My Brother-in-Law is in Isolation for Coronavirus

[RiverDog]

Well, now you guys can say that you know someone that has a family member affected by the coronavirus.

My brother-in-law, age 57 and in good overall health, was recently in Taiwan and has been feeling ill with flu-like symptoms for several weeks, getting gradually worse until yesterday when it got so bad that he couldn't even get off the couch. His step daughter called 911 and my brother-in-law, very groggy and not completely aware of what was going on, said people in space suits showed up to haul him off to the hospital and placed him in isolation where he remains this morning.

He's tested positive for the flu but they won't have the test results for the coronavirus back for another 24 hours. If he tests positive, they will take him back home where he is to self quarantine. If he tests negative, he'll remain in the hospital where he'll continue treatment for the flu, with their main concern being pneumonia. Yea, that sounds strange to me, too.

Anyhow, like I said, now you guys can tell people that you know someone that is suspected of having the coronavirus.

[curmudgeon]

Yikes! Is he located in the Tri-Cities?

[RiverDog]

Yikes! Is he located in the Tri-Cities?

I guess that I forgot to mention that. He lives in Everett, WA, and is in the hospital there. We haven't actually seen him for over a year.

[c_hawkbob]

I hope he recovers of course, but it seems a bit irresponsible to me for him to have waited this long (or even at all) to see a Dr., especially after having just traveled to Asia and with the known outbreaks of Covid 19 ... does he not watch the news or use the internet?

[RiverDog]

I hope he recovers of course, but it seems a bit irresponsible to me for him to have waited this long (or even at all) to see a Dr., especially after having just traveled to Asia and with the known outbreaks of Covid 19 ... does he not watch the news or use the internet?

Actually he's a maintenance tech for the school district, so yea, he's obviously aware of events. He's had very mild flu symptoms for quite some times. I have yet to talk to him so I don't want to comment on why he waited as long as he did but it's very common for people not to even think twice about a rather routine cough, which is one of the dangers of this virus as most cases involve very mild symptoms that are impossible to distinguish from the flu or a common cold. In hindsight, of course, he should have taken it more seriously and contacted his physician, but irresponsible is a pretty strong term that IMO doesn't apply in this situation.

Also, I want to correct something I stated in the OP. I got my Tai's mixed up. He's recently been to Thailand in the Chaing Mai province in northern Thailand, not Taiwan. Like many areas, they've had some reported cases, but it's a little further from the epicenter than Taiwan.

[Aseahawkfan]

Well, that is by me. So I guess I get to test my immune system against this coronavirus at some point. Not looking forward to it, but what choice do we have. Washington State has a huge Asian population and I work in Seattle and take the bus. I know at some point there will be sick people on the bus and wandering around Seattle.

This guy worked for the school district and went into school with the flu? Not sure what he was thinking. They should have a plan for that at schools.

[RiverDog]

Well, that is by me. So I guess I get to test my immune system against this coronavirus at some point. Not looking forward to it, but what choice do we have. Washington State has a huge Asian population and I work in Seattle and take the bus. I know at some point there will be sick people on the bus and wandering around Seattle.

This guy worked for the school district and went into school with the flu? Not sure what he was thinking. They should have a plan for that at schools.

Where was it that I said he went into school? All I said was that he works for the school district as a maintenance tech. He could have be working at the shop for all I know. My impression is that he's been off on vacation. Unlike a teacher, he works year round.

I'm not sure of his specific activities, but I do know that he's been off work for some time as he just bought a house in Thailand and is in the process of selling his house in Everett...he's worried because he has to be out of his house in two weeks..and bought a 5th wheel and a lot in Gold Bar where he's going to live for the next few years until he retires. His wife is a native of Thailand.

[curmudgeon]

Seems the Seattle Times has deemed Snohomish County as the outbreak’s epicenter.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/coronavirus-kirkland-seattle-updates-tuesday/

[Aseahawkfan]

Where was it that I said he went into school? All I said was that he works for the school district as a maintenance tech. He could have be working at the shop for all I know. My impression is that he's been off on vacation. Unlike a teacher, he works year round.

I'm not sure of his specific activities, but I do know that he's been off work for some time as he just bought a house in Thailand and is in the process of selling his house in Everett...he's worried because he has to be out of his house in two weeks..and bought a 5th wheel and a lot in Gold Bar where he's going to live for the next few years until he retires. His wife is a native of Thailand.

If he works at a school, has he been going into work sick? You made it sound like this guy has been sick for several weeks. If he's been sick for several weeks, has he been off that whole time? For several weeks? Or has he been going into work sick risking spreading it around a school without getting checked?

The way you wrote sounds like this guy works at a school and he's been sick for several weeks thus making it seem like he's been going into work sick unless he's been off all that time. I can't wait take several weeks off work, maybe he can. If I had been sick several weeks, I'd have had to go into work sick.

It seems like a pretty natural assumption given the information you gave us.

[RiverDog]

If he works at a school, has he been going into work sick? You made it sound like this guy has been sick for several weeks. If he's been sick for several weeks, has he been off that whole time? For several weeks? Or has he been going into work sick risking spreading it around a school without getting checked?

The way you wrote sounds like this guy works at a school and he's been sick for several weeks thus making it seem like he's been going into work sick unless he's been off all that time. I can't wait take several weeks off work, maybe he can. If I had been sick several weeks, I'd have had to go into work sick.

It seems like a pretty natural assumption given the information you gave us.

I said that my brother-in-law works for the school district in maintenance. I don't know how much more detail I could have given you that would have caused you not to have made such an erroneous assumption, one that you are continuing to make as not everyone that works for a school district "goes to school". School districts have offices, shops, and other facilities besides schools. He does not often come in close contact with children or teachers, no more so than a vendor or a UPS delivery person. Additionally, there's a difference between experiencing some symptoms and going to work sick. In retrospect, he was sick for at least a week, but he didn't know it until he became very ill this past weekend.

You and C-bob are passing judgment without knowing the full story. Hell, I don't even know the full story because I don't know how severe the symptoms were that he claimed to have had last week. Knowing now what he didn't know last week, of course he would have called a doctor earlier than he did. You're looking at the situation with the clarity of 20/20 hindsight. Even if he did call his doctor, it's not at all certain that they would have told him to do anything differently than he ended up doing, which was to stay home and limit his contact with others. They've been telling people with symptoms NOT to go to an immediate care clinic or emergency room, rather to call their provider.

My wife spoke with him again this afternoon. He did work last week, but the closest he came to any students or teachers was when he repaired a projector in an empty classroom. Today he called the school district and told him of his situation and they didn't act like they were all that concerned, didn't even ask him of his activities last week, just told him to call them when the test results came back in. They were, in his words, not very alarmed or inquisitive.

Another update: The hospital originally thought that they could do the test within 6 hours, but it turns out that they had to send his sample to UW Medical Center which just got approval to run the test and that it will take until sometime tomorrow to get his results. It sure sounds like reaction to this has been pretty slow.

[c_hawkbob]

Sorry to have ruffled your feathers, and while I sure didn't feel as though I was "passing judgement" I still maintain that it was irresponsible of him not to get himself checked sooner in light of having just returned from a trip to Asia and amid all the news and commentary about covid-19 right now.

My brother died of melanoma because he failed to see a doctor soon enough after feeling symptomatic even though he'd just had the cancer removed from his back several months sooner so I may be a bit sensitive to the topic.

[RiverDog]

Sorry to have ruffled your feathers, and while I sure didn't feel as though I was "passing judgement" I still maintain that it was irresponsible of him not to get himself checked sooner in light of having just returned from a trip to Asia and amid all the news and commentary about covid-19 right now.

My brother died of melanoma because he failed to see a doctor soon enough after feeling symptomatic even though he'd just had the cancer removed from his back several months sooner so I may be a bit sensitive to the topic.

Concluding that that someone is "irresponsible" sure sounds to me like your passing judgment. It's these terms you guys are throwing around very loosely, like he "just" returned from Asia or "went to school" without knowing the specifics that's "ruffled my feathers". Is having arrived back from Asia a month ago qualify as "just"? Is going to work at a shop the same thing as "going to school"?

That sucks about your brother, so yea, I can give you a pass for being 'overly sensitive'. I'm just telling you guys that I don't have a lot of specifics so it's difficult for us to conclude what mistakes, if any, he might have made.

[c_hawkbob]

Observations and conclusion, different things.

I'll leave this alone now.

[RiverDog]

Observations and conclusion, different things.

I'll leave this alone now.

"Irresponsible" isn't an observation. It's an adjective that describes an action or inaction. It's your opinion, not some factual observation.

[idhawkman]

Well, now you guys can say that you know someone that has a family member affected by the coronavirus.

My brother-in-law, age 57 and in good overall health, was recently in Taiwan and has been feeling ill with flu-like symptoms for several weeks, getting gradually worse until yesterday when it got so bad that he couldn't even get off the couch. His step daughter called 911 and my brother-in-law, very groggy and not completely aware of what was going on, said people in space suits showed up to haul him off to the hospital and placed him in isolation where he remains this morning.

He's tested positive for the flu but they won't have the test results for the coronavirus back for another 24 hours. If he tests positive, they will take him back home where he is to self quarantine. If he tests negative, he'll remain in the hospital where he'll continue treatment for the flu, with their main concern being pneumonia. Yea, that sounds strange to me, too.

Anyhow, like I said, now you guys can tell people that you know someone that is suspected of having the coronavirus.

Personally, I think the Covid-19 is much more prevalent than what has been reported. The tests for it were tainted and the hospitals are just now getting the new good tests to see who really has it. The big difference between the common cold and this virus is that the cold virus likes to live in the nose, mouth, throat and stomache whereas this virus likes the lungs.

Hopefully your B-I-L is okay and recovers. I saw where most of the fatalities are in people aged 70+ but outside the U.S. it has hit even mid 30's people.

[Aseahawkfan]

I said that my brother-in-law works for the school district in maintenance. I don't know how much more detail I could have given you that would have caused you not to have made such an erroneous assumption, one that you are continuing to make as not everyone that works for a school district "goes to school". School districts have offices, shops, and other facilities besides schools. He does not often come in close contact with children or teachers, no more so than a vendor or a UPS delivery person. Additionally, there's a difference between experiencing some symptoms and going to work sick. In retrospect, he was sick for at least a week, but he didn't know it until he became very ill this past weekend.

You and C-bob are passing judgment without knowing the full story. Hell, I don't even know the full story because I don't know how severe the symptoms were that he claimed to have had last week. Knowing now what he didn't know last week, of course he would have called a doctor earlier than he did. You're looking at the situation with the clarity of 20/20 hindsight. Even if he did call his doctor, it's not at all certain that they would have told him to do anything differently than he ended up doing, which was to stay home and limit his contact with others. They've been telling people with symptoms NOT to go to an immediate care clinic or emergency room, rather to call their provider.

My wife spoke with him again this afternoon. He did work last week, but the closest he came to any students or teachers was when he repaired a projector in an empty classroom. Today he called the school district and told him of his situation and they didn't act like they were all that concerned, didn't even ask him of his activities last week, just told him to call them when the test results came back in. They were, in his words, not very alarmed or inquisitive.

Another update: The hospital originally thought that they could do the test within 6 hours, but it turns out that they had to send his sample to UW Medical Center which just got approval to run the test and that it will take until sometime tomorrow to get his results. It sure sounds like reaction to this has been pretty slow.

Hopefully it comes up negative. Doesn't surprise me they don't seem to care. The reality is that they can take as many precautions as they want, if this gets going we're going to get hit by it. It will be up to our immune systems to see who keeps standing, like every major plague we've had. I can see not going crazy sending the sick out to spread it. At the same time it's very hard to stop viruses like this from spreading.

I was going on the information you gave. Not really judgment so much as surprise. You have to admit that a guy going around sick for several weeks with this corona virus in the news and going into places with other workers and possibly kids is a little strange. If I had symptoms even close to that long, I'd be going into the doctor and I don't usually like to go in to the doctor. I figured you were maybe not fully up on the story because several weeks sick sounded off to me. A few weeks I can see, but several weeks sounded strange.

[RiverDog]

Personally, I think the Covid-19 is much more prevalent than what has been reported. The tests for it were tainted and the hospitals are just now getting the new good tests to see who really has it. The big difference between the common cold and this virus is that the cold virus likes to live in the nose, mouth, throat and stomache whereas this virus likes the lungs.

Hopefully your B-I-L is okay and recovers. I saw where most of the fatalities are in people aged 70+ but outside the U.S. it has hit even mid 30's people.

You're spot on. The CDC decided that they didn't want to go with the tests being ran in other places in the world and only place they performed was in Georgia. Just recently, the CDC approved UW to run the CDC's test, which explains why they had originally told my brother-in-law that his test would be done within about 6 hours.

You're also correct in that the coronavirus is more likely to show up as a cough vs. nasal congestion and head stuffiness. Indeed, the WHO has just 3 symptoms listed: Fever, cough, and shortness of breath. My brother-in-law was absent the fever, which explains why they don't suspect coronavirus.

The other thing about the mortality rate is that it's skewed due to the inclusion of China. According to WebMD, as of February 21st, there were over 2200 deaths from coronavirus in China, by far the most deaths in the world from it, and about 47% of Chinese males smoke. It's logical to assume that it's even higher in older males. That makes them much more susceptible to a respiratory disease like coronavirus.

https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/2020022 ... rs-smokers

Thanks for your well wishes regarding my brother-in-law. They still haven't received the test results as apparently UW is swamped but they have moved him to another floor that isn't quite as isolated as where they had him.

[RiverDog]

Hopefully it comes up negative. Doesn't surprise me they don't seem to care. The reality is that they can take as many precautions as they want, if this gets going we're going to get hit by it. It will be up to our immune systems to see who keeps standing, like every major plague we've had. I can see not going crazy sending the sick out to spread it. At the same time it's very hard to stop viruses like this from spreading.

I was going on the information you gave. Not really judgment so much as surprise. You have to admit that a guy going around sick for several weeks with this corona virus in the news and going into places with other workers and possibly kids is a little strange. If I had symptoms even close to that long, I'd be going into the doctor and I don't usually like to go in to the doctor. I figured you were maybe not fully up on the story because several weeks sick sounded off to me. A few weeks I can see, but several weeks sounded strange.

A little more information. My brother-in-law has been extremely busy recently. The reason he went to Thailand was to buy a house. He paid $55K for a 3 bedroom 2k sq feet newer home and will live there about 50% of the time when he retires. Simultaneously, he had sold his house in Everett and is to close on it in two weeks, bought a 5th wheel and two lots at an RV-style resort in Gold Bar, and was still working a full time job at the school district in Bellevue. His wife, a Thai native, never learned to drive so he has to driver her back and forth to work. That's not an excuse for overlooking his symptoms, but it does explain why he didn't want to take the time to call the doctor about what he thought was a trivial cough. The point is that consider himself "sick" and certainly didn't associate such a mild symptom as coronavirus.

The doctors are getting up to speed on the coronavirus and its symptoms so they must sound pretty confident that he doesn't have it. I'm only speculating, but the school district as large as Bellevue's must have hundreds of these potential cases floating around which could explain why they aren't that concerned with his plight. He told my wife that they should have his results by this PM.

[idhawkman]

I'm a little jealous of your brother in law to be honest. Thailand is one of two places in the world that I felt like crying when it came time for me to leave. I loved it there.

[RiverDog]

My BIL still hasn't received the test results for coronavirus, but doctors are convinced that he doesn't have it and after many phone calls, discharged him to self quarantine as they needed the bed space badly. His flu symptoms improved dramatically, which apparently is one of the things that's different from coronavirus.

Edit: Here's a copy and paste of his comments from his Facebook page:

OK, I'm sure you are all sick of the Coronavirus news as I am. I had a rather funny, but extremely frightening experience for the last 3 days. I have been in the hospital, Providence Everett, in an isolated room, being tested and suspected of being a carrier of COVID-19. This is not a joke. It was all too real for me. I was as skeptical as anyone when this Coronavirus hype first started. I recently flew to Thailand to visit my son as well as do some business. We went through several other countries on the way to Thailand( never to China). I started having a scratchy throat 2 days before returning to the U.S. I thought it was just the AC in our hotel room was too low. We got back to the U.S. I had some coughing, but nothing major.

I went back to work last Thur, and attended our weekly tech meeting. My coughing didn't improve that night I took the rest of the week off. I bought a thermometer to monitor my temp. Never over 100. Monday morning comes, and I CANNOT get out of bed. I somehow told my wife to grab an Uber to work as I am incapable of driving. My wife called me twice from work, I don't hear or remember a thing. I'm out of it. My daughter calls and I mumble something to her. She doesn't even recognize me so she calls 911 to have the paramedics come check on me. They come in almost full body suits, masks, the works. Im classified as a suspected Covid-19 virus victim. I am a a slightly overweight male in his 50's, have a temp of over 103, I have heavy chest congestion, I have muscle aches, nausea, the works, but worst yet. I HAVE TRAVELED RECENTLY TO ASIA. I meet all the criteria and every parameter of a Coronavirus patient.

They rush me to Providence Hospital in a specially sanitized van. I am rushed into an isolated room, hooked up to IV's in an isolated room. I got bombarded with questions about my travels to Asia. Why I was there, why did I go when there was Corona Virus everywhere. Didn't I know any better, etc. I took 3 tests, I DID test positive. I tested positive for Influenza B. I was promised over and over they would get my Coronavirus test results back in less than 24 hrs. Meanwhile I stayed in isolation with 1 nurse assigned to me, and she had to have the full protective body suit on every minute while in my room. She then completely disinfected every time she left. What a nightmare. I finally got the results in, no Coronavirus for me. It is now 11 PM Wednesday and I'm finally home. I never thought it would happen to me, but it did. Now you can say you know someone as well. Cheers.

[Aseahawkfan]

Great update on your brother-in-law. Flu is still killing way more than the coronavirus, but you wouldn't know it by the hype.

I had symptoms exactly like the coronavirus a few months back. It started off as what I thought was a cold. I had sort of itchy nasal passages. I had a cough and fever. I couldn't breathe all that well per usual, so I just rested constantly. I finally got over the fever. Usually when I get a over a cold. I have to blow my nose a ton and get the dark green mucus out. This time I didn't. I had a very minor runny nose, but I was hacking crap out of my lungs for a week or more. I didn't feel sick. I just keep hacking mucus out of lungs as I coughed to get whatever was in my lungs out. It was pretty mild, but lasted a while. I got it from a bunch of other people sick at work. I usually don't get sick from the common crap, so I figured it was some new strain going around.

I'm seriously wondering about the way they are hyping this up. I've read as much as I can and this doesn't seem even as bad as the flu. Yet to see how the media is hyping it and people are reacting, you would think the end of the world is nigh. This seems like another example of the power of the modern media and speed with which it disseminates information over the internet. Sheesh. The fear of the disease is more stressful than the disease itself.

[RiverDog]

Great update on your brother-in-law. Flu is still killing way more than the coronavirus, but you wouldn't know it by the hype.

I had symptoms exactly like the coronavirus a few months back. It started off as what I thought was a cold. I had sort of itchy nasal passages. I had a cough and fever. I couldn't breathe all that well per usual, so I just rested constantly. I finally got over the fever. Usually when I get a over a cold. I have to blow my nose a ton and get the dark green mucus out. This time I didn't. I had a very minor runny nose, but I was hacking crap out of my lungs for a week or more. I didn't feel sick. I just keep hacking mucus out of lungs as I coughed to get whatever was in my lungs out. It was pretty mild, but lasted a while. I got it from a bunch of other people sick at work. I usually don't get sick from the common crap, so I figured it was some new strain going around.

I'm seriously wondering about the way they are hyping this up. I've read as much as I can and this doesn't seem even as bad as the flu. Yet to see how the media is hyping it and people are reacting, you would think the end of the world is nigh. This seems like another example of the power of the modern media and speed with which it disseminates information over the internet. Sheesh. The fear of the disease is more stressful than the disease itself.

Last I've heard is that he still hasn't received the results of the coronavirus test that they took last Monday. However, he's much improved but still under quarantine but now his wife is sick. We were actually planning on driving over to see him in April until all this came down.

I agree, it's way over hyped but it is important to recognize the differences between this and the flu. They as yet don't have a vaccine for it and it spreads much easier as the symptoms aren't as recognizable,. Even so, it shows just how stupid people are. On Tuesday, our local Costco store sold 4800 cases of bottled water in just 2 hours and they stocked out supplies of toilet paper. I can understand there being a run on cleaning supplies like paper towels, but water? Do people think that water might quit coming out of our faucets? And all these ineffective surgical masks that people keep buying. But the good thing is that it's teaching us some good habits, like washing our hands more frequently, avoiding touching our faces, wiping down countertops and door knobs.

I have a trip planned to Iceland in June. Hopefully they'll be on top of it by then.

[Aseahawkfan]

Last I've heard is that he still hasn't received the results of the coronavirus test that they took last Monday. However, he's much improved but still under quarantine but now his wife is sick. We were actually planning on driving over to see him in April until all this came down.

I agree, it's way over hyped but it is important to recognize the differences between this and the flu. They as yet don't have a vaccine for it and it spreads much easier as the symptoms aren't as recognizable,. Even so, it shows just how stupid people are. On Tuesday, our local Costco store sold 4800 cases of bottled water in just 2 hours and they stocked out supplies of toilet paper. I can understand there being a run on cleaning supplies like paper towels, but water? Do people think that water might quit coming out of our faucets? And all these ineffective surgical masks that people keep buying. But the good thing is that it's teaching us some good habits, like washing our hands more frequently, avoiding touching our faces, wiping down countertops and door knobs.

I have a trip planned to Iceland in June. Hopefully they'll be on top of it by then.

They're already on top of it. This disease has likely been circulating for months prior to the hype. After the media hyped it up, they started checking for it whereas before they were like this is just a cold. Even the listed info on the virus has 80% of people asymptomatic or minor symptoms. It just blew up because of China and a lack of ability to do math. 90000 people in China is still noting compared to their 1.4 billion population. The only reason we know about this virus in the United States is because they finally started checking. Look at your brother-in-law, takes how long for a test? Days? Hours? You think they were even checking before China blew up for a sickness this mild? Hell no. I had a bunch of workers where I work sick with symptoms like COVID going to the doctor, yet they were just getting sent home with a "Rest and get better" diagnosis with no testing. They were very weird symptoms like mild dry cough, sore throats and coughing without the usual mucus with one or two days of serious symptoms, and other niggling little symptoms. This is just ridiculous.

I wouldn't be surprised if we're the ones that were sick with this thing first, then it went to China, then bounced back here after they started checking. Once the media gets a hold of it and starts blowing it up with articles listing deaths and number of cases, people start losing their damn minds.

The really astounding people are the ones comparing this to the Spanish Flu which killed 25 million people. This isn't even close to that, yet we're seeing articles of comparison. I swear, the modern media is one of the most powerful forces in the world. They can really wind people up in an awful way.

[RiverDog]

They're already on top of it.

They're behind in their testing (my BIL STILL doesn't have his test results), they don't have a vaccination for it, and it hasn't peaked. I'd say that they're behind the curve.

This disease has likely been circulating for months prior to the hype. After the media hyped it up, they started checking for it whereas before they were like this is just a cold. Even the listed info on the virus has 80% of people asymptomatic or minor symptoms. It just blew up because of China and a lack of ability to do math. 90000 people in China is still noting compared to their 1.4 billion population. The only reason we know about this virus in the United States is because they finally started checking. Look at your brother-in-law, takes how long for a test? Days? Hours? You think they were even checking before China blew up for a sickness this mild? Hell no. I had a bunch of workers where I work sick with symptoms like COVID going to the doctor, yet they were just getting sent home with a "Rest and get better" diagnosis with no testing. They were very weird symptoms like mild dry cough, sore throats and coughing without the usual mucus with one or two days of serious symptoms, and other niggling little symptoms. This is just ridiculous.

I wouldn't be surprised if we're the ones that were sick with this thing first, then it went to China, then bounced back here after they started checking. Once the media gets a hold of it and starts blowing it up with articles listing deaths and number of cases, people start losing their damn minds.

The really astounding people are the ones comparing this to the Spanish Flu which killed 25 million people. This isn't even close to that, yet we're seeing articles of comparison. I swear, the modern media is one of the most powerful forces in the world. They can really wind people up in an awful way.

You're preaching to the choir regarding the hype. It's like Orson Wells "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast from back in the '30's. My wife just got off the phone with one of our neighbors and she has stocked up on all sorts of bottled water and dry goods as she's afraid of a mandatory confinement. She lives in the middle of a 200,000 metro area, does she think she's going to starve?

[Aseahawkfan]

They're behind in their testing (my BIL STILL doesn't have his test results), they don't have a vaccination for it, and it hasn't peaked. I'd say that they're behind the curve.

They're not behind the curve. The curve just changed because of the China hype. As I said,this thing has probably been making people sick for months and they were sending people home because 80% of people according to their own information are asymptomatic. Most have mild symptoms and only a small percentage suffer any serious symptoms requiring testing and any further medical help. If this hadn't blown up because it's novel, we probably wouldn't even have bothered much with hit. Corona viruses are common and even the common cold is a corona virus.

People are tripping over an extremely common type of virus that has likely made people sick for months that the media and world took up and ran with.

You're preaching to the choir regarding the hype. It's like Orson Wells "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast from back in the '30's. My wife just got off the phone with one of our neighbors and she has stocked up on all sorts of bottled water and dry goods as she's afraid of a mandatory confinement. She lives in the middle of a 200,000 metro area, does she think she's going to starve?

We probably have thousands or more cases in America that have already recovered and thousands wandering around as carriers asymptomatic not even getting tested, thus skewing the numbers. Yet I hear people talking like we're living in the movie outbreak or some ebola outbreak in America. It's insane.