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How are you handling anxiety in this time of COVID-19?
Depression & Anxiety | Last Active: May 26, 2020 | Replies (190)Comment receiving replies
There's so much misinformation, there's so much I could tell, with links to epidemologists, one of note from Stanford University, people that specialize in the transmission of disease, but I think it wouldn't be permitted here. Things are not as bad as they claim, the media is exaggerating the impact, but emphatically I am not saying that older people (such as myself), especially older people with various health issues (such as myself), need not be careful. Although I agree, this is worse than the flu, the flu causes a tremendous loss of life on it's own. And a vaccine, according to the epidemiologist I've listened to, may be over a year away. He said they can do more harm with vaccines if not properly designed and tested, then having no vaccine at all. He supports vaccines, but he said they must be careful in its design. But he stressed his findings in California, many more people have been infected than previously realized, and especially younger people may experience the virus without symptoms, or with mild symptoms. And this decreases the death rate, as they were calculating it early as known positives vs death rate, which is improper, you must calculate the total infected vs the death rate.
The HHS encouraged doctors to report fatalities as covid even without proof. The epidemologists I've listened to said there is a difference between deaths with covid and deaths from covid, he said the mere presence of the virus does not mean it was the one that caused the death. So the numbers are likely inflated. But be careful, I'm not suggesting this is a hoax, but I don't believe it's as bad as being constantly reported.
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@soliloquized Just so you know, you are welcome to post links to other sites, provided they are based in sound science and not just from social media or conspiracy theory sites, even if they may not agree with everything you read here.
I also read the article to which you are referring, which was written over a month ago. I agree there is much we do not know about Covid-19. But here are some things we DO know which differentiate if from seasonal influenza, many of which are just now becoming clear:
There is no immunity, meaning everyone who comes into contact with the virus can get it, and therefore pass it on, whether they themselves feel ill or not. This is especially perilous to vulnerable populations, who often have other challenges that prevent them from keeping THEMSELVES safe - such as congregate living, homelessness, repeated exposure to caregivers who may also be in contact with people who are ill...
It is up to 2.5 times more contagious than influenza - meaning it spreads exponentially - very obvious in populations like packing plants, where people work side-by-side, large groups of workers suddenly become ill, and spread the virus widely in the community.
There is emerging evidence that this virus is able to attack circulatory system, lungs, kidneys and other organs in such a way that is causes serious, possibly permanent damage, even in young and apparently healthy people.
My daughter works in a metropolitan emergency department where large numbers of people are being treated for Covid-19 complications, and she reports the opposite regarding death rate - they must over-justify counting a death as related to the virus in the absence of a positive test, and at the same time are not allowed to administer the test to those who have "obvious" Covid-19 symptoms because there is still a shortage of testing capacity.
Finally, once there is widespread availability and use of antibody screening tests, I also believe the death rate will decline.
But there is NO WAY this is like seasonal flu - we have seen, at a minimum, 40,000 deaths in less than 2 months, which represents at least 250,000 deaths in one year, or 3 to 10 times as many as influenza.
I would refer you to https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/category/covid-19/ for up-to-date information about the virus, the latest research, and what each of us can do to remain safe.
Sue