3 ms·

If you want to talk about “real risk” then I think it’s only fair to ask you to define what that acceptable risk level is.

colordrops 5y ago
It's the job of those imposing restrictions to define the risk.
Thiez 5y ago
Almost 4000 children die each year from drowning in the USA, with double that having a non-fatal drowning [0]. Note that non-fatal drownings can cause long-term health problems. They haven't banned pools yet, so it follows that, as a country, the USA considers 4000 dead children an acceptable risk of having open water, such as rivers, ponds, and pools. And bath tubs, I suppose. Now with that number in mind, how many children are expected to die if all of them were to be infected with covid-19? I found it hard to find some numbers about this, in my country all corona-deaths of people aged 49 or less are grouped together these days because there are so few that they could be traced to individuals otherwise. [0]: https://www.cdc.gov/drowning/facts/index.html https://www.cdc.gov/drowning/facts/index.html
- ksaun 5y ago
  The information on that CDC page is misleading. While the page is about children, the text that mentions the 3960 annual drowning deaths does not specify "children," and the number seems to be across all age groups. This source states ~800 children deaths/year to be children (in 2014). [0] (I am not commenting on your overall point, just that statistic.) For reference, the CDC notes annual total US children deaths (if defining "children" as <= 14) as a little over 9000 (in 2019, I think). [1] [0] https://www.safekids.org/press-release/almost-800-kids-drown-each-year-more-half-are-under-age-5 https://www.safekids.org/press-release/almost-800-kids-drown... [1] https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/child-health.htm https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/child-health.htm
  - Thiez 5y ago
    Thanks for the correction! I guess I sound a bit callous in my previous post, but I'm quite happy to learn that 3000 fewer children drown each year than I anticipated (it did feel like a high number). The 800 deaths per year figure can still function as a comparison for the expected child deaths from covid-19.

colordrops 5y ago

It's the job of those imposing restrictions to define the risk.

Thiez 5y ago

Almost 4000 children die each year from drowning in the USA, with double that having a non-fatal drowning [0]. Note that non-fatal drownings can cause long-term health problems. They haven't banned pools yet, so it follows that, as a country, the USA considers 4000 dead children an acceptable risk of having open water, such as rivers, ponds, and pools. And bath tubs, I suppose. Now with that number in mind, how many children are expected to die if all of them were to be infected with covid-19? I found it hard to find some numbers about this, in my country all corona-deaths of people aged 49 or less are grouped together these days because there are so few that they could be traced to individuals otherwise. [0]: https://www.cdc.gov/drowning/facts/index.html https://www.cdc.gov/drowning/facts/index.html

ksaun 5y ago
The information on that CDC page is misleading. While the page is about children, the text that mentions the 3960 annual drowning deaths does not specify "children," and the number seems to be across all age groups. This source states ~800 children deaths/year to be children (in 2014). [0] (I am not commenting on your overall point, just that statistic.) For reference, the CDC notes annual total US children deaths (if defining "children" as <= 14) as a little over 9000 (in 2019, I think). [1] [0] https://www.safekids.org/press-release/almost-800-kids-drown-each-year-more-half-are-under-age-5 https://www.safekids.org/press-release/almost-800-kids-drown... [1] https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/child-health.htm https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/child-health.htm
- Thiez 5y ago
  Thanks for the correction! I guess I sound a bit callous in my previous post, but I'm quite happy to learn that 3000 fewer children drown each year than I anticipated (it did feel like a high number). The 800 deaths per year figure can still function as a comparison for the expected child deaths from covid-19.