(09-01-2020 05:47 PM)utrocks84 Wrote:  

(09-01-2020 01:26 PM)PaulJ Wrote:  

(09-01-2020 10:46 AM)MotoRocket Wrote:  

(09-01-2020 09:51 AM)PaulJ Wrote:  

(09-01-2020 06:16 AM)Lester Wrote:  Not necessarily disagreeing with your point here, but if you really wanted to "avoid long term health problems for a few of your players," you would go ahead and eliminate the football program altogether. In other words, for better or for worse, football players already accept long-term health risk in order to play the game.

Its not just about the players, but this is a high contagious infectious disease, that can easily spread among players and coaches, then to family members, friends, other students, co-workers, teachers, and into the community. HS and CFB programs and players are not in a "bubble". Its why large gatherings remain a huge risk to further spreading COVID-19. Let's pray and hope that does not happen, but cannot avoid that the rest exists.

I keep hearing it is highly contagious, but the rate of infections is well below that in a typical flu season. People also seem to forget that the H1N1 virus infected over 60 million Americans - about 10x the number infected so far by Covid19. But there were only 12,500 deaths - so it was largely ignored. Most people didn't even hear about the number of cases involved - or that testing was started then stopped. That was also a pandemic. It was more luck than effort that resulted in the low number of deaths.

No question deaths are much higher from Covid. It presents much more severe complications - especially to the elderly and others with compromised immune systems. It is a virus. I have seen nothing to indicate it is more contagious than the flu - especially when you consider the high number of flu cases that are never reported through treatments - unless they base it off the sales of OTC remedies. The difference is that very few people fear the flu. Many are driven to paralyzing panic over Covid.

We keep learning more and more about Covid. No one has the answer - and only in hindsight are the politicos offering how they would have controlled the virus better.

Science on COVID-19 still emerging given that it is a new virus but in terms of infection rate compared to flu, here is current science. Since decisions are being made now on how best to reduce spread, they can only be based on current science:

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/flu-vs-covid19.htm

And as to panic over getting COVID, feel free to talk to those in the front lines in hospitals, ending up in the hospital with COVID is a very alarming concern and worthwhile fear. More so than the common seasonal flu. There is plenty of concern, and documented cases of serious short term and potential long term health impacts from COVID that simply are not seen in same rate and severity as the flu.

when your stating flu infection rates people weren't socially distancing, wearing mask and the economy wasn't disturbed to prevent outbreaks. The only defense is a sometimes protective flu vaccine that not even half the citizens get. If covid were let to run rampant (ie Herd Immunity) who knows what the numbers would be.

Nor are half the flu cases even reported since most treat it with OTC remedies. The point isn't on the severity of the flu vs. Covid as I pointed out. It's on the comment that it is highly contagious - but it is no more contagious than the common flu. It does not transmit in a manner that is different from the flu, and may actually transmit at a lower rate than the flu. Of course, there is much more of a concerted effort to avoid getting Covid than the flu, mainly because of the severity of Covid vs. the flu. But again, it is a virus that has the same traits for infection as the common cold (also a corona virus) and influenza. As I stated, there has been nothing presented since the original bogus claims that it would remain active on packaging (such as cardboard) for up to 4 days - indicating it could be contracted from that surface. It was not true.

I don't need lectures on talking to front line workers about people dying from the virus - I previously stated it was more deadly than the flu. There are up to 20,000 deaths from the flu every year in the US. That is not likely to change. Are those lives not valuable? Why have we not had social distancing and mask wearing to take the death count down to 0? Because we can never get there. Risk is inherent in every day life and all we can be asked to do is limit the exposure and risk to those most vulnerable to the disease - which remains in those over 65 years old and/or with other immuno-deficiency problems. If you compare the rate of deaths from Covid to the rates of Type II diabetes by country, there is a definite correlation that emerges. You do not see the correlation with the flu. Surprisingly, the highest rates of Type II in the world is primarily in the Middle East "region" (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Eqypt, Lebanon, Turkey, and Oman are #1- #9 on the list of highest rates of Type II diabetes. The US is about the same rate of Type II and deaths/100,000 as China (estimated deaths), India, and Brazil.

Immune systems have been declining for years - primarily because of the poor diets being consumed. It is worse among the poor that eat primarily foods with high fat, sugar, processed additives and other nutrition poor carbohydrates. You can expect illnesses will continue to get worse as our focus for medicine and treatments is based on prescriptions and not prevention.