the title should really be "other INFECTIOUS diseases"
Reduced air pollution reduces non-infectious disease too.
Social distancing slowing not only Covid-19, but other diseases too
31–40 of 234 posts
Re: Social distancing slowing not only Covid-19, but other diseases too
#32I was hoping for this, lets do social distancing a tradition for every winter
Do you really think we're going to come out of this period causing people to lose their jobs, lose their savings, lose their loved ones, not see their friends, stop going to sports and social events… and everyone's going to be like "Hey, that was fun, let's do it again next year"?
Maybe a brief version, like a Passover commemorating COVID-19 instead. Passover isn't exactly a fun party kind of holiday.
Re: Social distancing slowing not only Covid-19, but other diseases too
#33The lockdown of non-essential businesses has essentially reduced traffic accidents here to zero when usually there'd be a over a hundred deaths and few thousand injuries per week. By comparison there's only been 20 deaths from covid-19 over the space of 3 months, nearly all of them elderly people with pre-existing conditions. Yet people are emotional creatures and not all deaths are equal.
Traffic accidents also aren't contagious
Allot of people do get them from someone else,
but your point still holds as they tend to fall off
not grow beyond first contacts.
Re: Social distancing slowing not only Covid-19, but other diseases too
#34I was hoping for this, lets do social distancing a tradition for every winter
Do you really think we're going to come out of this period causing people to lose their jobs, lose their savings, lose their loved ones, not see their friends, stop going to sports and social events… and everyone's going to be like "Hey, that was fun, let's do it again next year"?
Some countries have week-long holidays where most people go home/travel/don't work. Their economies aren't dead.
Make it a tradition where everyone with non-essential work stays home at least one week a year, all at the same time. More time is better, but even a little bit would likely cut back on disease. Governments already define Christmas/New Years/etc as a holidays and huge numbers of people aren't working on those days and economies don't die. It wouldn't be hard for companies to promote "Pre-Stay Home Week Extravaganza" sales and make people actually look forward to staying home, eating and watching movies/playing games/whatever.
Re: Social distancing slowing not only Covid-19, but other diseases too
#35I was hoping for this, lets do social distancing a tradition for every winter
Do you really think we're going to come out of this period causing people to lose their jobs, lose their savings, lose their loved ones, not see their friends, stop going to sports and social events… and everyone's going to be like "Hey, that was fun, let's do it again next year"?
Maybe if they get enough cash transfers.
Re: Social distancing slowing not only Covid-19, but other diseases too
#36Just imagine how many fewer people would fall ill each year with the flu if we didn’t shake hands as our default greeting?
Handshaking came about because kissing on the cheek was what transmitted plagues in the past...
Re: Social distancing slowing not only Covid-19, but other diseases too
#37There could be some selection bias here. It's based on thermometer readings from Kinsa. And the articles states: Kinsa is receiving two to three times more thermometer readings per day than in previous flu seasons Many more people may be taking thermometer reading that don't really need to, but are being cautious. That would cause the appearance of a proportional drop in high temp readings compared to prior years whe…
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Re: Social distancing slowing not only Covid-19, but other diseases too
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
I really hope this helps kill the concept of handshaking entirely. Unfortunately, there's still a large segment of dirty-handed people who think you can judge a person based on their handshake.
There's a lot of hidden value in physical contact. I don't think it should be disregarded so easily considering society as a whole became much more distant in recent years.
Potentially. But I find there to be zero value in touching the hands of someone I only just learned the name of. Especially considering I don't even know whether they're the type to cough in their hands, or the type to not wash after using the toilet.
Bro hug with a friend I haven't seen in a while? Okay. Sweaty hand contact with a stranger? Never.
Re: Social distancing slowing not only Covid-19, but other diseases too
#39Just imagine how many fewer people would fall ill each year with the flu if we didn’t shake hands as our default greeting?
I’d be curious to see any research like that.
Re: Social distancing slowing not only Covid-19, but other diseases too
#40Earlier quoted context omitted.
There's a lot of hidden value in physical contact. I don't think it should be disregarded so easily considering society as a whole became much more distant in recent years.
Potentially. But I find there to be zero value in touching the hands of someone I only just learned the name of. Especially considering I don't even know whether they're the type to cough in their hands, or the type to not wash after using the toilet. Bro hug with a friend I haven't seen in a while? Okay. Sweaty hand contact with a stranger? Never.
The danger is higher - that's exactly why we do it. It's an easy way to create intimacy with a stranger quickly. There's a reason politicians shake hands and kiss babies.