** COVID-19 POLL**: What do you think the status will be in six months (September 2020)?

[mickey2942]

I don't know what to think, but if COVID19 follows other pandemics, this is only the first wave. I expect another, more severe wave next fall, winter.

It seems like there are people who are taking this seriously, and others who are not. The ones who don't, endanger the rest of us.

 

[Victoria Chambers]

I have wondered about approval of the vaccine too. Normally it takes years to get a new medication through the FDA rigorous approval steps to get the much needed FDA seal of approval.

How in this world has this vaccine been pushed through so quickly? Agree it is much needed, however, there have been or are other drugs in testing that are needed also that must follow the strict regimen.
It just doesn’t add up in my view.

It could well be that during the SARS outbreak, scientists scrambled to create a vaccine that was successful during the testing trials on animals and in other stages. I'm not sure exactly how far they got with it when SARS diminished and vanished completely... and so the vaccine was shelved. But SARS seems to be very similar in more ways than 1 to CV-19, perhaps it is a 'one they made earlier' that they have turned to!! It does make one wonder, where do these viruses disappear to until they next break-out? X

 

[black_squirrel]

Not sure if deaths in the USA per coronavirus can be compared to those in Italy. Italy has a population of 60.48 Million people.

The United States has a population of 327 Million people.

Of course, multiply the Italy numbers by 5. If my estimate for Italy would be 18000 then you would get 90000 fatalities. If we are optimistic, it may be not quite as bad. That is how I got to my estimate 30000. But as I said, I could be off by a factor 10.

If this pandemic is as bad as the Spanish Flu epidemic, there might be 2 million deaths in the US (there were 675000 deaths back then but the population has increased by a factor 3 or so). I hope we have learned something since then and that health care has improved.

 

[black_squirrel]

Not sure if deaths in the USA per coronavirus can be compared to those in Italy. Italy has a population of 60.48 Million people.

The United States has a population of 327 Million people.

Of course, multiply the Italy numbers by 5. If my estimate for Italy would be 18000 then you would get 90000 fatalities. If we are optimistic, it may be not quite as bad. That is how I got to my estimate 30000. But as I said, I could be off by a factor 10.

If this pandemic is as bad as the Spanish Flu epidemic, there might be 2 million deaths in the US (there were 675000 deaths back then but the population has increased by a factor 3 or so). I hope we have learned something since then and that health care has improved.

 

[gitana1]

I wrote other. There will be massive numbers of deaths in the states. But I put “other” because I have faith that a vaccine will be developed including temporary ones that could provide protection for some of the most vulnerable pending a more permanent vaccine.

The science world is working insanely hard on this. And I read an option is temporary vaccines for those at high risk.

We shall see.

 

[Charlot123]

The media loves a disaster, even if they have to pump it up for ratings.

I live in WA. Tell what you posted to the people who lost their parents to the virus in that nursing home. Or four kids whose single mom died today.

 

[dkryder]

In Tucson AZ the officials are acting like not a big problem since 4 days ago they announced only 4 people with covid-19. Then last night jumped to 8. And they are not doing any large scale testing. They are waiting for sick people to come to the hospital and then they test. So unless they change the plan I'm thinking big problem here. They closed gyms, bars, and dine in and some stores really cut back on hours which jams more people into the stores. I have always shipped at 5am because there were usually less than a dozen people there. Now it's changed to 7am and it's like black Friday crowds. Just real bad way to handle the issue. Oh well, good luck to all. I voted number 1 cause of the way everything is unfolding in my town.

 

[Stunned]

Someone may want to talk to West Virginia on how they have not had a single COVID-19 case yet. Their doing something right.

They didn’t have any test kits. Now they have some and it’s there.

 

[Stunned]

I think we really don’t know the extent of this virus, because of the lack of tests.

 

[10ofRods]

When I got up this morning, the US was at 205 deaths. As I type this, we're at 235.

How many before it's "numerous"? Are we assuming we have to get above 3,000? I am sadly predicting that we'll get there. I think it will be higher than that. I think we'll be at 500 by mid next-week. Probably more.

Of course, people are dying of it without ever seeing a doctor or getting tested.

If we can keep this to 1000 known fatalities, I'll be very relieved and surprised. To me that's numerous.

 

[10ofRods]

They didn’t have any test kits. Now they have some and it’s there.

Exactly. And since older people die every day of pneumonia, we'll have to wait for annual or at least quarterly stats on CoD before we know whether there's a bump up.

W. Virginia may well have way more extensive viral infection, since it had no kits early on. We're still waiting for kits in my county, but we're not testing very many people when we get them (basically only people about to be brought into the actual hospital - there's now an exterior screening tent).

 

[Stunned]

Exactly. And since older people die every day of pneumonia, we'll have to wait for annual or at least quarterly stats on CoD before we know whether there's a bump up.

W. Virginia may well have way more extensive viral infection, since it had no kits early on. We're still waiting for kits in my county, but we're not testing very many people when we get them (basically only people about to be brought into the actual hospital - there's now an exterior screening tent).

And how sad is that!

 

[Lillymac]

Exactly. And since older people die every day of pneumonia, we'll have to wait for annual or at least quarterly stats on CoD before we know whether there's a bump up.

W. Virginia may well have way more extensive viral infection, since it had no kits early on. We're still waiting for kits in my county, but we're not testing very many people when we get them (basically only people about to be brought into the actual hospital - there's now an exterior screening tent).

Just a thought...can they be diagnosed by process of elimination? If they have the symptoms but they test negative for the known flu can they safely consider it the cov19. And treat for that? Just wondering.

 

[Stunned]

I’ll ask a question, that maybe has already been discussed.
Disclaimer: I have had the pneumonia shot and flue shot.
So have they had the time too Document who also had these shots who have become victims of this virus. AND NO, I AM NOT AN ANTI-VAXXER. AND I AM NOT IN THE CAMP OF EVERYONE GET YOUR SHOTS! Just would like to know!

 

[Amonet]

I’ll ask a question, that maybe has already been discussed.
Disclaimer: I have had the pneumonia shot and flue shot.
So have they had the time too Document who also had these shots who have become victims of this virus. AND NO, I AM NOT AN ANTI-VAXXER. AND I AM NOT IN THE CAMP OF EVERYONE GET YOUR SHOTS! Just would like to know!

I'm not really sure what your question is? There wouldn't be much correlation I don't think as this virus can cause pneumonia by itself. It could also make conditions ripe in the lungs for a bacterial pneumonia to set in as well, but once someone gets to that point they should be in hospital and probably given antibiotics in an attempt to avoid bacterial infection setting in as well as the Covid-19.

 

[Amonet]

I think the Covid-19 will likely become quite widespread, probably more infected than a yearly flu and unfortunately I think there could be more deaths than an average flu season. I have high hope that the measures being taken will reduce the number of deaths from the worst case scenarios....a 'do nothing' approach could have easily led to 6 million + deaths in the USA alone, so I don't think it will get that high. I'm not sure what the projected figures are for hospitalizations with the new measures being introduced, and hopefully that can keep deaths to no more than an average flu season...but let's not forget that this isn't instead of those flu deaths but on top of those flu deaths.

 

[Stunned]

I'm not really sure what your question is? There wouldn't be much correlation I don't think as this virus can cause pneumonia by itself. It could also make conditions ripe in the lungs for a bacterial pneumonia to set in as well, but once someone gets to that point they should be in hospital and probably given antibiotics in an attempt to avoid bacterial infection setting in as well as the Covid-19.

My question was, has anyone has the time or foresighted to document shots people over 50 are for getting the flu and pneumonia shot. I am in no way promoting those who didn’t are getting sick. Just wondering in the grand scheme of stuff.

 

[Amonet]

My question was, has anyone has the time or foresighted to document shots people over 50 are for getting the flu and pneumonia shot. I am in no way promoting those who didn’t are getting sick. Just wondering in the grand scheme of stuff.

I don't think the flu shot would give any advantage other than if you haven't had flu in the past few months I guess the body would be stronger to fight this off if it hasn't just had to fight off something else that can leave someone quite run down for two or three weeks?

Probably the same for pneumonia shots, and I also wonder if they might cut down on co-infections as there seem to be concerns that the damage (pneumonia) caused by the Covid-19 could make a secondary bacterial infection of the lungs more likely, so many hospitals seem to be treating incoming Covid-19 pneumonia patients with broad spectrum antibiotics to try and reduce the likelihood of getting a secondary bacterial infection alongside the viral pneumonia.

 

[Charlot123]

I’ll ask a question, that maybe has already been discussed.
Disclaimer: I have had the pneumonia shot and flue shot.
So have they had the time too Document who also had these shots who have become victims of this virus. AND NO, I AM NOT AN ANTI-VAXXER. AND I AM NOT IN THE CAMP OF EVERYONE GET YOUR SHOTS! Just would like to know!

I think we'll see that this year, flu shots were especially ineffective. I remember discussing it with someone in January - that the shot was probably against type A influenza, and I probably got type B. Because I had something exceptionally mild with high fever for one day in January, and then some "crud" in late January, again. One of them could have been coronavirus.

About vaccinations. I am an active pro-vaxxer. But sometimes even vaccines don't help. I remember being vaccinated against pertussis as a kid, but got it as an adult from an unvaccinated person. (Either vaccines don't work forever, or the bacteria mutated). Anyhow, the cough I had in late January felt not unlike pertussis. Very strange, dry and unstoppable. This is why I wonder if we had Coronavirus around for a longer time, just didn't know it.

 

[Charlot123]

By the way, since there are no masks and some of our hospitals are asking people who can see make masks, they are even providing the materials, I wonder if it makes sense in states that haven't yet been hit, make masks in anticipation, too? I have a sewing machine but sadly, don't sew. I ordered some masks to donate but they will come in April.