PSA: Coronavirus news

[Betty]

Stay at home whenever possible, wash your hands, be careful, & use some common sense.

There's currently 10,356 infected with the virus in NY state (my state) out of only 45,437 tested. That means almost 1/4 of EVERYONE tested was infected (23%)!

If this is an accurate sample of all people in the state that means statistically, that potentially 4.5 million in the state may be infected, & 23,000-225,000 might die from it here -- if nobody else gets infected.

New York has seen its percentage of cases requiring hospitalization hover around 18 to 24 percent, while New Jersey said Wednesday that a stunning 55 percent of its cases to date have required hospitalization.

No less than 40 percent of the population will eventually be infected by COVID-19, the governor predicted (8 million). That means 40,000-400,000 people in the state may die from it.

The governor projects peak infection is still 40-plus days out. By that point, New York state could need 110,000 hospital beds, more than double its current capacity, and more than 37,000 ICU beds.

NY state is expecting the virus to peak in about 40 days (the end of April). So we can expect quarantines or self-quarantines through May. Limited & but careful socialization may be acceptable in June.

I'll be wiping my butt with paper towels, paper scraps, & leaves by June. Many of us will have starved by then as food shelves go bare often, or the stuff will cost so much that we can't afford it anymote. A 25 cent pack of ramen soup will cost $20 by then if you can find it.

Everything I need has already gone up 2-10 times in price with no end in sight. Much stuff I need is simply not available anywhere anymore, so I had to select much more expensive alternatives, or go without.

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Update:

21,689 people infected in NY state. 28% of those tested were infected. Over 17,000 died of the disease globally. Many of those who survive the infection will have permanent lung damage that may develop into COPD shortly after, or later in life.

[Betty]

President Trump is comparing the corona virus to the flu again, because we loose thousands to the flu in a year. The corona virus is killing thousands in a about month, not in a whole year! Unlike other countries where the infection in affected areas doubles every 6 days, it's currently doubling every THREE DAYS in the America, thanks to a president who downplayed the disease.

This is much more contagious than a flu. It has just been discovered to have survived on surfaces in an empty cruise ship for 17 DAYS! If you do survive the infection, there's a very good chance your lungs will be permanently damaged for the rest of your life, sooner or later causing COPD. COPD will ruin your life, cripple you, make your life miserable, & dramatically shorten your life expectancy.

No, Mr. President we will not sacrifice our parents, grandparents,  small children, our lungs, & future health for the economy, the billionaires, the GOP, or your political career!

Emergency impeachment now! The entire country is now in danger because our the president's stupidity, greed, & carelessness. Purge all evil politicians now! We may be crippled for life with COPD or dead by election day. And to be sure, if this disease gets worse, they will definitely cancel elections, & declare martial law ! ! ! -- Permanent dictatorship!

Be afraid, be very afraid! Save your butt now!

[samantha]

Hi Betty/In London today a woman of 21 years died .She did not have any other problems of illness and yet she died

[Betty]

The old, disabled, & very young are the most at risk of dying. But almost anybody can get very sick, get permanent lung damage & COPD, or die from it.

More than 85,000 infected, & more than 1,300 dead from the virus in the USA.

37,258 infected & 466 died from the disease in NY state.

[Betty]

116,057 infected in the USA, 1,937 dead. 11,931 new cases in 24 hours.

52,318 infected in NY sate, 728 dead, 6,056 new cases in 24 hours.

10,023 dead in Italy. 5,812 dead in Spain.

Please don't go out unless you absolutely have to, be careful, & be safe!

[JamieBoyBoy]

I'm scared, too, Betty, and I have no right to be.  I'm in a very low infection-rate area of the Canadian prairies, and will probably only feel the economic effects of this, but I fear we will hit high rates in the future. We don't live in a bubble.

HOWEVER... may I encourage you to find ways to keep positive, even if it's for brief moments. I know things are going to get worse, but find ways to foresee things will rebound, too.

I will admit I'm surprised to hear you're seeing such price-gouging; we are seeing none of that in Canada, outside very rare instances, and Trudeau has warned retailers doing so will be punished, and I thought the USA was the same. I hope that stops.

I'm situation-rich, and cash-poor; I wish I could help you but I can't this week or next. I'll be sending a (hopelessly tiny) deposit to you after that, though.

Everyone reading this who is able; it's time to understand that if you've ever thought of donating to this site, even though she's deserved your aid every time she's asked in the past, she deserves and needs it more this time. If you can give, then help a girl out.

Side note... a brief look at the law seems to point out that in New York State it's quite illegal to price-gouge (the legal definition of that is THICK) in a situation like this, but hey, I ain't a lawyer. But I'd report any stores jacking prices unreasonably.

[Betty]

Yes, price gouging is illegal, & there are fines, but somehow it's still happening & a lot of people are getting away with it.

On the other hand, if you're selling a $2-$3 box of ramen for $35, & you sell 1,000 of them, & they fine you $2500 for price gouging, you still made a lot of money. The fine is trivial, & probably considered just the cost of doing business.

They're probably selling & shipping under a fake or temporary store name registered under a fake name or a Russian where the law can't reach them anyway.

Then a lot are getting away with it by claiming that their supplier & shipper raised their prices. At online shopping they're charging $15-$36 for shipping on a $2 box of ramen or noodles. They say they're not price gouging, they're just charging a lot for their "special" shipping, packing, & handling.

I'm in the final, & severe stages of COPD, even a serious cold could kill me. I would have no chance against that virus, & live in NY state. My sister & I are the youngest out of our immediate family. The only close family members still alive are older than us & in frail health. Same with the few surviving friends left -- old & frail. The AIDs epidemic wiped out a significant amount of my friends. There weren't too many of us left after that. Most of us would not survive this virus.

I had a dream last week. I woke from sleeping in the dream. When I looked around (in the dream), I saw people all around me sleeping or unconscious, except for 1 woman (I don't know who she was). We go outside, there's people laying around everywhere asleep or unconscious (in my dream I thought they were sleeping). They were laying on lawns, in the street, on the sidewalls, in the grass & under trees.

We were tired, exhausted in the dream. We decided to lay down under a tree for a nap. But we couldn't sleep because the air smelled so bad... like BO, smelly feet, or something spoiled.

After a while everyone around who was sleeping got up & started walking around. But about half the people when they walked around turned almost invisible -- transparent like a ghost or phantom. End of dream. Prophecy?

I think this is gonna get real bad, & be a devastating problem for much more than a few weeks. Many of us will inevitably die rather miserably. There won't be enough hospital beds & medical resources for everybody who is sick in the future. Many will die at home or in the streets. Many who can be saved won't because of lack of (shortage) medical resources & care.

Because of the age & condition of many of my friends, family, & myself, we would not survive this disease.

Yeah. I'm scared.