Originally Posted by Sparta

There were roughly 800 positives for Covid-19 between the two cruise ships (712 Diamond Princess and 60+ on the Grand Princess) as per the CDC. Ten of those have so far died. Many more will have complications (lung damage). Most of those on the ship did not catch COVID-19 so they should not be part of the mortality rate. With access to good healthcare roughly 1% of COVID-19 people die. With overwhelmed hospitals and ventilator rationing that number rises to 3-4%. That is why there is an emphasis on flattening the curve. The flu mortality rate varies greatly by season but on average 0.1 % of people who catch the flu die. The CDC is estimating that the death rate from COVID-19 is around 1%. So if you catch COVID-19 it is ten times deadlier than the flu. That is with good hospital care. This is not fake news or media hype.

On a separate note I spent a good deal of the morning searching local drug stores for an oximeter. My wife, a doctor, has COVID-19 and is going on day six of high fever, aches and trouble breathing. She is monitoring her oxygen level so that if/when it gets too low we can get her admitted. She has had the flu and she would want all to know that at least in her case she has never had anything like this. She is worried about dying and wanted me to review our will. We discussed who would raise our children. She is healthy with no underlying medical conditions. Listen to the medical experts and not the news or the politicians. When COVID-19 knocks on your door it will change how you view it.