Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search
7 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
25,000 Americans have died from flu so far this season (Original Post) malaise Feb 2020 OP
How about vaccinating everyone. greymattermom Feb 2020 #1
Those aren't interesting deaths jberryhill Feb 2020 #2
Well, it's not made in China dalton99a Feb 2020 #3
Sure. Igel Feb 2020 #4
This defacto7 Feb 2020 #5
"25,000 Americans have died from flu" It's a big country. 327 million people. EX500rider Feb 2020 #6
I haven't died from the flu or anything...yet. I got my flu shot and the bonus is that it's been abqtommy Feb 2020 #7

greymattermom

(5,751 posts)
1. How about vaccinating everyone.
Sun Feb 16, 2020, 10:28 AM
Feb 2020

Every year. How many lives would that save, perhaps half of those if the vaccine is 50% effective? I'm not an epidemiologist. If anyone on DU knows the answer, I'd love to know too.

 

jberryhill

(62,444 posts)
2. Those aren't interesting deaths
Sun Feb 16, 2020, 10:35 AM
Feb 2020

Sort of like auto deaths, we tend to get our knickers in a twist over particular types of deaths, without much consideration over the relative numbers.

Over the course of six months, roughly the same number of Americans commit suicide (47,000 per year). So maybe there’s no real reason to get upset over causes that don’t exceed the rate at which people deliberately kill themselves anyway

dalton99a

(81,062 posts)
3. Well, it's not made in China
Sun Feb 16, 2020, 10:58 AM
Feb 2020


Current U.S. Flu Season:
CDC estimates that, from October 1, 2019, through February 8, 2020, there have been:
26,000,000 – 36,000,000 flu illnesses
12,000,000 – 17,000,000 flu medical visits
250,000 – 440,000 flu hospitalizations
14,000 – 36,000 flu deaths

Igel

(35,191 posts)
4. Sure.
Sun Feb 16, 2020, 11:21 AM
Feb 2020

Now imagine that every year there's a flu that kills 25,000 Americans.

And then there's also a coronavirus that kills 25,000 Americans.

But at the same rate of transmission and morbidity, the death toll would be higher. A lot of Americans are vaccinated, but even more have been exposed to some variety of the flu that reduces the symptoms. I'm 60. It has to be a pretty exotic strain that knocks me down the same way it hits my 30-year-old coworkers. Vaccination or not, I have partial immunity to most flu and cold strains, and haven't felt more than a general annoyance from a flu or cold for nearly a decade.

I haven't had anything like this coronavirus, and never have 100% of the rest of the population. There's pretty much no partial immunity. The first round or two would kill far more, cet. par., than 25,000 just based on its novelty.

We don't want novel viruses to spread. People die. It's not worth hysteria over, but it is worth putting significant resources and allowing some pretty severe short-term restrictions.

defacto7

(13,485 posts)
5. This
Sun Feb 16, 2020, 11:52 AM
Feb 2020

Comparing flu to COVID-19 is nonsensical. They are two different things with similar symptoms but very different in just about everything else. SARS, MERS and COVID-19 are different strains of a similar virus. The flu is not one of them. That's how I understand it.

EX500rider

(10,517 posts)
6. "25,000 Americans have died from flu" It's a big country. 327 million people.
Sun Feb 16, 2020, 12:53 PM
Feb 2020

Unintentional poisoning deaths
Number of deaths: 64,795

Unintentional fall deaths
Number of deaths: 36,338

Motor vehicle traffic deaths
Number of deaths: 40,231

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/accidental-injury.htm

abqtommy

(14,118 posts)
7. I haven't died from the flu or anything...yet. I got my flu shot and the bonus is that it's been
Sun Feb 16, 2020, 12:55 PM
Feb 2020

noted to be half* of the treatment for the new coronavirus so I'm in good shape.

*The other half of the treatment is use of HIV medications, or so I'm told via print reports.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»25,000 Americans have die...