Coronavirus, Covid 19 Discussion and How It Has Affected Your Daily Life Chat Thread

[Folly's place]

Yes, historic, and paying attention to history seems lost on many folks today.
Mary

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Speaking of the truth. For this Covid thread, I want to interject some numbers.
We've had pandemics throughout human history and as humans spread around the planet, infectious diseases have been our constant companion. Some have been more virulent, pervasive and deadly than others. However, in recent years, say the last 50, global communication and advances in healthcare have made most less deadly and more short lived.
Rapid response to ebola, MERS and SARS helped to control them.

This one is pretty deadly. The difference is the response to it.
There have been about 20 major deadly pandemics since 1 AD.
Now the global death total is over 600k. That death toll has surpassed the SARS, MERS, ebola, yellow fever and swine flu. Yesterday, it surpassed the 18th century great plagues.
By the end of this year it will leapfrog over the total death count from the Japanese smallpox epidemic of 735 AD, the cholera outbreak from 1817-1923, the Hong Kong flu of 1968-1970, the Russian flu of 1889 and the Asian flu of 1957. Those all killed approximately 1 million people worldwide, At this rate, we'll be there before the end of the year.
The next milestone would be the 17th century great plagues that killed 3 million.

 

[Molpet]

Speaking of the truth. For this Covid thread, I want to interject some numbers.
We've had pandemics throughout human history and as humans spread around the planet, infectious diseases have been our constant companion. Some have been more virulent, pervasive and deadly than others. However, in recent years, say the last 50, global communication and advances in healthcare have made most less deadly and more short lived.
Rapid response to ebola, MERS and SARS helped to control them.

This one is pretty deadly. The difference is the response to it.
There have been about 20 major deadly pandemics since 1 AD.
Now the global death total is over 600k. That death toll has surpassed the SARS, MERS, ebola, yellow fever and swine flu. Yesterday, it surpassed the 18th century great plagues.
By the end of this year it will leapfrog over the total death count from the Japanese smallpox epidemic of 735 AD, the cholera outbreak from 1817-1923, the Hong Kong flu of 1968-1970, the Russian flu of 1889 and the Asian flu of 1957. Those all killed approximately 1 million people worldwide, At this rate, we'll be there before the end of the year.
The next milestone would be the 17th century great plagues that killed 3 million.

Need% . Population has increased considerably.

But I believe this is a major pandemic

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I want to add another fact. Testing doesn't cause cases. Testing identifies those infected so their activities and contacts can be traced.

 

[Folly's place]

Total numbers of the dead are awful in any of these episodes, and you left out the probable death numbers of native Americans after the European invasion that's produced America as we know it today.
Disease severity is more about the % of deaths in the population, and for that, as I recall, the plague was top of the list, and maybe the native American losses to multiple European diseases that were new here then.
Not a lovely topic at any time, and certainly not now.
Mary

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Need% . Population has increased considerably.

But I believe this is a major pandemic

Good point.
The plague of Justinian in 541 AD killed 30-50 million. That was 1/4 of the earth's population.
The Bubonic plague killed 200 million in the 1300s. That was also 1/4 of the earth's population at the time. That wiped out 40% of Europe's population. It took 200 years to recover from that population loss.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Total numbers of the dead are awful in any of these episodes, and you left out the probable death numbers of native Americans after the European invasion that's produced America as we know it today.
Disease severity is more about the % of deaths in the population, and for that, as I recall, the plague was top of the list, and maybe the native American losses to multiple European diseases that were new here then.
Not a lovely topic at any time, and certainly not now.
Mary

That's also a good point. Smallpox wiped out 90% of native Americans. That was the second worst global pandemic in terms of death toll and the first one for which a vaccine was developed.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Good point.
The plague of Justinian in 541 AD killed 30-50 million. That was 1/4 of the earth's population.
The Bubonic plague killed 200 million in the 1300s. That was also 1/4 of the earth's population at the time. That wiped out 40% of Europe's population. It took 200 years to recover from that population loss.

This may sound draconian and turn people off but while I don't like the thought of people dying, IMHO, population loss isn't the worst thing given our population growth. Overpopulation IMO is the root of most of our problems.

 

[Folly's place]

Birth rates are down in many countries, and managing pollution and climate change matter a great deal. Wars and pandemics happen, but we all hope that they aren't the way we solve all our problems!
Mary

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Birth rates are down in many countries, and managing pollution and climate change matter a great deal. Wars and pandemics happen, but we all hope that they aren't the way we solve all our problems!
Mary

X2
Draconian as that would be.
The answer, as you note, are reducing birth rates. People don't have to be killed if people would slow their roll.
http://www.vhemt.org/