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Seattle-Area Patient With Coronavirus Dies

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121–130 of 159 posts

Re: Seattle-Area Patient With Coronavirus Dies

#121
post #69
post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FWIW our family got hit with the same thing. The cough was... different than anything we’ve experienced in recent memory. I assumed it was the flu (we stayed home and didn’t get tested, but it was pretty brutal.)

I think it was also around December when me and a number of coworkers at the cafe I was working at got sick like this too. I don't know what they did, but I was out for a few days to recover and never went to see a doctor since I don't have any health insurance or provider. I recovered after about a week or so of rest. I no longer work there and am looking for a new job now, but these are tough times. I couldn't have…

This is certainly a situation that makes clearer the failings of our healthcare policy.

We might end up worse than China with so many not having access or being able to afford a doctor or hospital visit.

Re: Seattle-Area Patient With Coronavirus Dies

#122
post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh so we don't care about anyone over the age of 50 now? Almost no one reading this thread is going to be in the patient populations that are going to die. I'm here to say this is going to kill the people you love, who are elderly. Also, smoking looks like it exacerbates the problems but the worst factor is age and immunosuppression; 1-2% of the US is immunosuppressed at any time. I'm advocating that you take precaut…

HN has plenty of readers over 50. Age diversity, from high school students to people who post about their programming jobs in the 1960s, is one of the best things about HN. I get that you feel strongly about coronavirus and are trying to be helpful, but these comments are starting to become repetitive, so if you'd pull back a bit, we'd be grateful. Repetition is the enemy of curiosity, which this site exists for.

I understand, I appreciate your feedback :)

Re: Seattle-Area Patient With Coronavirus Dies

#123
post #36

Is it possible that the virus has been circulating in the states since Christmas or earlier? I live in the states, though not in Seattle. My wife's best friend teaches ESL at a major university. She has several Chinese students in her class who went home over the semester break in December and January. In mid-to-late January, the teacher, her husband, my wife, and I all came down with the "flu" in swift succession, w…

For point of reference, the clinic where my wife works has been testing for coronavirus since January 25. There are many private institutions with the ability to test patients as they saw fit. I know the protocol was more focused on travel but it seems like there would have been more reports since then.

With that said, my family has indeed suffered from the same kind of persistent cough you describe, so I don't know what to make of that.

Re: Seattle-Area Patient With Coronavirus Dies

#124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who doesn't have to do business travel very often, I enjoy the trips to go meet with long-lost colleagues. But at the same time, it's pretty clear at least to me that most of these things are a waste of company money and don't really move the ball forward much compared to typical electronic collaboration. Selfishly, I'd be sad if business travel suffered a large permanent reduction. But it would be better…

I have to ask—since you admit to causing environmental harm with your admittedly unessisary travels—how do you morally accept the damage your selfish actions are causing? I’m genially asking, and not trying to be judgmental.

The company I work for uses high quality carbon offsets to reach carbon neutrality for all business activities, including business travel by employees. Of course, this isn't scalable, so it doesn't really absolve me. But the travel I do is also not really optional. I just personally don't think it's necessary or helpful. Doesn't mean I don't have to do it when I'm called upon to do so.

The other thing I do is live a fairly carbon efficient lifestyle. I travel much less than other folks in my income bracket, and I live in the most carbon efficient city in the U.S. I take mass transit to work and don't own a car. There is of course more that I could do, but if I zero out my usage it will make precisely no difference to the outcome. So I also vote with my dollars and my actual votes for political candidates who will push in the right direction on this issue.

But more than anything, I think if I'm honest, I don't justify it. I just do it. These scales cannot be balanced -- the human mind cannot encompass actions whose harms are so incrementally minor and diffuse, but corporately so major and severe. Our social heuristic engine is not equipped to process it, and mine isn't an exception.

Re: Seattle-Area Patient With Coronavirus Dies

#125
post #102
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are we forbidden to even ask this?

this is one of the problems with research or any sort of policy. we all have different physical properties but we all have a human consciousness in common. So some people may have different constituative expression of particular properties such as a cellular receptor protien [eg ACE2] and this information could be used to predict the degree of deleterious effect a virus may have for any one person. with that being sa…

I’m afraid you’re responding to the wrong comment. I do not suspect a bioweapon and agree with your points. I was just angry that people assume racists intent when asking simple question as this.

Re: Seattle-Area Patient With Coronavirus Dies

#126
post #108

If you are under 60 years old, the lethality of Covid19 is only 2-3x that of the regular flu. Why are people spreading these types of news and commenting on them like it's the end of days? We may yet see a severe pandemic in our time but I don't see anything indicating this would be it, especially not since lethality goes down with spread. The biggest concern so far people should have regarding this virus is what it'…

Except, for people who are older or have health problems, who might also read HN you mean ?

I have chronic Bronchitis and Asthma and am on biological drugs witch lower my immune system.

Had pneumonia last year, wasn't fun.

Somehow my portfolio is not high on my list of concerns.

Re: Seattle-Area Patient With Coronavirus Dies

#127
post #108

If you are under 60 years old, the lethality of Covid19 is only 2-3x that of the regular flu. Why are people spreading these types of news and commenting on them like it's the end of days? We may yet see a severe pandemic in our time but I don't see anything indicating this would be it, especially not since lethality goes down with spread. The biggest concern so far people should have regarding this virus is what it'…

Except, for people who are older or have health problems, who might also read HN you mean ? I have chronic Bronchitis and Asthma and am on biological drugs witch lower my immune system. Had pneumonia last year, wasn't fun. Somehow my portfolio is not high on my list of concerns.

I sympathize with your health concerns, but all things considered it's not much more of a threat than (unfortunately) seasonal flue is every year. And your point is exactly what I'm saying, in terms of health profile you are an outlier, but the hysteria visible online makes a reader think that this pandemic is somehow going to wipe out a majority of humanity.

Re: Seattle-Area Patient With Coronavirus Dies

#128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are 86k confirmed cases globally. That’s 0.001% Why would you think most people will get it?

The number of cases per day outside of China is still growing exponentially: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-cases/... Until that changes it’s a fair assumption that a lot more people will get it

If you look at the log graph on that link it’s clear it won’t get 50000x more severe unless the course drastically changes.

Re: Seattle-Area Patient With Coronavirus Dies

#129
post #108

If you are under 60 years old, the lethality of Covid19 is only 2-3x that of the regular flu. Why are people spreading these types of news and commenting on them like it's the end of days? We may yet see a severe pandemic in our time but I don't see anything indicating this would be it, especially not since lethality goes down with spread. The biggest concern so far people should have regarding this virus is what it'…

many people have beloved family members who are older than 60. even if you are young, the symptomatic infection can be very severe and disabling for a week or two. it's also extremely contagious. > especially not since lethality goes down with spread there is no guarantee of this

How is any of this different from seasonal flu? It's also potentially lethal for the older population and can also knock you out for a week or two. I'm not disputing that flu viruses are bad, I'm just pointing out that the mass hysteria that seems to be brewing is not based in facts.

Re: Seattle-Area Patient With Coronavirus Dies

#130
post #36

Is it possible that the virus has been circulating in the states since Christmas or earlier? I live in the states, though not in Seattle. My wife's best friend teaches ESL at a major university. She has several Chinese students in her class who went home over the semester break in December and January. In mid-to-late January, the teacher, her husband, my wife, and I all came down with the "flu" in swift succession, w…

A ton of people at work were sick this December without contact with Chinese students. I would guess it wasn't covid-19 but whatever regular virus was making the rounds.
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