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There's a lot of unknowns in those numbers - and a 50-100x increase in a somewhat rare condition isn't particularly helpful. We need solid number to make infor

There's a lot of unknowns in those numbers - and a 50-100x increase in a somewhat rare condition isn't particularly helpful. We need solid number to make informed decisions about risk. This isn't about whether to wear a mask or not (anyone with a brain wears a mask) - this is more about whether to shut down schools and the economy. > the scientists in question are experts, I trust them Agreed, but they still aren't giving us NUMBERS.

throwaway5752 6y ago
I don't know what you expect. This disease is about 8 months old and everyone is still learning a lot. First of all, you're being kind of demanding. Why don't you collect the numbers? The authors, in many cases, are busy on the side treating waves of critically ill covid-19 patients. Also, this is from the journal "Brain". It's not in a epidemiology journal. They are just neurologists describing a possible tie between a new virus and a constellation of neurological symptoms. https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/doi/10.1093/brain/awaa240/5868408 https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/doi/10.1093/brain/awa... They call for further study in their abstract. This is a new discovery and you want population statistics? They want population statistics, too. The NUMBERS don't exist yet, because they published this on THURSDAY.
- leereeves 6y ago
  Perhaps Reuters should have waited for more information before writing this article. Warning about a "potential wave of Covid-linked brain damage" when it's likely to be a rare complication is not responsible journalism.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - modmans2nd 6y ago
    Why? Because people shouldn’t know about something scientists are investigating or because you think Covid19 is over blown and this is just another thing in the bucket of “it’s not over blown” and you don’t like that?
    - gremlinsinc 6y ago
      Some people have a really bad day if you hurt their bucket of cognizant dissonance. They have an image of the world if you chip at it in any way, it just pisses them off. You can't convince these people. I'd like to say I've given up.... but my facebook feed says differently lol.
      - leereeves 6y ago
        Well, isn't this interesting. On this same thread I'm being downvoted for correcting another comment's outdated quote of the CDC's estimated IFR. I posted the latest (higher) figure from the CDC, which increased the estimated number of people who will die, and some folks didn't like that. And over here modmans is accusing me of thinking Covid19 is over blown, while you accuse me of cognitive dissonance. It seems to me that you simply dislike any suggestion that Covid19 is less serious than you think, while other people dislike any suggestion that Covid19 is more serious than they think. Here's what I think: I think honest, factual discussion of this topic is important, and that includes considering all facets of the evidence. I think describing a rare complication as a "potential wave" is overblown. And I think the level of discussion of this topic, even here on HN, is among the worst I've ever seen.
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
fzeroracer 6y ago
> this is more about whether to shut down schools and the economy. Can you give me any reason why schools should not be shutdown? What happens when teachers catch the virus? Is the expectation that they should come to work? If they're supposed to quarantine for 3ish weeks, who fills in for them? And what do you think happens when large portions of the school catch the virus, or kids catch it and bring it home to their parents and family?
- rurban 6y ago
  The reasons to keep schools open are simple: Kids from 1-10 are immune against COVID-19 and they don't spread the virus. The risk for kids 11-18 is lower than the risk to survive the traffic to school. The risk to transmit from those older kids to their parents or grandparents are higher, esp. with comorbidity factors. So parents need to decide by their own. Note that parents need to decide that for every years flu season. This year's flu season is pretty soft on kids, and higher risks on normal age groups - in the US only, everywhere else the risk is lower. Most countries are below the normal morbidity rates this flu season. next year's flu season will be H1N1, which has a much higher morbity, but vaccines.
  - koheripbal 6y ago
    Kids from 1-10 are not immune. They still carry and spread the virus. They just don't get very sick. There was a recent case locally where an infected child spread it to her entire daycare, infecting all the kids, and in turn infecting all the parents - one of whom died.
    - mrfusion 6y ago
      Do you have a link to that study?
- koheripbal 6y ago
  Because kids not going to school means parents can't go to work - which means they cannot pay their mortgage/rent. There are a lot of horrible things that happen when the economy shuts down.

throwaway5752 6y ago

I don't know what you expect. This disease is about 8 months old and everyone is still learning a lot. First of all, you're being kind of demanding. Why don't you collect the numbers? The authors, in many cases, are busy on the side treating waves of critically ill covid-19 patients. Also, this is from the journal "Brain". It's not in a epidemiology journal. They are just neurologists describing a possible tie between a new virus and a constellation of neurological symptoms. https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/doi/10.1093/brain/awaa240/5868408 https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/doi/10.1093/brain/awa... They call for further study in their abstract. This is a new discovery and you want population statistics? They want population statistics, too. The NUMBERS don't exist yet, because they published this on THURSDAY.

leereeves 6y ago
Perhaps Reuters should have waited for more information before writing this article. Warning about a "potential wave of Covid-linked brain damage" when it's likely to be a rare complication is not responsible journalism.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- modmans2nd 6y ago
  Why? Because people shouldn’t know about something scientists are investigating or because you think Covid19 is over blown and this is just another thing in the bucket of “it’s not over blown” and you don’t like that?
  - gremlinsinc 6y ago
    Some people have a really bad day if you hurt their bucket of cognizant dissonance. They have an image of the world if you chip at it in any way, it just pisses them off. You can't convince these people. I'd like to say I've given up.... but my facebook feed says differently lol.
    - leereeves 6y ago
      Well, isn't this interesting. On this same thread I'm being downvoted for correcting another comment's outdated quote of the CDC's estimated IFR. I posted the latest (higher) figure from the CDC, which increased the estimated number of people who will die, and some folks didn't like that. And over here modmans is accusing me of thinking Covid19 is over blown, while you accuse me of cognitive dissonance. It seems to me that you simply dislike any suggestion that Covid19 is less serious than you think, while other people dislike any suggestion that Covid19 is more serious than they think. Here's what I think: I think honest, factual discussion of this topic is important, and that includes considering all facets of the evidence. I think describing a rare complication as a "potential wave" is overblown. And I think the level of discussion of this topic, even here on HN, is among the worst I've ever seen.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]

fzeroracer 6y ago

> this is more about whether to shut down schools and the economy. Can you give me any reason why schools should not be shutdown? What happens when teachers catch the virus? Is the expectation that they should come to work? If they're supposed to quarantine for 3ish weeks, who fills in for them? And what do you think happens when large portions of the school catch the virus, or kids catch it and bring it home to their parents and family?

rurban 6y ago
The reasons to keep schools open are simple: Kids from 1-10 are immune against COVID-19 and they don't spread the virus. The risk for kids 11-18 is lower than the risk to survive the traffic to school. The risk to transmit from those older kids to their parents or grandparents are higher, esp. with comorbidity factors. So parents need to decide by their own. Note that parents need to decide that for every years flu season. This year's flu season is pretty soft on kids, and higher risks on normal age groups - in the US only, everywhere else the risk is lower. Most countries are below the normal morbidity rates this flu season. next year's flu season will be H1N1, which has a much higher morbity, but vaccines.
- koheripbal 6y ago
  Kids from 1-10 are not immune. They still carry and spread the virus. They just don't get very sick. There was a recent case locally where an infected child spread it to her entire daycare, infecting all the kids, and in turn infecting all the parents - one of whom died.
  - mrfusion 6y ago
    Do you have a link to that study?
koheripbal 6y ago
Because kids not going to school means parents can't go to work - which means they cannot pay their mortgage/rent. There are a lot of horrible things that happen when the economy shuts down.