You think people going out less in an attempt to slow the spread of a virus is freaking out?
To an extent, absolutely. The long-term economic ramifications of over-reaction will likely be far more devastating than the virus itself. If you’re sick, stay home. If you aren’t, practice clean habits. I’m not saying you need to go to cesspools like buffets, but you can keep going to restaurants and stores. This isn’t that hard. Use common sense. It’s the same way you stay healthy in general over the winter.
For real, people need to get a grip.
Ok here is my rant that most people on this blogsite don't need to hear and you won't care about:
The last figure I saw showed that only about 20% of people who get COVID-19 will need to be hospitalized. If that 20% require hospitalization around the same time, the healthcare system will not be able to treat all of them effectively. As a result, some will die that otherwise could have survived. It's not something that is necessarily trackable, but nationwide those preventable deaths will be a pretty big number. Statewide a little smaller, citywide even smaller, and within your local community you might only hear about a few people. But even then, if I can prevent even one death by breaking from my usual routine I'll do it. Even if it hurts the local economy. My word, how many conservatives keep insisting on adding billions to the federal deficit in military spending in the name of "protecting American citizens" when this type of a pandemic if left unchecked could kill more U.S. citizens than any of our military engagements?
Statistically, you can be sure that those numbers are being driven down by those practicing social distancing. The thing is, we may never know what that benefit is from the folks who are doing their part to drive down the number of deaths due to COVID-19. No matter where this ends up, the people complaining about "freaking out" will say they were right, and they will take zero responsibility for the deaths due to overcrowded hospitals because they were taking precautions and never had a cough.
