This is the best explanation I've seen regarding the importance of social distancing

There's also the Spanish Flu of 1918 (AKA a tale of two cities: Philadelphia and St. Louis). 

The problem I've seen with the media is that there's very little rhetoric in-between. Downplaying vs over-reacting. IMO, both are equally dangerous in a situation like this.

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I'll play you in ping pong. 

I think the steps taken are prudent. We are roughly 11 days behind Italy by some estimations. If hospitals are overwhelmed in 2 weeks, then we didn't act quickly enough. The lack of testing is a major concern. We're pretty much flying blind until testing is widespread and results are back. Until then it makes sense to prevent person-to-person contact as much as possible.

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Downplaying vs over-reacting. IMO, both are equally dangerous in a situation like this.

It's nearly impossible to strike the perfect balance, especially when things change daily.

Somebody said recently (paraphrasing):
"Before the virus peaks, all actions will be seen as overreaction; after the virus peaks, all actions will be seen as inadequate."

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I say we just get it over with.

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In the past 48 hours I've received two text messages and one email that amount to over five thousand dollars of income that is now "canceled" from my work calendar.

Basically 80% of the work I had scheduled from now until May 3rd is gone.  Some of these concerts or events will be rescheduled in the future, but they will merely occur on dates that I'd have filled with other similar work anyway.

Personally, I'm taking practical precautions but I'm not going overboard about it.
The firsthand accounts I'm seeing from doctors and nurses in Italy paint a very grim picture. Hopefully we do not see hospitals overwhelmed here in the coming weeks the way that several have been inundated there.

I'll post a link later for a gofundme campaign so that I may continue to support my golf and tequila habits during this difficult time. 

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Maybe it would be nice if the media reported people who have recovered from COVID-19.

Why bother people with the Truth?

When the story headline is "Missing hiker found alive.", nobody bothers reading the article.

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When you get into the endzone, act like you've been there before.

In the past 48 hours I've received two text messages and one email that amount to over five thousand dollars of income that is now "canceled" from my work calendar.

Basically 80% of the work I had scheduled from now until May 3rd is gone.  Some of these concerts or events will be rescheduled in the future, but they will merely occur on dates that I'd have filled with other similar work anyway.

Personally, I'm taking practical precautions but I'm not going overboard about it.
The firsthand accounts I'm seeing from doctors and nurses in Italy paint a very grim picture. Hopefully we do not see hospitals overwhelmed here in the coming weeks the way that several have been inundated there.

I'll post a link later for a gofundme campaign so that I may continue to support my golf and tequila habits during this difficult time. 

Italy's system was already stressed before this happened.

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Why bother people with the Truth?

Not sure the media completely grasps the impact the panic they have created is having on small business, some of which will never recover from this. I'm sure they are proud of themselves.

Theres going to be some form of a stimulus.

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Almost all talk about our healthcare system being overwhelmed are immature.

We absorbed 60 million infections in 10 months with swine flu. That contagion caused serious illness across the age spectrum.

Italy currently has 21k confirmed cases roughly 2k of that will requires hospitalization. Adjusted for population, that would be the equivalent of 11k (ish) hospitalizations in a country our size we assimilated 2.5 times that during swine flu.

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I made a sterile button-pusher out of a Bic lighter, paper clip and rubber band. Loop the paper clip above the flame area and secure it with the rubber band.
Use the metal loop to press keypads and touchscreens, then light the lighter for a few seconds to sterilize the metal loop.

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I made a sterile button-pusher out of a Bic lighter, paper clip and rubber band.  Loop the paper clip above the flame area and secure it with the rubber band.  
Use the metal loop to press keypads and touchscreens, then light the lighter for a few seconds to sterilize the metal loop.

You’re just one bendy straw away from a fusion reactor.

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I made a sterile button-pusher out of a Bic lighter, paper clip and rubber band.  Loop the paper clip above the flame area and secure it with the rubber band.  
Use the metal loop to press keypads and touchscreens, then light the lighter for a few seconds to sterilize the metal loop.

You’re just one bendy straw away from a fusion reactor.

Necessity is Frank Zappa's Band

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There are reports coming out of Italy that they're literally letting people die because they don't have the resources to help everyone that's infected. But hey, it's just a flu. nothing to worry about eh?

Oh BTW, Italy has a population of roughly 66 million people. They have more hospital beds than the whole of the US combined (330 million people). But hey, it's just the flu, you'll be fine.

The perfect example of socialized health care.

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There are 10 kinds of people in this world.  Those who understand binary and those who don't.

I hope that the Ford dealership is open tomorrow.  I need to take my truck in for repairs.

Meanwhile my sinuses were clogged up a bit this morning and I was feeling kind of crappy.  CORONAVIRUS!  Oh wait... it's probably because I have been doing some cutting in dry conditions while the Oak Pollen is peaking.  They cleared up when I got back home to Jacksonville.  Feeling bad probably has more to do with hanging out with friends around a campfire indulging in some Root Beer shine.  Feeling better after a good breakfast and lunch plus drinking some water and Gatorade.

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There are 10 kinds of people in this world.  Those who understand binary and those who don't.

In the past 48 hours I've received two text messages and one email that amount to over five thousand dollars of income that is now "canceled" from my work calendar.

Basically 80% of the work I had scheduled from now until May 3rd is gone.  Some of these concerts or events will be rescheduled in the future, but they will merely occur on dates that I'd have filled with other similar work anyway.

Personally, I'm taking practical precautions but I'm not going overboard about it.
The firsthand accounts I'm seeing from doctors and nurses in Italy paint a very grim picture. Hopefully we do not see hospitals overwhelmed here in the coming weeks the way that several have been inundated there.

I'll post a link later for a gofundme campaign so that I may continue to support my golf and tequila habits during this difficult time. 

Hate to hear your losing those gigs.

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There are 10 kinds of people in this world.  Those who understand binary and those who don't.

https://mobile.twitter.com/benphillips76...1509016577

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https://twitter.com/ISCResearch/status/1...0030113797

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The truth is somewhere between the people that are pretty much dismissing it and the ones there completely spazzing.

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Here's an interesting website. The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Dashboard.

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/

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Here's an interesting website.  The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Dashboard.

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/

Thanks for that link.

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Feds drop rates to near 0%!

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