COVID-19 Megathread (Please limit all COVID discussion to this thread)

[Adz]

I'm in my early 60's so I'm in the risk category. I'm kind of pulling for a suspended season.

Mr. A was a microbiologist in a former life, so he's been railing about this from the moment he heard about it. He'd have had the country shut down for 3-4 weeks months ago. I thought he was overreacting (he does, a lot...) but this time he may have had the right idea.

 

[Roman Yoshi]

Thanks. Always good to get more well informed opinions than just listening to the news media/politicians.

Honestly, I've been worried that WHO or the CDC hasn't been giving us the full picture. Good to know that no one with expertise thinks that.

 

[Legionnaire11]

MLS season suspended

 

[ThirdManIn]

Thanks. Always good to get more well informed opinions than just listening to the news media/politicians.

Honestly, I've been worried that WHO or the CDC hasn't been giving us the full picture. Good to know that no one with expertise thinks that.

Right now I would trust the WHO over the CDC, but getting information directly from either would be better than trusting a television news program.

 

[ThirdManIn]

Coronavirus is not new ... look at the side of your Lysol wiped purchased last year and read the things it kills and you'll notice corona in that list ... what we're seeing is a newly identified strain.

Perspective is needed when it comes to COVID19. Illness from this particular strain was first documented in China around New Years and is up to approximately 120,000 diagnosed cases globally ... with 4300 deaths (3.6% fatality rate among confirmed cases) across the past eighty or so days. That death rate is high but also based on an unknown denominator as testing for this strain has been limited globally ... there is no way of accurately measuring the number of undiagnosed positives across the globe which would bring that rate down if included.

Approximately 80% of cases so far fall into the mild category, with around 6% experiencing critical illness. Fatalities are heavily weighted towards the older population, especially those with existing conditions. In the US, 14 of the 29 deaths (per CDC numbers as of 11 Mar) were linked to elderly patients at one facility in Washington state ... average age of those dying reportedly around 80 years old. Be cognizant of your age and health status and take additional precautions as needed but at the same time be realistic about what this virus does to the vast majority of diagnosed patients ... fever, cough, tiredness with no special treatment needed for the vast majority of cases (per the WHO).

The guidance is to wash one's hands, keep distance from people (stay out of their bubble), don't go into public or work if sick. The same guidance applies to the flu every single year ... and gets ignored every single year as we pass the influenza virus among the population and kill off tens of thousands of people from that bug annually. IF common sense were truly common then we wouldn't have to keep telling people to apply it.


A brief timeline of this strain:
Event background COVID-19

Common sense is rarely powerful enough to overcome laziness and never powerful enough to overcome stubbornness.

 

[Armourboy]

I would look for the NHL season to be suspended. On the radio last night the word was the NBA, the NHL, and a few other of the professional sports leagues had discussed this issue together. The other news was that it had already been leaked internally that as soon as the first player got it things would be suspended.

I figure the Commissioner wanted to shut it down but needed to talk to the Owners and NHLPA first.

 

[BigFatCat999]

Common sense is rarely powerful enough to overcome laziness and never powerful enough to overcome stubbornness.

or greed, don't forget greed.

 

[ThirdManIn]

or greed, don't forget greed.

I can't like this post specifically because I was calling people on their greed and misinformation, so consider this a like.

 

[BigFatCat999]

I can't like this post specifically because I was calling people on their greed and misinformation, so consider this a like.

TMI; all I can do is laugh or help. I can't help so laugh.

 

[Armourboy]

As I mentioned with PredsV82, I think some of it is a coping mechanism. It's a lot easier to get up and go to work and not worry about your life coming to a crashing hault if you think it's just overblown nonsense.

Most Americans live paycheck to paycheck so not getting paid for 2,3 or god help us, 4 weeks is a massive problem that could see massive foreclosures and God knows what else. It's why its important for our politicians to get their heads out their butts and find a solution to that problem.

 

[101st_fan]

As I mentioned with PredsV82, I think some of it is a coping mechanism. It's a lot easier to get up and go to work and not worry about your life coming to a crashing hault if you think it's just overblown nonsense.

Most Americans live paycheck to paycheck so not getting paid for 2,3 or god help us, 4 weeks is a massive problem that could see massive foreclosures and God knows what else. It's why its important for our politicians to get their heads out their butts and find a solution to that problem.

If COVID19 is the next plague then there isn't a political solution. If it turns out to be nothing more than a moderately worse issue than the annual flu then much of the actions we're seeing are overreactions. The great problem in figuring out which of those extremes is reality is that we won't know until after this disease runs its course.

I personally have little faith in politicians finding a solution to this, or any, problem. They have a much better track record creating and exacerbating issues.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) | Twitter

My YouTube music randomly paused itself the exact moment I read the word paused in that tweet.

Anyway, it seems like a sensible precaution - and also sensible to think about just resuming the season later - IF things clear up in time. But I wonder how likely that is. China went into full lockdown in Wuhan, what, a month ago? I don't suppose they are back to business as usual yet. You could pause the season for a month and play games in July. But you'd have a hard time pausing it much longer than that.

Maybe you could do a combination of pause-and-compress... pause, and then once playoffs begin reduce to best-of-5's or best-of-3's in the first round even, something like that. That could get close to buying 2 months of shut-down?

If things go any longer than 2 months, I guess people are going to be worried about a lot more than the hockey season resuming anyway.

 

[Armourboy]

If COVID19 is the next plague then there isn't a political solution. If it turns out to be nothing more than a moderately worse issue than the annual flu then much of the actions we're seeing are overreactions. The great problem in figuring out which of those extremes is reality is that we won't know until after this disease runs its course.

I personally have little faith in politicians finding a solution to this, or any, problem. They have a much better track record creating and exacerbating issues.

I tend to agree. According to my wife our own Lamar Alexander basically was the vote that shut down the emergency paid leave bill.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

 

[Armourboy]

My YouTube music randomly paused itself the exact moment I read the word paused in that tweet.

Anyway, it seems like a sensible precaution - and also sensible to think about just resuming the season later - IF things clear up in time. But I wonder how likely that is. China went into full lockdown in Wuhan, what, a month ago? I don't suppose they are back to business as usual yet. You could pause the season for a month and play games in July. But you'd have a hard time pausing it much longer than that.

Maybe you could do a combination of pause-and-compress... pause, and then once playoffs begin reduce to best-of-5's or best-of-3's in the first round even, something like that. That could get close to buying 2 months of shut-down?

If things go any longer than 2 months, I guess people are going to be worried about a lot more than the hockey season resuming anyway.

They have started shutting down the emergency facilities they built in that region so it is at least slowing down there. That's a long way from over though.

 

[jwhouk]

All morning skates and meetings are cancelled per order of the NHL, it's inevitable that the season is at least temporarily if not indefinitely suspended


NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) | Twitter

Well. That was answered fast.

EDIT: Meanwhile, no word on what MLB is going to do with Spring Training. AZ is under a health emergency by dictum of Governor Ducey. No restrictions on attending games at the current time (which I hope doesn't come before Friday, when I'm due to go play over at AFFP).

The XFL is probably in the most tenacious state of affairs right now, as they realistically can't play in front of empty seats (which they will do this weekend as the Seattle Dragons are hosting a game).

And as my final thought for right now, I'd only say this - boy, now I know how those people back in the spring of 1919 must have felt...

 

[FossilFndr]

This is going to be a real shock mentally. Many use sports as a diversion and relaxation from daily problems, even during a season like this one. Good for you if sports is just a bonus to your otherwise perfect lives so you won't be impacted as much. But to have a major release mechanism replaced with thinking about a pandemic and stress testing the countries health infrastructure, being advised to socially distance and isolate yourself from others, seems like a recipe for depression.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

This is going to be a real shock mentally. Many of us use sports as a diversion and relaxation from daily problems, even during a season like this one. Good for you if sports is just a bonus to your otherwise perfect lives so you won't be impacted as much. But to have a major release mechanism replaced with thinking about a pandemic and stress testing the countries health infrastructure, being advised to socially distance and isolate yourself from others, seems like a recipe for depression.

So... extrapolating... speculatively... stuff shut down. Nothing else for people to do. Not going to work. Not getting paid. Hospitals overflowing. (Toilet paper sold out!) Let's say. Seems like a potential recipe for some civil unrest if the wrong spark ignites in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 

[FossilFndr]

I was thinking on a smaller scale, like domestic violence and increased alcohol consumption without a safe outlet.

 

[Adz]

This is going to be a real shock mentally. Many of us use sports as a diversion and relaxation from daily problems, even during a season like this one. Good for you if sports is just a bonus to your otherwise perfect lives so you won't be impacted as much. But to have a major release mechanism replaced with thinking about a pandemic and stress testing the countries health infrastructure, being advised to socially distance and isolate yourself from others, seems like a recipe for depression.

Honestly, I was more worried they WOULDN'T shut it down. I wouldn't have enjoyed my team playing to empty arenas nor would I have stopped attending if it wasn't decreed. It will be difficult, just like lockouts, but at least we can all hold on to our hope that it is indeed temporary. I do worry about those who have no safety net financially or in terms of supplies. I'm somewhat of a canned goods/boxed stuff hoarder so I should be fine not going to the store for awhile, if it comes to that. We might get tired of Rice A Roni, canned chicken and Cream of Celery soup but so be it.

 

[wadesworld]

I cannot imagine the complexity of the logistics of trying to correlate arena schedules for a season restart. Yes, I know they do it every year, but the dates of the hockey season and major events are already known, so much of the schedule is already clear. To do it on a restart will be massively complex.

I predict the season is suspended for 2-3 weeks and then canceled outright.

 

[predfan24]

As I mentioned with PredsV82, I think some of it is a coping mechanism. It's a lot easier to get up and go to work and not worry about your life coming to a crashing hault if you think it's just overblown nonsense.

Most Americans live paycheck to paycheck so not getting paid for 2,3 or god help us, 4 weeks is a massive problem that could see massive foreclosures and God knows what else. It's why its important for our politicians to get their heads out their butts and find a solution to that problem.

I agree. The problem is the people who refuse to get their heads out of the sand will have a significant effect on the transmission rate. Plus, when lives are at stake, willful ignorance should not be an acceptable excuse.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I agree. The problem is the people who refuse to get their heads out of the sand will have a significant effect on the transmission rate. Plus, when lives are at stake, willful ignorance should not be an acceptable excuse.

In our society now... people aren't going to stop at mere willful ignorance... some will go and purposefully sneeze all over the produce aisle... rolling cov...

 

[predfan24]

If COVID19 is the next plague then there isn't a political solution. If it turns out to be nothing more than a moderately worse issue than the annual flu then much of the actions we're seeing are overreactions. The great problem in figuring out which of those extremes is reality is that we won't know until after this disease runs its course.

I personally have little faith in politicians finding a solution to this, or any, problem. They have a much better track record creating and exacerbating issues.

I agree that we won't really know good specifics of this until the post-pandemic phase.

However, how many after the fact are going to realize that if this doesn't turn out to be"that bad" (which is subjective) that the reason that is so is because of those measures that have been implemented in places like China and measures that are being taken right now in the U.S. as we speak?

If taking these measures will lead to a "not that bad" result then they weren't overreactions they were key decisions.

 

[Predsanddead24]

In our society now... people aren't going to stop at mere willful ignorance... some will go and purposefully sneeze all over the produce aisle... rolling cov...

That's basically what the guy in the NBA who has Coronavirus did. Granted he didn't know he had it at the time but still.