Oh, the young and the virus

[RetiredAt55.5]

So, my middle son is home from college - they closed campus for the duration of the semester (all courses will be online, starting 3/30).

He's stir crazy after 4 days, and wants to hang out with his friends at their house and play video games, etc.

I said I can't prevent you from going, but if you go out and get sick, we're all getting sick. He says to me "Dad, if I was going to get the virus, I would've gotten it already during spring break".

I thought he understood the seriousness of what's going on, but evidently not.

 

[Aerides]

How about "if you go, you can't come back"

 

[Nemo2]

When one considers the things that are apparently 'serious' and 'important' that (most) younger (and not so younger) people appear to focus on (and since a large percentage of them have never faced or been exposed to any adversity), is it any wonder that they can't analyze and extrapolate?

 

[euro]

How about "if you go, you can't come back"

This! Seriously!

 

[MichaelB]

Don’t be hard on him. People in general are more concerned with getting sick and not so much contaminating others.

 

[IBWino]

Maybe a simple math exercise will work to convince him (it worked on my brother-in-law).

The population of my county is approximately 500,000 people, and we only have about 800 hospital beds county-wide (90% already occupied on average). Current estimates are that the about 10% of people who contract COVID-19 get sick enough to require some hospitalization. That means that it would take less that 10,000 people contracting the virus simultaneously in my county (less than 2% of total population) to completely overwhelm the local hospitals.

-Wino

 

[Moemg]

It is not just the young several of our friends who are in their 70's with health conditions are out and about like nothing is going on.

 

[NW-Bound]

It is not just the young several of our friends who are in their 70's with health conditions are out and about like nothing is going on.

There are people who don't know the danger, and there are people who practice the YOLO philosophy. All we can do is to stay away from them.

 

[aja8888]

It is not just the young several of our friends who are in their 70's with health conditions are out and about like nothing is going on.

Same around here, but not my DW who is hooked to an O2 hose all the time. The problem is, I have to do all the errands and can bring "it' home by accident. I'm being careful, though.

Yesterday at WM while picking up one of DW's prescriptions, the store was crowded and many were folks with grey hair and clearly over 65.

 

[razztazz]

It is not just the young several of our friends who are in their 70's with health conditions are out and about like nothing is going on.

I noticed that. Two highly different demographics. Two perspectives. Same result. They both see it as having nothing much to lose. The young think they will live forever and will not be harmed. Which has been a universal and inherent trait of young people and without which no progress would have been made. The old, "Don't tell me I can't do that" mentality. And Old People reach a point where they are sort of easy with the idea of "If I die, I die, now don't bother me." Vulnerability equals invulnerability. 'I can't do the 70 or 80 years over again and they can't make me.'

 

[ivinsfan]

So in law relative RN administers chemo. Mother babysits . the nurse lets 4 other local kids in for Grammy to babysit. After work parents all meet at the house and have happy hour.

Not like chemo patients have immune system problems��

 

[donheff]

Are these 70 somethings actually “out and about?” I have been out to the grocery store- Peapod is booked for weeks. I am also out frequently on solo walks and bike rides for mental and physical health. I don’t see that as unsafe and even France with their draconian lockdown permits that. But I might appear to be out and about to others.

 

[Fermion]

I am starting to think the reaction is worse than the virus. This is tearing up the economy which will lead to many years of lower quality of life for a lot of people.

 

[timo2]

The 20 somethings are a problem. Many of them are carriers, according to the Korean Data as analyzed by Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding: "I’m NERVOUS again- about young adults. Korea’s pop wide #COVID19 tests have revealed something scary: YOUNG PEOPLE are leading carriers. (Italy only tests the rather sick, biases to old people). If the socially active age20-29 truly carry 30% of all cases— that means trouble! "

https://twitter.com/x/status/1239041092978343937

 

[timo2]

This Washington Post simulation explains the spread somewhat, if you son is technical at all. It won't let me copy text, so I can't post an excerpt.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/corona-simulator/

 

[timo2]

Are these 70 somethings actually “out and about?” I have been out to the grocery store- Peapod is booked for weeks. I am also out frequently on solo walks and bike rides for mental and physical health. I don’t see that as unsafe and even France with their draconian lockdown permits that. But I might appear to be out and about to others.

The golf courses are really busy in my area, as people are home and can social distance on the course.

 

[donheff]

The 20 somethings are a problem. Many of them are carriers, according to the Korean Data as analyzed by Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding: "I’m NERVOUS again- about young adults. Korea’s pop wide #COVID19 tests have revealed something scary: YOUNG PEOPLE are leading carriers. (Italy only tests the rather sick, biases to old people). If the socially active age20-29 truly carry 30% of all cases— that means trouble! "

https://twitter.com/x/status/1239041092978343937

It may be that with wider testing Italy (and the US) are actually more like South Korea. When you only test the very sick you get skewed data. GIGO. All the more reason for us oldsters to hunker down.

 

[Gumby]

The 20 somethings are a problem. Many of them are carriers, according to the Korean Data as analyzed by Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding: "I’m NERVOUS again- about young adults. Korea’s pop wide #COVID19 tests have revealed something scary: YOUNG PEOPLE are leading carriers. (Italy only tests the rather sick, biases to old people). If the socially active age20-29 truly carry 30% of all cases— that means trouble! ��"

And yet, it seems to me, 20 somethings are the people mostly likely to suffer lasting economic harm the longer this drags out. Even if they are less likely to be physically harmed by the virus.

 

[Fermion]

And yet, it seems to me, 20 somethings are the people mostly likely to suffer lasting economic harm the longer this drags out. Even if they are less likely to by physically harmed by the virus.

They are probably thinking of all the money they are about to inherit

 

[MissMolly]

An 8-month old baby in Kentucky has been diagnosed with COVID-19 - so the neither the young nor the very young are immune to this.

 

[NW-Bound]

Yes, infants do get infected. However, I read somewhere a report on several cases that they suffered little, and recovered fine on their own.

As the virus attacks the lungs, apparently old lungs with worn-out cells are more susceptible. Eventually, perhaps a pattern will emerge that people who live in congested and polluted cities are at a higher risk than people living in clean air countryside.

 

[harley]

It is not just the young several of our friends who are in their 70's with health conditions are out and about like nothing is going on.

My 72 y.o. neighbor came over today to tell us the American Legion was closed through the end of the month. He spends most of his time there, and has a small but valuable to him job there. So he's just back from hanging out there and he walks over to talk to us. I told him to keep his distance, and he says "sure", but he kept trying to walk into our bubble, which had me dancing across the lawn to stay away from him. He just doesn't get it. He hears the words, but they don't make it into his conscious mind. So he tries to keep doing what he's always done. And he's sickly as hell. You'd think he'd be more aware.

 

[NW-Bound]

My 72 y.o. neighbor came over today to tell us the American Legion was closed through the end of the month. He spends most of his time there, and has a small but valuable to him job there. So he's just back from hanging out there and he walks over to talk to us. I told him to keep his distance, and he says "sure", but he kept trying to walk into our bubble, which had me dancing across the lawn to stay away from him. He just doesn't get it. He hears the words, but they don't make it into his conscious mind. So he tries to keep doing what he's always done. And he's sickly as hell. You'd think he'd be more aware.

You need to be holding a 10-foot pole.

I happen to have a couple for my pool brush and vacuum.

 

[Fermion]

I am eating garlic and have stopped brushing my teeth. Helps with the distancing.

 

[dixonge]

Kids!

“If I get corona, I get corona. At the end of the day, I'm not gonna let it stop me from partying”: Spring breakers are still flocking to Miami, despite coronavirus warnings.

https://t.co/KoYKI8zNDH