KevinC
1572
Then there’s people who do but for some reason to refuse to see it. I work in analytics and charting software, we deal with with that sort of thing on a daily basis. Yet just yesterday I was hearing about how we’re so overreacting because there’s only 880 cases in Utah, so what’s the big deal? Meanwhile, about 2 weeks ago we had six when they started closing restaurants, churches, any sort of gathering. And even with those measures we went from 6 to 880 in the span of two weeks.
I know that intellectually they know exactly how exponential growth works and what it looks like, but there’s an insistence on just looking at the current number and complain that we’re overreacting to a ridiculous degree. Same with stuff like “Well the mortality rate might be as low as 1-2%” or “most people get mild symptoms”. These guys work with some pretty complex math at times so I know they can figure out basic percentages to see what the death count would look like if everyone gets infected, especially all at once.
It’s very similar to the data analytics guy I work with who refuses to believe in the human effect on climate change. I know he knows better, he just chooses not to acknowledge it because it conflicts with his worldview. Denial, I guess?
Menzo
1573
All those senior communities in Ft. Lauderdale and other Florida cities are going to get decimated. My brother-in-law’s parents live somewhere in Florida now and they say nothing is closed, people still out and about.
Got a call today from a trucking company, they need drivers and they wanted to know if I would be interested in picking up a few loads if/when their driver pool gets thin due to Wuhan flu. I said, sure, I’m game but what about orientation and training. Surprised me when I was told they would still do that but it would be a 2-day process of tests and checkout rides. Things must be getting desperate if they are streamlining the hiring process.
Please do not call it this. It’s offensive. The disease is COVID-19.
Cormac
1577
Perhaps he was just quoting the guy from the trucking company?
Good point. Neal, if that’s the case, I apologize for my over-zealous tone.
Clay
1579
Miserable prick killed a lot of people with his delay.
He called it the Wuhan flu without meaning any offence. Like many epidemics, often they are labeled with the region where they appeared to originate. We all know that. Ebola, Asian flu, London flu, Hong Kong flu. How is “Wuhan flu” offensive? It’s a flu that started in Wuhan.
CraigM
1582
Mainly because of the reason it came about. Leaders whose intent was to deflect, deny, or blame China for the disease in the US.
And the push is linked to violence against people of asian descent, stories of people who are, or simply are confused as, Chinese for this disease are sadly not hard to find.
Edit: to be clear I am not implying malign intent to the person who said it to you.
Clay
1583
There’s that, though @Neal_Stevens has a point about all of the other viruses named after places (including Marburg Virus, Sydney Norovirus, etc).
One other good reason is that it has an official name from the WHO:
also…
https://www.who.int/topics/infectious_diseases/naming-new-diseases/en/
CraigM
1584
Oh sure! Historically this has been the case. There are good reasons why this is not ideal, from a public health perspective, why going forward this is not the way to go.
That it had a formal name, and people chose another name, is indicative of the less than savory origins. That the US representatives to the WHO (or was it UN) blocked a resolution due to the naming, insisting on calling it Wuhan Virus instead of official designation, shows that racism and blaming China are the reasons.
Craig has the right of it. It’s the connotations rather than the denotation that are the problem.
Toronto is looking terrifying and on a NYC trajectory. We’re already on lockdown, although there are a lot of people still out downtown (lots of legitimate reasons for grocery/drug/variety stores, as well as hospitals). Police are pulling people over to check if they have essential business reasons; police infections are spreading too; announcement today that everything will be shut until at least the end of June.
I’m starting to get seriously worried about food supplies in densely populated areas, as assurances that they won’t be affected coming from the “masks don’t help” authorities aren’t very meaningful (not worried about production capabilities, but am worried about supply chain deliveries and accessibility). Wish it had been easier to get a gun right now. Yikes.
Clay
1587
Narcissists always have to fine somebody to blame!
The Buck Stops WITH SOMEONE OTHER THAN ME, THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE.
Please keep the political bullshit in the politics forum. We are all in this together.
