The pandemic conundrum.

[darkness0within]

Well here we are...

The situation continues to be a great cause for concern around the world, with cases rising, and falling all around us. It is clear to me that this will be the state of things for some considerable time.

Economically this is a disaster that is shaking countries and governments to the core. Our whole society has had to change the way they do things over this period, and will have to continue this modified behaviour(social distancing) for a long time, perhaps for years. We are in uncharted territory now.

I see people gathering in large numbers on TV, and where I reside and I think to myself, "Do they not realize the magnitude of the situation?" Clearly not.

A second wave I believe will be coming sometime, and how bad this second wave is will be in our hands. This virus has already mutated into several strains its been reported. God forbid it becomes truly airborne.

It is not known for certain if you can get the virus again once you've had it. It's not known if a cure can be manufactured. Some headway with treating coved 19 has been developed, but it is still down to a persons own immune system at this time to get well again. And it has been voiced that a vaccine might never be created.

Am I being alarmist? No. I think not.

End of the day it's down to each individual to make the important decisions for themselves. But bare in mind your decisions could impact on other people you know and love.   

[phantasm]

The Black Death wasn't a one-and-done thing. It came and went, and then popped up elsewhere later on. Between 1347-1353. That's seven-ish years. And there were probably fringe cases that happened on both sides of that 7-year domain. I bet you $1000 that the generation after Generation Z will be called Generation C.

[darkness0within]

I agree with you Phantasm. This is effecting a generation.

The Black death was little understood at the time, and so wild theories abounded as to what it was and how people contracted it. Some felt it was a punishment from God. The church was quick to latch onto that I'm sure. Bubonic plague is certainly not Coved 19, but it still has the fear factor for some.

If people are sensible, and mindful of things it will help keep the numbers infected down.

[darkness0within]

I see in the news that there has been progress in developing a vaccine. China especially on the face of it thinks that they have developed a vaccine. However that seems a very quick turn around to me personally.

Either they have rushed the testing stage and are handing it out, (at a cost) to their population not really knowing what the long term implications might be for those that have it. or they already had small amounts of the vaccine and its taken time to replicate it large scale for the masses.

Personally I think its the former.

[phantasm]

I'm nowhere near an expert, but my understanding is that it takes several months to mass produce a vaccine. At least, with our current methodologies. And then, in the U.S. we have to get approval from the Federal government. No idea what bureaucratic procedures China might have. Although you gotta figure, their culture is older than ours by a couple of orders of magnitude. Even with the Communist revolution. Their bureaucracy may well be worse than ours. They have way, way more history under their belts than we do.


But, when it comes to a vaccine, any vaccine, don't believe it until you see it.

I was listening to some podcast on Sunday and there were ads. One of the ads was for, supposedly, a pill that can slow down the aging process. Well, guess what? The thing wasn't approved by the FDA, and the verbal fine print at the end of the ad said so. I scoffed at it. Even in these times of COVID 19, if someone had come up with a way to significantly slow down aging, the legit news sources would be exploding. The news would break the Internet.


So, yeah, don't believe it until you see it.

[darkness0within]

Quite right Phantasm. Don't believe it till you see it.

You can actually slow down the aging process. (Don't get too hopeful here).Don't drink, don't smoke. Keep out of stressful situations. Don't breath polluted air or drink polluted water and food. Don't stay in the sun too long. And after all that, if you have the right DNA you might be able to live past 100 years with a reasonable quality of life.

Ummm.... Anyone think they could do that?

[anirbas]

I now live in a household of five beings. David has diabetes; I have auto-immune arthritis and the biologic drug I take once a week to avoid further damage, also further compromises my beleaguered immune system; one of us is a seven month old baby; and the other two, are relatively healthy twenty-somethings, my daughter and her significant other.

Before we all committed to sharing housing to maintain a solid sitting team around Lydia Kaye, I could control my environment to some extent, when David and I lived in our apartment.

I keep trying to impart the importance of keeping to ourselves as much as possible, for at least a few more months, but, my twenty-somethings, think Granny is just being a drag. I just tried to have the discussion of possibly not going anywhere over the holiday season, to safeguard our small herd of five's, health and wellness. I can tell you, that was met with sour grapes! Haha. I need the country to shut down, or at least, my state, in order to keep my three girls indoors!!! Hehe.

[darkness0within]

Here in the UK as you probably know we are in a lockdown, though not as tough as the one in March.

The virus is spreading at the moment, it will take a couple of weeks till the numbers begin to fall a little due to this lockdown. But I fear this second wave will be worse than the first. I hope I am wrong.

I cannot say much on what is going on in the Americas, but here there is a definite sense of complacency in certain quarters. And to me that is a dangerous attitude to have, and may ultimately cost people dearly. I see it first hand every day.

It should of not been a surprise that people going on holiday aboard were going to spread the virus around. It amazes me that the young(and not so young) want to party, possibly at the expense of their lives, or their family and friends.

In the end people will do what they want to do, regardless. Perhaps they feel they'll be missing out. well, what is better?

Missing out for a few months? Or missing out on the rest of their lives?

I know what I would do.

[anirbas]

Yes, married to a Brit, I am pretty up to date with all things UK. Haha.

It is spreading here, as well. The CDC is warning against traveling by plane this holiday. And also, basically saying stay home. My girls are determined to attend at least four different functions next week for "Thanksgiving" festivities. At least it isn't observed across the big pond. Perhaps, by Christmas the numbers will look better over there, for all of you. I do not hold out hope for such, here. Americans will, of course, defy logic and do "Thanksgiving" and Christmas dinners and lavish New Year parties. By February 2021, more of us than ever, will be sick as hell with this hoax virus.

I believe I am going to stay home with David and avoid my girls as much as possible, inside the house, when they come home from partying. And keep hoping for the best, as I have been doing, all along.

[darkness0within]

In the UK (and many other countries) the pandemic carries on. still some people flout the guidance so I'm not surprised that cases have been increasing, even in lockdown, and our tear system here.

True, a vaccine appears to be being rolled out and I do hope this will bring the epidemic under control in time. But for now we must try to do our bit to help keep the infection rate down, and that means following what guidance has been given.

I understand that there are those who feel that it is encroaching on their liberty. I see the demonstrations, I hear about the parties and raves that have been held. I hear people on the street saying that it's a conspiracy by governments to weald control over the population.

Our government seem to have no option than to allow people to meet up at Christmas, as if they did not many people would meet up anyway and then ignore future lockdowns. And be assured there will be a lock down after Christmas for sure due to the mixing of households over the festive period. And a sharp rise in cases.

Many will be thinking, "now there's a vaccine it's all ok now". Wrong. It will be in the near future though, but not now. now actually is the most dangerous time exactly because of people thinking it's all ok now. 

Now is the time to be more careful. we will get through this, but people will have to be patient just a little longer.

[moseley]

There was a vaccine when the virus was finally sequenced, before it was let out, intentionally. Yes, my tinfoil helmut is on and taped solid. It is
a collaboration between China and politicians in USA. There are no accidents. This was and is a war on autonomy. Many angles to argue as on a whole, give the human race it's autonomy and it leaves a messy kitchen, hoardpiles, lots of unloved children, some people running free and clear and some people holding everyone else up at their own peril. So, in some utopian design, the well meaning who know how we should better live, love and conduct this little shadowbox of life have begun the steps to control. Albeit, they are as equally dumb sons of bitches as the rest, but as the Dunning-Kreuger model goes, oh how they don't see it that way. The most dangerous people are the blindly ignorant with power because they have no contrast or checks to tell them they are not right not going in the right way. It takes a collective effort of divergent perspectives and frankly, they are somehow funneling it into one polarized view and everyone gonna be wearing the same Foster Grants(oh Raquel, sell me sell me). Otherwise, most people are just happy with it all...they will be the ones en masse to come for me and such likes and stone us out of the game. I am cool with it. It is inevitable, but they shall find hopefully a punch or two and busted lips at least in ending me. Otherwise, I am just like that snake in the flag, don't tread on me...but already, I have just been avoiding the stampede so blind to reason that their confusion is reason or at least, it goddamn will be...or else. This is the world they want, this is the world after the fifth vial has been poured out and taken hold and some cruel creator has made me a hand bounded witness, probably because of my fallen origins and maybe this is the penance I have due me. To endure this madness is such a storm, a storm I just sit in and let move me about but not within. Otherwise, the world is new to me, because I woke up or I just am, but all is new at this point...there is something more to compliance than is first thought and there is certainly forces well poised against defiance or dissent. I don't want to dissent, but I know what happens when people drink the Kool-Aid and both Malthus and the Georgia guide stones are pointing to monumental number where some fucking genius or group decided to at least offer a number: "The earth shall maintain a population of 500,000,000 in balance and harmony with nature.". Certainly Mao's guidance to China is not in line with it, but much of this action seems to go with the guidestone's first edict. Getting to 500,000,000 people on this earth is a dirty job. We already have A.I. so powerful that we have an esculpatory agent in it to blame when the other 7.5+ billion get ground up, en masse.