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

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

#41
post #37
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I can imagine it, and I'm more afraid of the economic impact than the virus.

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

#42
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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. H…

Actually, Trump calling it "Chinese Virus" seems to track exactly with the CCP planting those silly stories about the virus being created by the U.S. military. Now that they seem to be toning that rhetoric down, he has also stopped calling it "Chinese Virus."

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

#43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 t…

Trump says China virus, not "China Flu". This is not an influenza strain.

> say Trump's insistence on "China Flu" is anything but an attempt to generate an adversary

Trump is just calling it what everyone called it before WHO decided to call it COVID 19 or nCov-SARS2, or whatever the virus is called according to them. The rest of the media was using Wuhan coronavirus or Chinese coronavirus since December.

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

#44
post #39
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

“This” is looking more and more like a virus which is extremely contagious but about as deadly as a bad cold. The author of the Imperial College study which led to shutdowns in the UK and US recently revised his estimates and is now saying that the R0 value (a measure of contagiousness) is higher than previously thought, “just over three” is the latest. This would mean that lots of people have already been infected, and it’s not nearly as deadly as everyone thinks.

The flip side is that we’d have a very hard time eradicating it, and if humans can’t acquire permanent immunity it will be around basically forever, like most other cold viruses.

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

#45
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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. H…

I think he calls it that to take a jab at the CCP, and possibly left/media for fun.

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

#46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Tell that to World War I

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

#47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 t…

Trump says China virus, not "China Flu". This is not an influenza strain. > say Trump's insistence on "China Flu" is anything but an attempt to generate an adversary Trump is just calling it what everyone called it before WHO decided to call it COVID 19 or nCov-SARS2, or whatever the virus is called according to them. The rest of the media was using Wuhan coronavirus or Chinese coronavirus since December.

Sorry, China virus. So you're telling me instead that the president can't keep up with the modern word choice? Clearly the world and its leaders have moved on from that, but the US is willing to hold diplomatic relations up in an attempt to re-frame the conversation.

https://www.axios.com/wuhan-virus-pompeo-g7-statement-corona...

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

#49
post #12
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, we are currently running a global experiment to find out whether it is better for the economy to be negligent or have a robust public heath response during a pandemic. We'll know soon.

Different economies have different amount of money to loose. You can't compare apples to oranges. In China, which has way more to loose from the real economy going down, nobody is running to sell their business now. A factory during a crisis, is still a factory. Now look how many people have cashed out in USA already, despite US economy being much more virtual, and service based, and supposedly more resilient. We are…

It's not clear to me why a 'service-based' economy should be expected to weather a pandemic better than a 'factory-based' economy. In the plants I've worked in, you could clock in, do your work, then go home without ever talking to anybody. The work was not particularly incompatible with social/physical distancing. On the other hand, face-to-face human interaction is central to much of the 'service-economy.'

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

#50
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.

> "There is evidence that this was what happened due to pandemics traditionally being named after where they originated."

Related aside, 'Ebola' might have been 'Yambuku' instead, named for the village where the disease was first noticed, but Peter Piot decided to name it after the nearby Ebola River instead, to avoid damning the small village's name.

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