Halconblack said:
Unfortunately, the question is becoming more and more about the value of life at different ages. The data continues to present that this is a very difficult virus of the old and the invalid. Meanwhile, the young and able are extremely susceptible to the financial strains caused by the austere recommendations that many are calling for. I am afraid that preventing the able body people in this country from having jobs and spending money will lead to much more dire circumstances than letting the virus run it's course through that population.
I firmly believe that all nursing homes, long term care facilities, ICUs and surgical facilities should be locked down and decon measures should be followed. I think three-foot social distancing, washing your hands and self-isolating if you are sick is the appropriate measure to avoid absolute disaster. Because, there is no bailout from the economic hardship this country will endure if we do what Dallas is doing through June.
EDIT: Please read my whole post before assuming where it's going, I'm not saying what it may seem like at first.
That's what is so "interesting" about this. For the people who are by far the most at risk (sick and elderly), the precaution is "keep doing what you're doing". Stay in, have medical care, take sanitation seriously. It's a hard way to say it, but a lot of these deaths seem like if CV didn't do it, the flu or an underlying condition would have within a few months.
Of course, there's a large swath who will die without ventilators, that's where the rubber really hits the road.
And then you have the younger crowd. For the most part they will be sick for a few days and recover just fine, but they have the least financial security and are being asked to make the largest financial sacrifices and deviate the most from their lifestyles.
I'm not saying we're doing the wrong thing, but I understand why such a big disconnect seems to be opening up. The bigger these economic impacts get, the worse the long term outcome gets. Increasing income is inversely correlated with life expectancy and high risk behaviors. It's tough.
