Corona Virus #7

[bdog]

This is not about what people have...it is all about what people can do. Right now quite a lot of people cannot work.

While I get what you are saying my point is people should have been better prepared and had emergency funds of 6-12 months. They are precisely for times when you can’t work for whatever reason. I certainly don’t want to kick people when they are down but it is quite sad the decisions and priorities people have had that led them to being in a bind after missing a few weeks of work.

Personally I avoid debt because to me it equates to risk. I could have a lot more cool things and my business could likely be much larger if I borrowed money but I can’t sleep well if I do so I don’t. When we bought our home we spent about 1/4 what the bank approved us for and paid it off in less than five years. I have always preached living like this to others because you never know what the future holds. People always look at me like I am stupid and don’t want to save they just want everything now.

 

[ruffdog]

I heard a good news story on the radio. Ventech and GM are partnering on project V to produce 10s of thousands of medical ventilators. This is what America can do with a team of people who know what they are doing.

Chris

They are also going to produce masks at the shuttered Warren plant.

 

[bdog]

I was reading that over 90% of Covid patients that end up on a vent die anyway. If you or a loved one were in that situation you would certainly want one available for that 10% chance of making it but if we as a nation are facing critical shortages of all kinds of medical gear it might be more wise to focus on things that could save more lives. What exactly I don’t know but getting every American some hand sanitizer and a mask would be a good start.

 

[Jstpssng]

^^^^^

Can you cite your source? As Abraham Lincoln famously said

you can find anything you want to read, if you google it on the internet.“

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Malaria Drug Helps Virus Patients Improve, in Small Study
Malaria Drug Helps Coronavirus Patients Improve, in Small Study - The New York Times

Although small, this study of hydroxychloroquine, done with appropriate control group, shows benefit for mildly ill patients with Covid-19 pneumonia. 25 of 31 in experimental treatment group improved compared to 17 of 31 in the control group. More importantly none of the treated group progressed to 都evere while 4 of the control group patients did. I致e only seen the NYT write up but Bill Schaffner, a straight shooter like Tony Fauci, seems to think it痴 action fits with theory that it modulates the overwhelming immune response which causes damage (cytokine storm). Good news especially if larger studies confirm the effectiveness. Of note this was studied only in mildly ill patients so not clear it will help in those who have progressed to serious pneumonia before treatment.

I hope there isn稚 any serious shortage because 努orried well have convinced their doctors to write prescriptions and non infected people have stashed it at home. This should be reserved for those with documented infections at this stage until adequate supplies and further evidence is available on prophylaxis.

One more point: this was a Chinese study so those of you who routinely have knee jerk instincts to bash the Chinese might reconsider your biases.

Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil)

Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) use in the USA must vary from region to region. Locally if you show up at the ER with major COVID-19 symptoms and you are admitted Plaquenil would be drug of choice for otherwise healthy persons since it has a long history of relative safe usage as an antiviral world wide and COVID-19 is caused by a virus.

I think most of us here realize in the next 30-90 days we or someone that we know may likely die from COVID-19 side effects. We also know that most likely none of us or our friends will die from the use of Plaquenil (Hydroxychloroquine) in the next 30-90 days so why fiddle when Rome is burning. Farmers tend to be more practical people so when a relative safe drug like Plaquenil is in our hand and we clearly show signs of this virus we will use it due to its known risk/reward ratio.

We all like a lots of big studies where n=100,000 (the number of people in the study) but at the end of the day our n=1 usage experience is all that counts in our own life.

Plaquenil is an Rx drug so there is always a doctor/pharmacist/other healthcare professional in the picture because the most safe drug can have serious side effects for some. While we may not understand the mechanism of action it does seem to have anti inflammatory effect hence why it can be used for arthritis and other cases of cytokine storm action with varying degrees of success. Most 60-100 year old people have a touch or more of arthritis.

 

[bdog]

^^^^^

Can you cite your source? As Abraham Lincoln famously said

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30633-4/fulltext

 

[riptides]

I get that. However a lot of people are just starting out. I recall that time when I had nothing to my name except a piece of paper and a pocket full of quarters.
People and small businesses start with nothing and day to day is razor thin. Just trying to survive.

These are the people we should be helping. They are the future. We must figure out a way to assist them.

While I get what you are saying my point is people should have been better prepared and had emergency funds of 6-12 months. They are precisely for times when you can’t work for whatever reason. I certainly don’t want to kick people when they are down but it is quite sad the decisions and priorities people have had that led them to being in a bind after missing a few weeks of work.

Personally I avoid debt because to me it equates to risk. I could have a lot more cool things and my business could likely be much larger if I borrowed money but I can’t sleep well if I do so I don’t. When we bought our home we spent about 1/4 what the bank approved us for and paid it off in less than five years. I have always preached living like this to others because you never know what the future holds. People always look at me like I am stupid and don’t want to save they just want everything now.

 

[D2Cat]

Quote Originally Posted by riptides View Post

"This is not about what people have...it is all about what people can do. Right now quite a lot of people cannot work."

I agree with bdog. Anyone who has lived life in a more frugal way will end up with more flexibility when things go other than normal. In the statement "it is about what people can do", is a direct reflection on "what they have". Simply said, the more you have, the more you can do. So what bdog is saying, if you save you can do (when others can't). Each one gets to choose their medicine.

 

[bdog]

I get that. However a lot of people are just starting out. I recall that time when I had nothing to my name except a piece of paper and a pocket full of quarters.
People and small businesses start with nothing and day to day is razor thin. Just trying to survive.

These are the people we should be helping. They are the future. We must figure out a way to assist them.

Definitely there are people who were caught off guard with this at the worst possible time. One example I saw on the news was a family who saved for years to open up a restaurant and they did a week before the shutdowns happened. As with any generalization there are always exceptions. I am just saying the vast majority of people in a pinch are in one because they spent every penny they made and saved nothing.

 

[k0ua]

Hey, I got some good news: it is April, and I don't have a house payment. Yep, paid it off in March. So see, there is SOME good news.. .... at least for me...