D&D and the rising pandemic

[Zardnaar]

Keep fighting the bug. The alternative is…

Well, Umbran pointed out earlier in this thread that a pandemic could be a species’ test in The Great Filter.

We've got very high vaccine rates. The various restrictions mostly collapsed and the birders gradually reopening (if you're vaccinated).
Milford track got booked out fast.

 

[Umbran]

While its death toll is relatively low...

So, it really isn't, though. It is at the moment the third leading cause of death in the US - Heart disease, Cancer, and Covid, in that order.

And covid is basically a single source, while there are many root causes of heart disease and a bazillion different cancers out there.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

So, it really isn't, though. It is at the moment the third leading cause of death in the US - Heart disease, Cancer, and Covid, in that order.

I meant as a percentage of infections. There’s diseases out there with fatality rates over 50%. Even at its peak, COVID never hit double digits, as I recall. Its comparatively low death rate was one of the reasons so many science-illiterate people asked why we were so concerned about COVID.

 

[Zardnaar]

I meant as a percentage of infections. There’s diseases out there with fatality rates over 50%. Even at its peak, COVID never hit double digits, as I recall. Its comparatively low death rate was one of the reasons so many science-illiterate people asked why we were so concerned about COVID.

Looks like Covids death toll will be around 4 times higher than the flu in total numbers and that's extrapolating to a year and it's trending down slowly.

Could also spike again idk.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Looks like Covids death toll will be around 4 times higher than the flu in total numbers and that's extrapolating to a year and it's trending down slowly.

Could also spike again idk.

That’s seasonal influenza’s numbers with tried and true vaccines widely distributed and a relatively high vaccination rate AND enough exposure as a species for there to be actual, measurable levels of immunity.

If influenza was as new to humanity as COVID and it had no vaccines, we might not be talking about COVID.

 

[NotAYakk]

On the other hand, the population death rates of the 1918 flu don't look that different than Covid 19 on an unvaccinated population without modern health care -- 0.64%. South Africa lost over 0.5% of their population to Covid 19 (excess deaths, not attributed; many people die from Covid without diagnosis, especially when it gets bad.)

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

On the other hand, the population death rates of the 1918 flu don't look that different than Covid 19 on an unvaccinated population without modern health care -- 0.64%. South Africa lost over 0.5% of their population to Covid 19 (excess deaths, not attributed; many people die from Covid without diagnosis, especially when it gets bad.)

Again, that’s still an old disease for which a nontrivial number of humans would have had natural immunity, an in an era where the vector of travel was MUCH smaller.

 

[GreyLord]

So, it really isn't, though. It is at the moment the third leading cause of death in the US - Heart disease, Cancer, and Covid, in that order.

And covid is basically a single source, while there are many root causes of heart disease and a bazillion different cancers out there.

Off topic slightly...but...

Did you know that some think that many cases of Heart Disease were caused by Leaded Gasline?! Even more so when exposed to it as a child (it also was attributed, or thought by some to have attributed to higher crime rates due to leads effect on the brain).

It would mean everyone born prior to the 80s and 90s would have a much higher chance of Heart Disease. It could be interesting to see if it decreases as the older generations die off.

 

[Ryujin]

Off topic slightly...but...

Did you know that some think that many cases of Heart Disease were caused by Leaded Gasline?! Even more so when exposed to it as a child (it also was attributed, or thought by some to have attributed to higher crime rates due to leads effect on the brain).

It would mean everyone born prior to the 80s and 90s would have a much higher chance of Heart Disease. It could be interesting to see if it decreases as the older generations die off.

Heart disease down, due to the removal of lead and cancer up, due to the addition of BTEX?

 

[billd91]

Heart disease down, due to the removal of lead and cancer up, due to the addition of BTEX?

Incidence of cancer or cancer deaths up?