5 ms·

Flu was the perfect crisis hiding right under our noses. Variants have been circulating throughout the population causing a high number of deaths for all of mo

Flu was the perfect crisis hiding right under our noses. Variants have been circulating throughout the population causing a high number of deaths for all of modern history. Now that we’ve encountered a somewhat more deadly and contagious version than normal and the “danger” of this version has been super hyped, we’re quite sensitive to all flu related news, all flu variants, all flu deaths, etc. Confirmation bias at work. We’re now noticing something that was there all along: people die from the flu. Even if actual flu related deaths reverted to a pre-2020 level, I guarantee it would still be news. People will still be wearing masks, state/local governments will be enforcing mandates, etc. Couple the above with the fact that a group of bureaucrats have managed to seize an almost dictatorial amount of “emergency” powers, you can bet this isn’t going away anytime soon.

SketchySeaBeast 5y ago
You're aware the coronavirus isn't the flu, right? It's a totally different type of virus, completely unrelated to influenza.
conception 5y ago
> somewhat more deadly A magnitude more deadly. Flu's death rate is ~.1%, Covid's is about 2-3%.
- bequanna 5y ago
  That is an insane, alarmist claim if I ever saw one. The death rate is absolutely not 2-3%. What percentage of the population do think has been infected?
  - dotancohen 5y ago
    To be fair to GP, during the first few months of the pandemic - early to mid 2020 - this was the rate that was used in all publications. Though the rate might currently be known to be lower (or higher for all I know) this is the rate that I remember.
  - conception 5y ago
    Of cases reported, 2% have died. If you want to go with CDC estimates, it's about .6%, still 5X the flu. If you include all excess death's it's about .7-8%. Pick your number but COVID <> The Flu. I can't believe almost a million people have died and people still shrug it off as just the flu.
- helge9210 5y ago
  > Covid's is about 2-3%. 0.7% in Israel. Much much less if you exclude terminal cancer, obesity and immunosuppressed transplant recipients.
  - rvp-x 5y ago
    Remember that a third of the US is considered obese[1] and 10.5% of the population is diabetic[2], another common risk factor for covid. You probably know a lot of people are in those groups. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_obesity_rate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_obesity_r... [2] https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pdfs/data/statistics/national-diabetes-statistics-report.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pdfs/data/statistics/national-d...
  - bequanna 5y ago
    Right. So, an overwhelming majority of the people who “died from COVID” would have likely passed away in the near future from something unrelated. They just were unfortunate enough to catch COVID in their already incredibly fragile and deteriorating state and end up with COVID listed as their cause of death.
    - Zelizz 5y ago
      If a person with cancer is hit by a bus, their death is not and should not be attributed to cancer. Likewise, if someone with a critical illness is robbed of their last few months by COVID, then it is correct to attribute their death to COVID. The logic of "they were going to die anyways" means we might as well change every cause of death to "old age" or "natural causes", because if nothing else gets us, that's how we will all eventually die. But, of course, that would be stupid, and it would make death statistics meaningless - which is why we don't do it for COVID deaths.
    - helge9210 5y ago
      > in their already incredibly fragile and deteriorating state This state is called "dying". Dying people in ECU will develop pneumonia no matter what. If it would not be COVID, it would be their own gum bacteria.
- nradov 5y ago
  That is misinformation. The CDC estimates COVID-19 death rate to be 0.6%. And vaccination cuts that rate close to 0. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/burden.html https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/burd...
  - conception 5y ago
    Vaccination is moot as a point. And even then... ok... COVID is only FIVE times more deadly, not 10. It's not slightly more.
papaf 5y ago
Even if actual flu related deaths reverted to a pre-2020 level, I guarantee it would still be news. People will still be wearing masks, state/local governments will be enforcing mandates, etc. They were in pre-2020 for bad flu pandemics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_swine_flu_pandemic_in_Mexico#/media/File:2009_Mexican_military_giving_out_swine_flu_masks.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_swine_flu_pandemic_in_Mex...

SketchySeaBeast 5y ago

You're aware the coronavirus isn't the flu, right? It's a totally different type of virus, completely unrelated to influenza.

conception 5y ago

> somewhat more deadly A magnitude more deadly. Flu's death rate is ~.1%, Covid's is about 2-3%.

bequanna 5y ago
That is an insane, alarmist claim if I ever saw one. The death rate is absolutely not 2-3%. What percentage of the population do think has been infected?
- dotancohen 5y ago
  To be fair to GP, during the first few months of the pandemic - early to mid 2020 - this was the rate that was used in all publications. Though the rate might currently be known to be lower (or higher for all I know) this is the rate that I remember.
- conception 5y ago
  Of cases reported, 2% have died. If you want to go with CDC estimates, it's about .6%, still 5X the flu. If you include all excess death's it's about .7-8%. Pick your number but COVID <> The Flu. I can't believe almost a million people have died and people still shrug it off as just the flu.
helge9210 5y ago
> Covid's is about 2-3%. 0.7% in Israel. Much much less if you exclude terminal cancer, obesity and immunosuppressed transplant recipients.
- rvp-x 5y ago
  Remember that a third of the US is considered obese[1] and 10.5% of the population is diabetic[2], another common risk factor for covid. You probably know a lot of people are in those groups. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_obesity_rate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_obesity_r... [2] https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pdfs/data/statistics/national-diabetes-statistics-report.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pdfs/data/statistics/national-d...
- bequanna 5y ago
  Right. So, an overwhelming majority of the people who “died from COVID” would have likely passed away in the near future from something unrelated. They just were unfortunate enough to catch COVID in their already incredibly fragile and deteriorating state and end up with COVID listed as their cause of death.
  - Zelizz 5y ago
    If a person with cancer is hit by a bus, their death is not and should not be attributed to cancer. Likewise, if someone with a critical illness is robbed of their last few months by COVID, then it is correct to attribute their death to COVID. The logic of "they were going to die anyways" means we might as well change every cause of death to "old age" or "natural causes", because if nothing else gets us, that's how we will all eventually die. But, of course, that would be stupid, and it would make death statistics meaningless - which is why we don't do it for COVID deaths.
  - helge9210 5y ago
    > in their already incredibly fragile and deteriorating state This state is called "dying". Dying people in ECU will develop pneumonia no matter what. If it would not be COVID, it would be their own gum bacteria.
nradov 5y ago
That is misinformation. The CDC estimates COVID-19 death rate to be 0.6%. And vaccination cuts that rate close to 0. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/burden.html https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/burd...
- conception 5y ago
  Vaccination is moot as a point. And even then... ok... COVID is only FIVE times more deadly, not 10. It's not slightly more.

papaf 5y ago

Even if actual flu related deaths reverted to a pre-2020 level, I guarantee it would still be news. People will still be wearing masks, state/local governments will be enforcing mandates, etc. They were in pre-2020 for bad flu pandemics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_swine_flu_pandemic_in_Mexico#/media/File:2009_Mexican_military_giving_out_swine_flu_masks.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_swine_flu_pandemic_in_Mex...