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1,804 Posts
People are crazy. The panic is more of a threat than the virus. Slow times ahead for Uber drivers.
Rice University Classes Cancelled
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4,365 Posts
people are just freaked out in general about everything
another reason I enjoy not having people in my car
another reason I enjoy not having people in my car
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1,129 Posts
The corona virus scare is nothing but media hype and fearmongering. There is no epidemic in the USA and probably won’t be because of the precautions we are taking.
I would consider H1N1 flu to be closer to an epidemic. It’s killed more than 12000 people in the USA. Corona virus has killed about 20.
I would consider H1N1 flu to be closer to an epidemic. It’s killed more than 12000 people in the USA. Corona virus has killed about 20.
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1,804 Posts
That's true. However the recession is real and ground zero will be Houston. All the oil companies stocks are plummeting . There could be massive layoffs
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749 Posts
People should be asking why China locked down 700 million chinese for weeks. That is half their population. Nothing even close has ever happened in human history. They basically bombed their own economy, and it will take a long time for them to recover. While they say they are back in business, there are some reports to the contrary.
What we here should all hope for is that whatever strain of COVID-19 hits the U.S., it is not nearly as lethal as the one that caused the second largest economy in the world to shut itself down. And the Chinese are not known for transparency at all, so their official numbers of infected and dead should be taken with a grain of salt.
There are a lot of questions and a lot of disinformation and I don't claim to have many answers, but I think that calling COVID-19 nothing but media hype is a mistake. It will affect us, and it won't just be media hype. There will be some real problems to deal with. Might not last very long, but there will be problems.
As far as a timeline goes, taking in all that is known, the U.S. is not quite at the point of a large outbreak, but that time is coming soon, if we look at how it has worked in other coubtries, i.e., first cases reported, versus when the outbreaks really get going in said country. We will know pretty soon here exactly what might happen, and pretty soon might equal quite a few weeks, or this week. Hard to say.
My 2 cents on the matter.
Oh, and forgot to add...warmer weather is just around the corner, and assuming this thing doesn't do well in warmer weather, that might be the big save here, and hopefully it doesn't come back next winter.
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SARS did better in summer so I wouldn't count on it.
I'm sick of hearing this hasn't killed as many as the flu. Just want to add "YET ".
I think about 2 or 3 weeks ago there were 17 cases in Italy...
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Agreed. This one is dangerous. Good news from South Korea, though. Apparently they have slowed it way down in a short time
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8,994 Posts
This. Right there.
However dangerous (or not) the virus is, the economic damage is real.
The crash in oil prices is a result of the virus. The reduction in demand for oil is caused by the economic effects in China and by the effects on the travel industry. The airlines are cutting WAY back. A friend of mine who's a flight attendant for Spirit is worried about her job.
The reduction in demand has led directly to the falling out between the Saudis and the Russians. There's going to be a lot of collateral damage in their fight.
All that big construction going on right now in Houston - and there is a lot right now - is probably about to come to a schreeching halt. All that money is (or was, anyway) coming from somewhere, and that somewhere is oil.
When the money tap gets turned off, the effects are pretty significant.
Hang onto your a**. We're in for a wild ride. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll be able to get a good price on a house in the Heights before it's all over with.
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15,929 Posts
They have 12 hospital beds per 1000 people I think it is. We have 2.8. So if a lot of folks get sick we have far less capacity to treat them. They also jumped on this right away. Germany has announced "unlimited" funds to help with issues connected to this. 500 billion euros already pledged.
And us:. A CDC gutted by Trump, testing behind most other countries and right now satellites are seeing mass graves in Iran, so it's likely much worse there than they're saying. Which does not bode well for us with our crappy response and of course is worrisome as far as the middle East destabilizing more than it already is.
My SO wanted some chicken and the grocery stores are emptying of food now. He just went to work and the Kroger he passes has no parking spots available.
We always have shelf stable food because we're ready for hurricanes and floods here but he just wanted some chicken! Lol.
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749 Posts
I am up on all the "other" news that mainstream media will not talk about, too, and all I can say is ...I hope to hell some of it or all of it is not true. Been following it closely since day one. Hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. Everything you said is a real possibility.
And then there is the incredibly damaging impact to not just our economy, but the entire world. I can't even keep track of all the possible ways this event is affecting the economy. It is mind boggling.
I really miss the drive into Rice looking for my rider who is still in class when I arrive...after 10 minutes he calls and asks where am I ? Another 5 min he arrives with 4 of his friends and we are off to Torches tacos 2 min away ...Thanks and no tip...No thanks
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1,163 Posts
Ya, picking up at rice really sucks. Always the same stuff.
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