How can a disease with 1% mortality shut down the United States?

Re:How can a disease with 1% mortality shut down the United ... by Eric_WVGG on Monday July 13, 2020 @07:57PM (#23827066)

I find it useful and illuminating to just come up with some common large spaces and make a few estimates…

- remember the last time you were at the movies? Three people dropped dead during your screening of Avengers.

- two people dying per subway car on your morning rush hour commute into the city

- seven of the kids in your child’s high school graduating class die. he probably knew at least a couple by name.

… but the points this author makes about problems the survivors face even more striking, so, yeah.

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Re:How can a disease with 1% mortality shut down the United ... by revicon on Monday July 13, 2020 @09:04PM (#23827471)

I don't think your death rate analogies match the data. Here's the current day by day COVID death rates going back to Feb 1st.

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid19/index.htm

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Re:How can a disease with 1% mortality shut down the United ... by Eric_WVGG on Wednesday July 15, 2020 @12:10AM (#23841233)

I was trying to make the point is that “1%” doesn’t sound like a lot, but is actually a huge number when you’re dealing with a commodity as supposedly important as human lives.

There are certainly all kinds of nuances and unknowns to the survival (and partially-survived) rates. Those idiots sayin “only 1% of blah blah” are the ones I take issue with.

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Re:How can a disease with 1% mortality shut down the United ... by Consultant32452 on Monday July 13, 2020 @08:17PM (#23827204)

Only about 1% of the people dying from covid are under 35. That's the big monkey wrench. If it was kids dying, I think the perception would be very different. There's other factors even more difficult to discuss than age.

The state is powerless to shape policy in a way that adequately fits the risk due to Western culture's focus on individual rights. It's up to us to shape our behavior. Are we adult enough to have that kind of conversation? I am doubtful.

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Re:How can a disease with 1% mortality shut down the United ... by stnmtn on Tuesday July 14, 2020 @04:03PM (#23837065)

Maybe this isn't an extremely mature question and is kind of a "gotcha!" question, but which one of your older relatives would you be willing to sacrifice for this?

Because if this is what we are talking about, then that question has to be thought of. It's might be easier when it's just "old people", but not when it actually affects your life

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Re:How can a disease with 1% mortality shut down the United ... by Consultant32452 on Tuesday July 14, 2020 @10:58PM (#23840724)

I explicitly supported protecting the high risk populations when I said it's up to us to shape our behaviors.

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Re:How can a disease with 1% mortality shut down the United ... by zwendkos on Tuesday July 14, 2020 @02:11AM (#23829051)

Spot on.

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Re:How can a disease with 1% mortality shut down the United ... by FabHK on Monday July 13, 2020 @08:10PM (#23827155)

Another comparison I like to make - it's in the same ballpark as going on a Space Shuttle mission (2/135 = 1.5% crashed). Would you want to send your loved ones on a Space Shuttle ride (minus the yay, going to space thing)?

And that's not accounting for the massive side effects, or the fact that the fatality risk is much higher for vulnerable populations.

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Re:How can a disease with 1% mortality shut down the United ... by saurik on Monday July 13, 2020 @08:18PM (#23827209)

FWIW, massive side effects and increased fatality risks for vulnerable populations are also true of going on a Space Shuttle mission :(.

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