Live data from Hacker News

Pandemics Depress the Economy, Public Health Interventions Do Not: 1918 Flu

papers.ssrn.com

31–40 of 60 posts

Re: Pandemics Depress the Economy, Public Health Interventions Do Not: 1918 Flu

#31
post #28
post #26

And now the academy desperately tries to save face, as the COVID-19 pandemic starts to wind down, and the consequences of all the panic caused by the academy start to play out. This year will be remembered as the end of modern academia.

Is it winding down? Most of the US seems to be at early days of exponential growth still. Only a handful of countries seem to have things under control and even those places still have restrictions in place. How are you concluding things are winding down?

It's my own prediction. Check back in a year, by which time SARS-CoV-2 will be just another endemic strain of coronavirus.

Re: Pandemics Depress the Economy, Public Health Interventions Do Not: 1918 Flu

#32
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You have to think about confounding factors when considering only one event. The effects of the 1918 flu are completely overshadowed by the end of WWI. Thus you can't really draw many conclusions.

You can't control for that effect?

There's no control group for a single event.

Re: Pandemics Depress the Economy, Public Health Interventions Do Not: 1918 Flu

#33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is this a problem?

Because it confuses people and ostracizes those who are not following along actively. It's like calling water dihydrogen monoxide. Not problematic, just not what it's called.

But languages evolve over time due to societal pressure. Words used a generation or two ago to describe some race are now largely gone, for good reason. When you see someone trying to weaponize a word - and it feels incredibly dishonest to say Trump's insistence on "China Flu" is anything but an attempt to generate an adversary, as he hasn't shown any sort of insistence on using the "right" word for anything before this - it only makes sense to try and react against it.

Re: Pandemics Depress the Economy, Public Health Interventions Do Not: 1918 Flu

#34
post #31
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it winding down? Most of the US seems to be at early days of exponential growth still. Only a handful of countries seem to have things under control and even those places still have restrictions in place. How are you concluding things are winding down?

It's my own prediction. Check back in a year, by which time SARS-CoV-2 will be just another endemic strain of coronavirus.

Let’s check back in a month... Hospitals in New York are just starting to run out of ventilators. Italy who is two weeks ahead of us, appears to have just hit their peak. But they still aren’t slowing down. Very strange prediction.

Re: Pandemics Depress the Economy, Public Health Interventions Do Not: 1918 Flu

#35
post #31
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it winding down? Most of the US seems to be at early days of exponential growth still. Only a handful of countries seem to have things under control and even those places still have restrictions in place. How are you concluding things are winding down?

It's my own prediction. Check back in a year, by which time SARS-CoV-2 will be just another endemic strain of coronavirus.

But prediction based on what data? I see these types of predictions and I’m trying to understand how they come about.

Re: Pandemics Depress the Economy, Public Health Interventions Do Not: 1918 Flu

#36
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn’t blame trump’s blatant racism on some people in the media

Calling it the Chinese Flu because it comes from China is only racist when you move the goal posts to redefine racism as such. There is evidence that this was what happened due to pandemics traditionally being named after where they originated. You can't move the goal posts without the media being on board with it.

What do you think Trump would be calling it if it originated in the US... the "US Flu" or "COVID-19"?

You know 100% why he is calling it the chinese flu. Don't try to be so naive that he is trying to "properly" name it, even though every other person on the planet calls it the scientific name. You know he calls it the chinese flu to distance himself AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE from any responsibility for the effects of it. He blames someone else 100% of the time no matter what. 3+ years into his presidency have you seen how much he blames the obama administration for trumps lack of initial response?

Re: Pandemics Depress the Economy, Public Health Interventions Do Not: 1918 Flu

#37
post #31
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it winding down? Most of the US seems to be at early days of exponential growth still. Only a handful of countries seem to have things under control and even those places still have restrictions in place. How are you concluding things are winding down?

It's my own prediction. Check back in a year, by which time SARS-CoV-2 will be just another endemic strain of coronavirus.

>It's my own prediction

Based on what. Your gut? Ok Trump.

Look at how fast it's continuing to the spread in the US even with all the drastic measures which have taken place in some areas. If you can't imagine what it would be like without these unprecedented closures then I'm not sure what else to say to you.

Re: Pandemics Depress the Economy, Public Health Interventions Do Not: 1918 Flu

#38

when did the spanish flu become the 1918 flu? was it in the past few days?

1918 Flu is a more accurate name and you seem to not have had any trouble with the meaning, so what's the problem?

"Atypical pneumonia associated with Legionella bacterial infection" is also a more accurate name than "Legionnaires' disease", but rewriting the historical nomenclature that way would be confusing and a bit obnoxious, especially if done to make some political point.

And no, using the name "Legionnaires' disease" isn't a slur on the American Legion.

Re: Pandemics Depress the Economy, Public Health Interventions Do Not: 1918 Flu

#39
post #31
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it winding down? Most of the US seems to be at early days of exponential growth still. Only a handful of countries seem to have things under control and even those places still have restrictions in place. How are you concluding things are winding down?

It's my own prediction. Check back in a year, by which time SARS-CoV-2 will be just another endemic strain of coronavirus.

What is your prediction based on? I really hope we're not still in this in a year. I work in soho in NYC and still have to go and handle stuff at the shop and the city is crazy right now.

Re: Pandemics Depress the Economy, Public Health Interventions Do Not: 1918 Flu

#40
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that it was being referred to as the Spanish Flu up until some people in the media took offense to Trump's coining of the phrase "Chinese Flu", so Spanish Flu needs to go if we're not wanting to look like hypocrites.

I don't see how striving for consistency by avoiding nation-shaming labels is a "problem". Trying to not be hypocritical is generally viewed as a good thing.

Revising terminology seems to run contrary to a strive for consistency.
Post reply on HN