This seems like a really big story that should have everyone questioning how bad things could get in America in short order. From Bloomberg:
**13 million students** across Japan will be kept at home for at least a month in what can only be called an unprecedented move, as Japan belatedly steps up its efforts to fight the coronavirus. Our story by me and @sophie_jackmanhttps://t.co/43RF1ejgHn
— Gearoid Reidy (@GearoidReidy) February 27, 2020
WTH aren’t they telling us?
Is there more going on in Japan than we know? https://t.co/n36rMulhaR
— Kelly Jane Torrance (@KJTorrance) February 27, 2020
To say we’re getting mixed messages on the COVID-19 coronavirus is an understatement. Here’s from today’s NYT:
Recommended
More than 80 percent of confirmed coronavirus cases are not severe, according to a large Chinese study. But mild symptoms could also make the epidemic harder to contain. https://t.co/5IAZY5MNBY
— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) February 27, 2020
This NYT article is telling us not to panic:
But government officials and medical experts, in their warnings about the epidemic, have also sounded a note of reassurance: Though the virus can be deadly, the vast majority of those infected so far have only mild symptoms and make full recoveries.
It is an important factor to understand, medical experts said, both to avoid an unnecessary global panic and to get a clear picture of the likelihood of transmission.
“Many people are now panicking, and some actually are exaggerating the risks,” said Dr. Jin Dongyan, a virology expert at the University of Hong Kong. “For governments, for public health professionals — they also have to deal with these, because these will also be harmful.”
So, is Japan panicking or what???
Oh, and for libs angry at President Trump for comparing COVID-19 to the flu, the NYT is quoting an expert who says it will be like the flu:
There are, broadly speaking, two possible outcomes of the current outbreak, Dr. Jin said. The new virus could, like SARS, another well-known coronavirus, become less and less transmissible as it spreads around the world, eventually dying out.
Alternatively, the new coronavirus could become well established in humans, becoming a kind of recurring, seasonal nuisance, like the flu, Dr. Jin said. In that situation, people would learn to live with it, and sometimes would contract illnesses from it; but the virus would most likely also lose some of its dangerousness as time went on. Experts could also develop a vaccine, Dr. Jin added.
So, he’s right? Again?
"Wash your hands, stay clean… View this as the same as the flu."
President Trump says the US is "totally prepared" for coronavirus, as he appoints Vice President Mike Pence to lead the government response. pic.twitter.com/gZ6vqUScUh
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) February 27, 2020
Pretty much:
This feels like the kind of Trump riff that people will be inclined to dunk on but "wash your hands and treat it like the flu” is, in fact, pretty much the advice from the experts as well.
— Sam Baker (@sam_baker) February 27, 2020
But, from our non-expert vantage point, we’re not seeing countries like China or Japan treat this like the flu. What gives?
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