COVID19: Opinion and Discussion

[Teresa]

More than a century ago, the globe was left devastated by a pandemic that has been described by experts as "the deadliest in human history."

The 1918 influenza pandemic killed at least 50 million people worldwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, equivalent in proportion to 200 million in today's global population. An estimated 675,000 of those deaths occurred in the United States.

Now, 18 months into the coronavirus pandemic, the virus has claimed more American lives than its counterpart a hundred years ago. Coronavirus death toll in US eclipses 1918 influenza pandemic estimates

 

[PoppaJ]

"Somebody sent me a thing this morning where they're talking about putting the vaccine in salad dressing Have you seen this? I mean it's — and I'm thinking to myself, this is the Bizarro World, right? This is definitely the Bizarro World ... these people are seriously thinking about how to impose their will on us in our society, and it has to stop."

Fired, prosecuted, pardoned, liar Michael Flynn

 

[elgordoboy]

More than a century ago, the globe was left devastated by a pandemic that has been described by experts as "the deadliest in human history."

The 1918 influenza pandemic killed at least 50 million people worldwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, equivalent in proportion to 200 million in today's global population. An estimated 675,000 of those deaths occurred in the United States.

Now, 18 months into the coronavirus pandemic, the virus has claimed more American lives than its counterpart a hundred years ago. Coronavirus death toll in US eclipses 1918 influenza pandemic estimates

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So in the US, another 2mm people roughly will have to succumb before this is as proportionally bad as the 1918 Influenza Pandemic According to this. The “eclipses “ bit seems alarmist and doesn’t at all represent what is stated at the top. “Equals” perhaps. “Exceeds” even, since ours is still progressing, but “Eclipses” is complete hype. Like most everything in the media it speaks out of at least two sides of its mouth.

 

[Lake View Too]

So in the US, another 2mm people roughly will have to succumb before this is as proportionally bad as the 1918 Influenza Pandemic According to this. The “eclipses “ bit seems alarmist and doesn’t at all represent what is stated at the top. “Equals” perhaps. “Exceeds” even, since ours is still progressing, but “Eclipses” is complete hype. Like most everything in the media it speaks out of at least two sides of its mouth.

Perfecto parsing, Elboy. I wish the "media" would stick to the facts, also. But, you got to admit that just saying "this pandemic is the worst in over a century" might be too boring. It's all about ratings...

 

[Teresa]

So in the US, another 2mm people roughly will have to succumb before this is as proportionally bad as the 1918 Influenza Pandemic According to this. The “eclipses “ bit seems alarmist and doesn’t at all represent what is stated at the top. “Equals” perhaps. “Exceeds” even, since ours is still progressing, but “Eclipses” is complete hype. Like most everything in the media it speaks out of at least two sides of its mouth.

Read the article for details and further information about history and how we have vaccine and treatment this time around but still have not managed to meet the moment.. It's where we are now. And it's a good comparison and contrast to where we were then.

Agree the headline isn't the best.

 

[Leader of the Banned]

 

[mputnal]

I think we should all take our national news programs (especially the headlines) with a grain of salt. Somehow we have to resist the emotion to react. Politics is turning us into emotional reactors of sensationalism and our "news" sources are taking advantage of that. That said and because of politics we need to be alarmed and reactive to this deadly virus. If we were not able to do anything more than what we did in 1918 I am sure we would set new world records related to death from this virus and it's mutations. The bottom line is that we need less sensationalism (from media and politics) and more common sense individualism...

 

[UofL]

I wish people would watch CBS Sunday Morning. Usually the best of our country with some news thrown in. Ellen

 

[Teresa]

I've learned that people choose not to be informed and blame the media for their own choice of poor disinformation sources.

Sure headlines and news stories are not flawless by any means and the source matters. There are many outstanding sources of information and news, from public radio to historians and analysts, blogs and journalists, TV and online, podcasts and well written articles.. We are free to educate ourselves every day.

I've heard many well meaning people state that they don't watch the news. And they literally don't have the facts they need to make decisions about their families and businesses etc. During a pandemic. All they have to go on is disinformation and outrage from poor internet or radio sources and people around them.

I wonder what makes them think that the media is the evil enemy? I have a few guesses.

 

[Teresa]

NYT:
YouTube said on Wednesday that it was banning several prominent anti-vaccine activists from its platform, including the accounts of Joseph Mercola and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as part of an effort to remove all content that falsely claims that approved vaccines are dangerous. The platform, which is owned by Google, has had a similar ban on misinformation about the Covid-19 vaccines. But the new policy expands the rules to misleading claims about approved vaccines such as those against measles and hepatitis B, as well as to falsehoods about vaccines in general, YouTube said.

Read more: YouTube bans all anti-vaccine misinformation.