Time for DCI to cancel season?

[N.E. Brigand]

13 hours ago, HBD said:

I don't believe any insurance covers any losses due to "Virus". I literally spoke to a friend today who is an insurance agent AND a retired corps director and this is what he told me when I asked.

Seventeen days ago, I was on a conference call with administrators from about 75 peer organizations in my field, discussing our various coronavirus responses, and most of them reported that their business interruption insurance did not include loss of income due to be being shut down by the government in response to a pandemic.

[N.E. Brigand]

10 minutes ago, N.E. Brigand said:

"Cambridge scientists tested 0.02 micron Bacteriophage MS2 particles (which are five times smaller than the coronavirus), and compared homemade masks made of different materials to surgical masks.

Surgical masks block 89%. Vacuum cleaning bags block 85%. Dish towels block 73%. T-shirts block 70%."

 

And in Washington state, hospitals have tasked their administrative staff with making masks because they're going to run out of the real thing.

Suppose a year ago that you had been asked to make a contribution to a new national fund meant to make sure that all hospitals had more than enough equipment in the event of a pandemic.

Would you have made that contribution?

[cixelsyd]

16 minutes ago, N.E. Brigand said:

"Cambridge scientists tested 0.02 micron Bacteriophage MS2 particles (which are five times smaller than the coronavirus), and compared homemade masks made of different materials to surgical masks.

Surgical masks block 89%. Vacuum cleaning bags block 85%. Dish towels block 73%. T-shirts block 70%."

 

And in Washington state, hospitals have tasked their administrative staff with making masks because they're going to run out of the real thing.

Well, since the coronavirus is so much larger, filtration should be much more effective.  Too bad you are not showing us THAT data.

[DCVNVET]

3 minutes ago, N.E. Brigand said:

Suppose a year ago that you had been asked to make a contribution to a new national fund meant to make sure that all hospitals had more than enough equipment in the event of a pandemic.

Would you have made that contribution?

TBH probably not.  But I did donate a brand new respirator mask and three boxes of filters to the local hospital, yesterday.    

[N.E. Brigand]

Just now, cixelsyd said:

Well, since the coronavirus is so much larger, filtration should be much more effective.  Too bad you are not showing us THAT data.

I don't have that data, and my points were that:

(1) There are some reasonably effective alternatives.

(2) That presumably work even better against coronavirus -- it was I who italicized the word "smaller" in my post, to emphasize that point (the same one you're making).

(3) It's just crazy that we're in a position where hospital staff have to resort to this sort of thing.

[N.E. Brigand]

Just now, cixelsyd said:

Thought it was you who said

It's tricky, isn't it? Is everything that certain people do "political" jut because they happen to be politicians?

Suppose a barber was pointing a gun at my head. If Jeff said to me, "Look out! He's s pointing a gun at your head!", you wouldn't claim Jeff was being political.

But if a politician was pointing a gun at my head, and Jeff said, "Look out! He's pointing a gun at your head!", would you respond, "Hey, stop making political comments"?

On this forum, that may be necessary. But would you agree that it's weird?

[HockeyDad]

16 minutes ago, N.E. Brigand said:

Suppose a year ago that you had been asked to make a contribution to a new national fund meant to make sure that all hospitals had more than enough equipment in the event of a pandemic.

Would you have made that contribution?

Nobody would. Why should they have?  A year ago, what was the perceived risk among the masses?  The masses, not the handful of experts. 

[HockeyDad]

10 minutes ago, N.E. Brigand said:

I don't have that data, and my points were that:

(1) There are some reasonably effective alternatives.

(2) That presumably work even better against coronavirus -- it was I who italicized the word "smaller" in my post, to emphasize that point (the same one you're making).

(3) It's just crazy that we're in a position where hospital staff have to resort to this sort of thing.

I have a daughter who is a nurse. I’ll pass along the recommendation to go make a mask out of her vacuum cleaner bags. Seriously though, I did have quite the text message war with her last night, concerning small changes she can personally make right now to reduce her risk. Such as - never bring your work shoes into your apartment. Take a shower every day when you get home from work. “I’m too tired after a 12 hour shift” is not an acceptable excuse. If you sweat through your scrubs and gown, change them. Little things you can personally take responsibility for that can make a big difference. 

[HockeyDad]

4 minutes ago, cixelsyd said:

If, in the process of warning you about the gun-toting politician, he also pointlessly said they recently dismissed coronavirus by comparing it to seasonal flu, then yes, I would object.

(This post will self-destruct as soon as the mods get here.  Cleanup in aisle 25!)

And rightfully so, because making comparisons to the flu does not equal dismissing it. That’s a journalist’s spin. 

[N.E. Brigand]

Just now, HockeyDad said:

Nobody would. Why should they have?  A year ago, what was the perceived risk among the masses?  The masses, not the handful of experts. 

I agree with you.

How do we solve that problem going forward.

How can the public be made to appreciate risk of this nature, that requires an initial outlay of expense now to prevent great harm later?

An outlay that will seem to many like a waste of time even if it works, ESPECIALLY if it works, because if it works, there's no pandemic.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

And by the way, this time it's a pandemic.

Ten or twenty years from now, it could be something else.

Are we spending enough on near-Earth asteroid detection?

Are we spending enough to be prepared for a Carrington event?