gdubs

81 ms·

931.
by gdubs 7y ago
So the question according to those numbers is, are we prepared to hospitalize 10% of the 30% of people who may get infected in the United States? In particular, do we have enough ventilation beds, the isolation infrastructure, the staffing?
932.
by gdubs 7y ago
“Of course, it's also airborne“ This is new to me — I was under the impression that it could spread by droplets, but hadn’t heard anything definitive about being airborne?
933.
by gdubs 7y ago
Well, wondering when they’ll close schools. I’m somewhat surprised they haven’t yet. With the CDC saying it’s “not if but when”, I would think you’d want to take measures to contain the spread sooner rather than later. Kind of feels like we
934.
by gdubs 7y ago
I don’t think being scared should ever be a recommendation. Concerned, proactive, and calm are the way to go.
935.
by gdubs 7y ago
This is something we’ll really only know in hindsight, but it’s reminiscent of the reaction post-y2k. People put in a lot of work to ensure there wasn’t a crisis, but the media narrative was that it was an overreaction (igniting all the wor
936.
by gdubs 7y ago
Notice that I didn’t say anywhere that executives shouldn’t be paid more than workers. It’s a question of how much more. Right now executives make over 200 times more than an average worker, at a rate that’s increased more rapidly than wo
937.
by gdubs 7y ago
So, 1% of 50 year olds is somehow supposed to be comforting? In today’s world, 50 is... not very old. Also, not everyone gets diabetes, to take just one example. But the common cold — which this is similar to in many ways — lots of people
938.
by gdubs 7y ago
I mean, so you pay teachers more. Government jobs weren’t always vilified, nor heavily underfunded. The shift happened with Milton Friedman in the 60s and 70s.
939.
by gdubs 7y ago
I mean, sure, but if you turn on the TV the ads are for erectile disfunction drugs — that’s where the money is. When it comes to funding a vaccine that needs to go out to a few billion people who can’t afford it, I’d put my lot in with the
940.
by gdubs 7y ago
No one’s talking about pegging the salaries of the researchers who are in a completely different class than executive management. It’s a Straw Man argument.
941.
by gdubs 7y ago
The implication here is that reforming prices would destroy innovation in pharmaceuticals, but marketing costs dwarf R&D expenditures. These companies also benefit from huge, decades long investments by government in basic research. Edi
942.
by gdubs 7y ago
Maybe skip the bobbing for apples activity, but otherwise I would just keep an eye on things. If they’re still at school, then they’re plenty exposed there — so is a birthday party going to make the difference? Our daughters’ birthdays are
943.
by gdubs 7y ago
Well, I’d keep an eye on Singapore which has cases and is currently 88 degrees Fahrenheit and 70 miles from the equator.
944.
by gdubs 7y ago
It’s a federal agency — couldn’t that red tape be eliminated immediately? It’s not like Congress needs to pass a bill to do it.
945.
by gdubs 7y ago
I would think “when it makes sense” would be before transmission of unknown origin, not after. What people are looking for is an explanation as to why other countries are testing more vigorously, and the CDC so far has not. Why not start ra
946.
by gdubs 7y ago
There was a fairly in depth FP article back in January about cuts to the pandemic response budget, as well as the elimination of the pandemic czar / team that was created in response to the last Ebola outbreak: https://forei
947.
by gdubs 7y ago
It might sound trite — and maybe different info than you’re looking for — but I’ve been doing my best to get a good night’s sleep. And to continue to meditate daily. And to eat healthy. Reducing stress is — so I hear — good for the immune s
948.
by gdubs 7y ago
Clearly you’re failing to teach your children binary :P
949.
by gdubs 7y ago
To put the headline in context, this is a necessary move to unlock funding for preparation and potential mitigation.
950.
by gdubs 7y ago
Nassim Taleb (author of “Black Swan”) wrote a quick mini paper on the risks of Coronavirus back in January. I think this crowd on HN would be interested: https://www.academia.edu/41743064/Systemic_Risk_of_Pandemic_...
951.
by gdubs 7y ago
I the 21st century we should be able to do better then speculate and have a clear idea of what the proper response is to a virus like this or any other.
952.
by gdubs 7y ago
Curious, do you know how it is that a vaccine could potentially be developed for Wuhan coronavirus, whereas the common saying goes, “there’s no cure for the common cold”?
953.
by gdubs 7y ago
Just a reminder to people living in California that — viruses aside — it’s generally a good idea to be prepared to lose power for stretches.
954.
by gdubs 7y ago
Honest question: what would the correct response have been? What would it look like had this originated in the U.S., for instance, and what steps would have been taken. I keep wondering about the mass quarantines, their effectiveness, wheth
955.
by gdubs 7y ago
In California people are guaranteed 3 days. That’s not much when dealing with a flu-like illness. Additionally, it gives employers the right to cap the number accrued to 6 days.
956.
by gdubs 7y ago
According to Wikipedia the authority comes from H.R. 5122 signed into law by G.W. Bush in 2006, which “gave the president the power to declare martial law and to take command of the National Guard units of each state without the consent of
957.
by gdubs 7y ago
On top of the 25 million or so uninsured in America, there are a lot of underinsured who have gotten used to avoiding medical care due to the expense of even “covered” costs.
958.
by gdubs 7y ago
So, just one person to another on the internet: best of luck to you both, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding :) I remember very well the stress of wedding planning. In the end we eloped!
959.
by gdubs 7y ago
Hopefully we’ll get lucky with this one and it will “only” be a bit worse than the flu. We don’t know. The risks lie in the unknown. But, if this thing (or some other thing down the road) is bad, then won’t democracies essentially be faced
960.
by gdubs 7y ago
The CDC is a federal agency, no? The larger point is that the US, being a democracy is “messier”, to its potential advantage. It’s harder to suppress information. The dust-up with the NOAA and the White House last year over a hurricane is p

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