CORONAVIRUS - A WEEK LATER

I want to preface this by explaining that everything I share here is based on detailed research where I have done a proper source analysis to test for accuracy and a lack of bias. None of the opinions I share are my own. I am only passing on opinions of reputable experts in this field. All facts I share will indeed be facts, proven and backed by evidence.

CV19 IS NOT THE BIGGEST DANGER, IT'S THE IGNORANCE WHICH COMES WITH IT

Each day, as I try to educate about CV19 and spread awareness, I am flabbergasted at some of the comments I read from people who are uninformed and simply sharing opinions, the type of opinions which will ultimately cost lives. The 2 most common are, "It's just a slightly stronger flu" or "Regular flu kills far more people". These opinions are not only grotesquely wrong, but downright dangerous to those saying them and those reading them. It's not just a slightly stronger flu. It is far more deadly. Trying to measure the exact mortality rate is difficult at this stage, but we do know that it is 15x or more deadlier than regular flu. When global infections reached 100k, about 3,400 people had died. On those flat figures alone, the mortality rate is 3.4%. Regular flu is 0.1%, If we accept the flat figures as accurate, simple maths tells us CV19 is 34 times more deadly. Of course that figure will reduce once we learn exactly how many people are actually infected. As for regular flu killing more people, the people who said that (irresponsible politicians) did so for political reasons or to calm the panic in the wake of a financial shitstorm. You cannot compare flu deaths in a year to what has happened so far with CV19 ,which is only in its infancy. Left unchecked, we know from the figures above that it will kill at least 15x more people, but more likely, far far higher. If you want to compare how many flu kills vs CV19 in a year then you have to wait for a year of CV19 doing its killing.

IT IS ONLY DANGEROUS TO THE ELDERLY This is not true. CV19 will kill indiscriminately. What is true is that it is far more of a risked for the aged population. It is also far more of a risk for people with underlying medical conditions. These include heart disease, respiratory issue like asthma or COPD, diabetes, and the big risk to western populations, obesity. People in their 30s have died already in Italy. Younger people are needing assisted breathing to survive and recover. This can mean 3-6 weeks on a ventilator. We only have so many hospital beds. We only have so many doctors. We only have so many ventilators. In Italy they currently have over 10k cases and a total of 3,000 ventilators. They are already having to just let some people die. At the moment, the young and healthy are given preference for treatment. However, just crunch the numbers. Italy has a population of 60m. What happens when CV19 spreads as far as the regular flu (and we know it will go further) ? How many young people are going to need help but simply won't get it because they/we do not have the resources? IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT, YOUR OPINION WILL KILL PEOPLE. We live in an age where people simply want to be heard. They want to be recognised. They want to take part. They want validation. These people believe their opinions are just as important as facts. They will get angry if you try and correct them. They believe their right to be wrong is more important than anything else. These people will get themselves or others killed. When you start sharing opinions like those talked about above, you make others complacent. Complacency leads to more people getting infected. More infections means more deaths. I urge you to only share good information. Only facts. If you do not know what you are talking about, then listen. A wise man will look in the mirror and see an idiot. An idiot will look in the mirror and see a wise man. WHAT CAN WE DO? There is no need to panic. That's step one. Step two is to follow the protocols given to us by medical professionals. I can assure you that disease experts working in the field for 40 years know far more about pandemics than Bob from Instagram. If we follow these protocols with diligence in the early stages, that is our best chance to stop it getting out of hand. Do the right things so the shit doesn't hit the fan. Wash your hands regularly. Self isolate if you are not feeling well. Practise social distancing. The sooner we get on top of this, the sooner the NBA can return and we can start having live esports again. Every lack of diligence and every act of complacency only adds to the wait. Educate those around you if you know the facts. You just might save a family member's life. There are so many people out there who will not take this seriously or simply not know, and endanger the rest of us. We need to minimise this number. Our goal is to flatten out the curve.

The image above is very easy to understand. The yellow dotted line represents the point at which our healthcare systems can cope with the number of infections. There isn't a specific number listed as each country has the yellow line at a different level. The red section represents the number of infections in we do nothing. Left alone, the coronavirus will spread very, very quickly. It doubles every 4 days in a semi controlled environment, It is currently just over 2k in the US. Lets go a month into the future. 4k - 8k - 16k - 32k - 64k - 128k - 256k - 512k So in 32 days we are looking at half a million people, and it keeps doubling. Left unchecked or moderately controlled, it will quickly climb above the yellow line, as it has done in Italy, and hospitals will be in trouble. Remember, this is just the start of it. Italy has a population of 60 million. If we are diligent from RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND, we can flatten the curve and keep it under the yellow line. If we do that then our hospitals will be able to cope with the number of patients. This chart below shows the difference between countries who responded immediately and those who didn't.

Now is not the time for panic. Now is not the time for partisan politics. Trump finally woke up and everybody else is pretty woke now too. Put aside your hate. Put aside your politics. Put aside your xenophobia. Now IS the time to work together to defeat this.