COVID-19 messes with Texas: What went wrong, and what other states can learn as younger people get

[TexasTowelie]

Last edited Thu Jul 2, 2020, 03:23 AM - Edit history (1)

COVID-19 messes with Texas: What went wrong, and what other states can learn as younger people get sick


The July 4 holiday weekend usually means cookouts and big gatherings in Texas, but right now, the state is facing a public health catastrophe.

Hospitals in Dallas and Houston are nearing ICU capacity as the number of COVID-19 cases spikes across the state. The death toll from the virus is up 50% from a month ago.

It did not begin like this. Texas had lower COVID-19 rates and case counts than many other large states through most of the spring.

What happened, and what can be done to turn it around now? As Gov. Greg Abbott halts plans to further reopen the economy, orders bars closed and limits large gatherings, the answers to both of those questions may hold lessons for other states.

Read more: https://theconversation.com/covid-19-messes-with-texas-what-went-wrong-and-what-other-states-can-learn-as-younger-people-get-sick-141563

[herding cats]

1. Stay safe TT.

The same to all my Texas friends here. We're neck deep in gators now. Be safe... wear your masks, social distance and please, make it out the other side of this mess whole.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

2. I'm wondering if the virus didn't change somehow, making it more likely

to infect younger people.

Although even at the beginning, despite older people being the initial victims, it would stand to reason that it would be an equal opportunity infector. Perhaps more to the point, even if younger people are generally more resistant, if they do truly dumb things like hang out in crowded bars, well duh, lots of them will come down with it.

I'm beginning to think this won't really go away until we actually have herd immunity, which will take a couple of years at best. And even then I'm assuming that once having gotten it, you're now immune which we aren't even at all sure of at this point.

[Indykatie]

3. More Old Folks Aren't Getting Infected Now Because We Are All Staying Inside at Home

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

5. Right.

And us old folks are continuing to stay at home. We aren't going to bars. We aren't going to beaches. We're going to the grocery store and cooking sensible meals at home.

Speaking as an Old Folk (I'm 71) I currently have at least a month's supply of food, which is really quite a lot for me. Well, I will need to pick up various extra things as I go to make specific meals. But I'm good.

Getting a lot of reading done. That's one nice thing.

[Rstrstx]

4. Nah, bars were closed in the spring

The governor allowed them to open prematurely and young adults flocked to them. Crowded indoor bars packed with careless liquored up youth is an exceptionally easy way for the virus to spread like wildfire, I don't think the native R naught had to change at all.

And yeah, it's going to keep spreading, even if a vaccine comes a lot of people won't get it. Deaths are beginning to trail off thankfully, but I worry about some of these serious side effects that are cropping up in survivors who had a hard time recovering.

[Javaman]

6. what went wrong? the short answer repuke gov. the long answer?

repuke gov.