried about it, seeing as it's mostly only fatal to the elderly, but it's still definitely something to be aware about. I'd advice the people who are legitimately at risk to be cautious.

[Xoomy228 418]

I am concerned, more about the stress it will put on the economy than getting the actual illness itself. Considering I basically have zero ways to build up resilience now. I try not to worry.
If I was worrying, nothing would change.

[Prospekt 10,984]

I'm freaking out a bit, not because of the virus itself, but because of a lack of transparency from my university regarding the inevitable switch to online-only courses for the rest of the semester. Colleges all over the US are already doing it and speculation is rampant that it'll happen here too because now there's a confirmed case maybe half an hour's drive away. But I can't stop thinking about what happens with, like, my university-owned apartment, class registration for the summer and fall, stuff like that. They've posted a "pandemic response plan" online... but it's vague and only concerns what different departments on campus are responsible for in the event of things like quarantine and isolation rather than how students, faculty, and staff would be impacted if they close the campus. The plan seems to imply that campus closure would only occur if there is a confirmed case in the university community, but there are schools with no cases at all that are closing. Everyone is confused at this point.

[TBD 17,228]

Sick and tired of it. Not the virus, the people mainly.

[The Kaeya Simp 13,968]

I don't see it as a threat, infact you're better off (if you aren't already ill or elderly) catching coronavirus, as your body would be able to fight it off,
getting infected is god's vaccine

[zerox 1,050]

I was to a big shopping centre just today. Lots less people in the supermarket than usually. McDonald's was mostly full.

[Cagey 4,207]

I’m getting annoyed. Huge events planned years in advance might get cancelled, and workplaces are starting to shut down. Everything’s going to take a massive toll on my finances. And I also have elderly family to worry about. 

[Pentium100 2,057]

The government of my country decided - mass events are canceled for 2 weeks and schools are suspended for that time as well (the way it was said is that these 2 weeks will be a vacation for the students and time for schools to prepare for remote classes). If the parents cannot work from home, one of them will be given a doctor's note for that time. 

Better be too ready than not ready enough and become Italy v2.

And interesting fact - normally when a company wants to manufacture a new medical product, like, say, hand sanitizers, it has to apply for a permit from the government and wait a month or more to get it. Due to the shortages, multiple companies got those permits in a week.

[Splashee 28,537]

It is getting pretty bad. I don't expect things to get better, only worse.

 

To stay on everyone's side. I agree with the people that say we shouldn't worry (when there is nothing to be worried about).

 

I also agree with everyone that is currently worried, like myself. There has been one death just close to where I live. It is just one death though, and it was only yesterday!

 

If Tom Hanks dies because of corona, I still think we should count that as only "one death". Just because he is a famous actor shouldn't mean we must take things seriously (because he is famous).

 

Stay safe everypony!

[Kamii 594]

In my case, the disease itself doesn't worry me. If I happen to catch it, given I'm not old, imunity deficient or have other underlying health problems that could put me at risk, it's quite impossible for it to kill me. But I'm being careful like everyone should be since I don't want to spread it to others who could potentially die from it, such as my grandmother who lives with me.

My country is starting to panic (Portugal). Yesterday, I went to buy some things we needed for our home and there was no regular milk left, only the most expensive kind, for example. I've heard of someone who spent over 700 euros on supplies because of their fear over this virus. Schools and universities have closed (not all just yet, mine is open for instance), museums, libraries and galleries belonging to the government are closing left and right. Even then, just yesterday, when the virus became a pandemic officially, thousands of people (mostly students) decided to go to the beach. You can see how my society either panics too much or doesn't give a single f (which is slightly pissing me off).

In my opinion, this is worrysome. We should be aware of what is going on around us, how to prevent ourselves from getting it and pay more attention to our own bodies. I believe it will, eventually, calm down, like how it has in China. We should follow what the governments of our countries advise and look out for others. But we should not panic. We had, just 10-11 years ago, the swine flu that killed about half a million people and we didn't get this worked up about it.

In any case, stay safe, everyone. I wish you all the best, know that everything will eventually work out as long as we all do our part to contain this.

[ShadOBabe 18,984]

I might be being laissez faire, but I’m just really not concerned. I mean, getting worked up will do literally nothing to help me.

I’ll do what I always do: wash my hands, stay away from sick people, don’t touch my face, and just live my life. As a healthy young adult, it’s very unlikely I’ll die if I DO catch it, and if I do die, OH WELL. It was gonna happen one way or another.

[Cagey 4,207]

Our emergency meeting to discuss it is today. It’s likely we’ll have to cancel the expensive event we have planned. I’m going from frustrated to furious, even though it'll probably be necessary. 

[CypherHoof 26,479]

Noting all the hotel and transport companies refusing refunds when events are cancelled though. Just hope it comes back to bite them when we get past all this and people are deciding where to book for next year's events.

[Bastian 13,319]

Meh. With hygiene I'll be fine.

[ExplosionMare 18,007]

I feel like we’ll all have to stay in our houses forever and do nothing if people keep cancelling school and work (I’m not actually sure if workplaces are being cancelled but they might be).

Like people have been saying, if you continue to stay healthy you should be fine. (And please don’t mega-stock on toilet paper(

[Prince Doopliss 2,350]

 

I honetsy not that worry about it. Really not happy about some how people are reacting about. Yes it is scary, but really is it worth all this panic? My state don't any cases as far as I'm concerned. 

Though it doesn't prevent this from resuming on March 31. Though same goes for other events in my area. I understand why, but it really isn't worth the panic we are getting? I mean at least it is until the end of March. Still people should stay safe, there just no way to make this as bad or worst than things like Y2K, 2009 Flu Pandemic, and 2012. Okay the Flu Pandemic with the Swine and Bird, but that was two flus and not one. Heck people are making it out worse than Ebola and I can't say it is worse IMHO.

[Flutterstep 46,328]

Meh, it’s not like it’s the Spanish Flu or something.