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The workers who supply the world’s food are starting to get sick
- taxicabjesus 7y agoPeople are getting sick, but most people less than 70 years old recover fully. The odds of people >70yo who have a symptomatic case of this virus for recovery aren't so great, but we don't know how many asymptomatic cases there actually are among the older portions of the population. Tom Hanks says he's survived his infection with the super-virus [0]. Wikipedia says he's 63 years old. If there was no test for this specific virus, Tom Hanks would have attributed his symptoms to a common cold (Covid-18, maybe) and done just fine. [0] https://twitter.com/tomhanks/status/1241919151829954566 https://twitter.com/tomhanks/status/1241919151829954566 The only advice I notice about this particular virus is that we must "flatten the curve" by wearing invisible bubble suits. There is nothing about how to be proactive in becoming more resilient against this virus and all viruses. The experts could give us something to do (presuming Science has learned something about viruses in the 100+ years since the great outbreaks), but all the media says is to make an effort to prevent your own infection by washing your hands, not touching your face, keeping your distance from everyone else, and "shelter in place". Various other websites say it's important to flatten the curve by preventing your own infection, so that you won't pass the virus on to some already-old/sick person who certainly wouldn't survive. I am using this year's cold season to adjust my health model slightly. The media is using it to stoke fear/panic: good lemmings know there's nothing you can do for your own health without a doctor's permission. Is this helplessness training?
- elliekelly 7y ago> The experts could give us something to do (presuming Science has learned something about viruses in the 100+ years since the great outbreaks) The experts have given us plenty of clearly articulated instructions. These instructions are repeated everywhere all day long. They are practically impossible to avoid. It seems you’ve noticed: > but all the media says is to make an effort to prevent your own infection by washing your hands, not touching your face, keeping your distance from everyone else, and "shelter in place". You may not like what the experts have told us to do but it’s clear you’re well aware of the prevailing expert advice.
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- perl4ever 7y agoChinese experts (or at least one in an article I read due to it being on HN) say that the major mistake so far in the West is not wearing masks. Not that there currently are enough for everyone, but still...
- yostrovs 7y agoOur experts said not to use face masks. There's a debate of whether to listen to the experts.
- pinkfoot 7y agoNo, the debate is how to recognise the experts.
- downerending 7y agoThis was, and I think still is, CDC advice. (Personally, I disagree, but I'm not an expert.)
- borplk 7y agoI think that's because they are worried about the supply limit. They are pushing that advice as a matter of prioritising the supply.
- appleiigs 7y agoFear-mongering article. The food industry has a high standard of safety and has dealt with e-coli, salmonella, and the list goes on. The have dealt with sick workers before too. EDIT: As an example, many many years ago i got a tour of a bakery that supplied Starbucks. Lab coat, booties, hair net, washed hands... for a bakery. Those same things that keep food safe will keep workers safe... and the workers are relatively lower skilled therefore can be replaced easily (unlike health-care).
- Noumenon72 7y agoIt's not mongering fear about contamination in the food, which should be fine. Every industry has had sick workers before, but many have shuttered. Rather than just helicopter dropping $2 trillion and going home, Congress should have been thinking about how to make sure that key industries can pay for safety measures and replacement workers. The price system could do that, but people call it "profiteering".
- appleiigs 7y agoAs I said, the same safety measures are already in place for food are good safety measures for the workers. And the workers are readily available. Many are already seasonal and temporary. On my friend's blueberry farm, workers are so temporary they'll start in the morning and quit by noon. Toilet paper buying was a media driven event. The media needs to be more responsible with fear driven click-bait.
- core-questions 7y ago> The media needs to be more responsible with fear driven click-bait. Concur. They've been clamouring for ages for laws to control what's "real news" and what's "fake news"; if they want regulation so badly, they can have some regulation to get them to consider the end impact of their articles, and whether the level of alarm they're extolling for clicks is truly warranted.