1) It is NOT the common cold. China did not take the measures it took for a cold or the flu. Those measures are unprecedented in history and basically tanked their economy. The same economy that keeps the CCP in power.
2) MOST of the bad outcomes are in the elderly or people with other health problems. But 'most' doesn't mean all. There are younger people that have not done well or died.
3) Mild disease in this case can mean double pneumonia. They only classify it as severe if you need supplemental oxygen. I had pneumonia when I was about 12 and it took a month to get over. Not fun.
4) This is a very hard disease to stop. It spreads before symptoms start, and can take 2-6 weeks to get over. Younger people under 30 may get very mild symptoms and not even know they have it. They then spread it to older people who will get very sick.
5) Due to the severity and length of sickness it will very easily overwhelm the hospital systems in every country. I've read in that Italy they can't even treat trauma or strokes or heart attacks because they are literally overwhelmed. People who get very sick require mechanical ventilation. Many of those people will get better with long term care. BUT there are a limited number of machines and critical care facilities. Some of those people who would otherwise get better might not get treatment.
6) Reinfection from what I've read is probably due to the person not clearing the infection the first time. At least that's what the infectious disease/virologist community think.
7) It's a new disease to humanity. It's very similar to SARS. Check out the 10 and 15 year studies of SARS survivors. Many of them have long term problems. If you go on a vent for a few weeks you're going to have long term issues. You don't just bounce back from requiring a machine to breathe. No one has immunity and there are no perfect treatments. That means medical staff get sick like everyone else at the same time. We saw that in China. It contributes to the hospitals being overwhelmed.
Look I'm 45 and in relatively good health. But I have high blood pressure and that's a risk factor. My main concern is my 77 year old mother. And my 56 year old sister who's a nurse and is going to be exposed to this at some point. And my 70 year old uncle who's had open heart surgery....you get the idea. I'd really rather not bury my extended family because of this. So we're going to be cautious.
I'd recommend Dr John Campbell's youtube channel. He's from the UK and he does daily updates based on the real science. No hype and no politics. Just the view of a doctor who breaks it down in a way the average person can understand.
Hello Everyone, My name is John Campbell and I am a retired Nurse Teacher and A and E nurse based in England. I also do some teaching in Asia and Africa when...
www.youtube.com