Minus
I’m over 70.
Plus
I have no diagnosed underlying health conditions (other than chronic pain).
I take no medications.
I am able to work from home.
In a typical day I don’t encounter many people other than my wife.
I cook from scratch.
My grocery store delivers.
While I am normally a daily shopper, I have been able to cut my trips out of the house way back and could cut them back even more.
My wife and I intend to donate anything we might receive from the federal government. We’re in a lot better shape than most people.
Update
An email has just come through advising us that a case of COVID-19 has been diagnosed in an individual working on the floor above that on which my employer’s offices are located. That means I might have encountered that individual in the elevator on any given day. Perhaps my climbing the stairs up all those many flights has reduced my exposure.
The building has been closed for an undetermined period. Looks like we’ll all be working from home.
“My wife and I intend to donate anything we might receive from the federal government. We’re in a lot better shape than most people.”
This notion of sending a check to everyone gave me two thoughts. 1) How are they going to find everyone, especially those who need it most. We sure as hell don’t need it. If they find us, yes, give it to a local and reliable charity. 2) This is exactly my point on not blowing resources like feathers in the wind. That money could go to purchase food and other necessities, and pay people to deliver them to the door steps of forced quarantined elderly.
” Looks like we’ll all be working from home.”
This is simply unsustainable. The cure is well on the way to being worse than the disease.
I think that many people are assuming, incorrectly, that things will go back to normal within a week or so. I don’t think they’ll ever go back to normal if by “normal” you mean the risk of contracting COVID-19 goes to zero.
IMO there should be pre-screening by taking temperatures using a no-contact device set up in stores, offices, etc. It’s imperfect but it’s a start.
Latest numbers from TV news has 40% of ICU patients (covid19) are age 20-54. So don’t feel so lonely.
“An Italian study revealed that most of the patients who have died from the coronavirus previously had some type of illness or pre-existing condition.
But while these people are dying, the majority of coronavirus patients in hospitals are younger, healthier people — and they’re being prioritized by hospital staff.
The average age of those who have died from the Chinese virus in Italy is 79.5, according to a study by Italian health authorities, who have been examining the medical records involving the nation’s surging coronavirus death toll.
The study adds that more than 99 percent of Italy’s coronavirus deaths have been people who were previously ill or had some type of pre-existing medical condition, such as high blood pressure or diabetes.
Among those who have died from the Wuhan virus in Italy, more than 76 percent of them had high blood pressure, more than 35 percent had diabetes, 33 percent had heart disease, and more than 24 percent had atrial fibrillation, or “AFib,†according to Italy’s national health authority.
So far, 17 people under the age of 50 have died from the disease in Italy, all of whom have had some type of previous illness, the study finds.”
“I don’t think they’ll ever go back to normal if by “normal†you mean the risk of contracting COVID-19 goes to zero.”
Its not zero for any flu, so…..
I don’t know what to make of the recent announcements on two curative drugs other than still ill-defined. What a miracle that would be. Else, ultimately we will reach the so called herd immunity endpoint for this virus.
I think every drugmaker is rifling through the cabinet for an FDA approved drug that might work. I saw Bayer is testing a 70 year old anti-malarial drug. Hope somebody gets lucky.
What’s your blood type?
Blood group A might modestly be more at risk
The data is from Wuhan, so one can feel free to disregard it, but there was similar findings with SARS.
I had seen that. My blood type is B+ which seems to confer neither any particular advantage nor disadvantage.
Depending on whether and how herd immunity works, it still might be an advantage to live in a community with low Blood Group A. It looks like African-Americans, Latin-Americans, and the Scots & Irish are relatively low in that blood type.
Did you read the NEJM article I linked? I was surprised at how many people did not have a comorbidity. Over 50% presented without fever. Also. I hope you realize the disease can be transmitted by an infected, asymptomatic person. The CDC denied this for a long time even though there was good literature from believable sources besides China. A lot of health care workers have been exposed already because they were blindly following CDC guidance.
Steve