NBA season suspended

[worldK]

Donovan Mitchelle also tested positive for corona virus. Looks like its spreading within the jazz team. Good move by the nba to suspend the season. Be safe guys.

[SameOldNudityDrew]

I live in Bavaria, in southern Germany. I'm about 6 hours away from Italy, where the whole country has been shut down for days and the death rate so far looks like it could be relatively high. 1,000 deaths out of 15,000 cases, or almost 7%. It's probably lower than that given probable undiagnosed cases, and Italy has an old population with a relatively high number of smokers, so that figure should be taken with a grain of salt. The death rate in China was roughly 3% (also lots of smokers). The infectious disease experts generally are saying it's probably closer to 1%, and I hope that number is more accurate than those stats out of China and Italy, but even if so, think about that. There's no vaccine and no immunity, and this virus is already everywhere, so it's logical to think it's only a matter of time until a significant percentage of the global population is exposed. One percent might seem like a small number, but multiply that by a large percentage of the global population and you're talking about the possibility of something truly catastrophic.

That's why Italy shut down. Germany has more slowly been shutting down since we have fewer cases, mostly through employers telling people to work from home and the public schools here are about to close too. Now it sounds like the U.S. finally woke up yesterday and realized how serious this is. It's been surprising to see how fast the change seemed to happen yesterday. As late as Tuesday, the president said it was nothing to worry about and would just go away like a miracle when it got warm (which would be good news if summer lasted forever), and within 24 hours it looks like schools, sports, flights, and business are all shutting down. It's like a tipping point was reached.

I came down sick Tuesday night. No fever (yet) thankfully, just a sore throat, light cough, general aches and pains. So I assume so far it's just a regular cold. If I get a fever or someone else I may have had contact with tests positive, there's a number I can call and a doctor will come to my house with a kit and test me or a drive-through I can go to to be tested. Even if it turns out I do have it, I'm 43 so I'm not too worried personally. But this is obviously some serious stuff. So I'm glad they're shutting down sports and schools and people are really starting to limit contact. Basketball will be waiting for us when we're past the worst of it--even if the Wolves will still suck. In the meantime, it's a reminder there are more important things out there than sports. Take care out there, everybody.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Wash your hands. Clean your surroundings. Cover your mouth when sneezing or coughing. Avoid close contact with others.

All of which people should be doing daily anyways. The fact of the matter is this breakout is less of a threat than influenza despite there being no cure for it yet. Continue to live your lives as you have been. It will all sort itself out.

[SameOldNudityDrew]

Wash your hands. Clean your surroundings. Cover your mouth when sneezing or coughing. Avoid close contact with others.

All of which people should be doing daily anyways. The fact of the matter is this breakout is less of a threat than influenza despite there being no cure for it yet. Continue to live your lives as you have been. It will all sort itself out.

People should do all those things you mention, and the flu has killed more people, that's true. But that's because the flu has been around for years and seasonally infects many more people than this new virus has had a chance to, since it's just now breaking out for the first time ever. The death rate for the flu is .1% while the death rate for this new virus is at least 10 times higher. It could be even higher if the stats in China and Italy are any indication, and there won't be a widely-available vaccine for at least a year. People should not panic, but saying that we should just live our lives as we have been and that it will sort itself out could lead to a disastrous outcome. I hope not, but it's a possibility, so I think the responsible thing to do is to take these otherwise drastic steps of shutting down large events and things that bring people into contact with one another and accelerate transmission.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Wash your hands. Clean your surroundings. Cover your mouth when sneezing or coughing. Avoid close contact with others.

All of which people should be doing daily anyways. The fact of the matter is this breakout is less of a threat than influenza despite there being no cure for it yet. Continue to live your lives as you have been. It will all sort itself out.

People should do all those things you mention, and the flu has killed more people, that's true. But that's because the flu has been around for years and seasonally infects many more people than this new virus has had a chance to, since it's just now breaking out for the first time ever. The death rate for the flu is .1% while the death rate for this new virus is at least 10 times higher. It could be even higher if the stats in China and Italy are any indication, and there won't be a widely-available vaccine for at least a year. People should not panic, but saying that we should just live our lives as we have been and that it will sort itself out could lead to a disastrous outcome. I hope not, but it's a possibility, so I think the responsible thing to do is to take these otherwise drastic steps of shutting down large events and things that bring people into contact with one another and accelerate transmission.

I'm not looking to get into a medical debate with you about it, but the numbers show that those who are actually at most risk of dying from this pandemic are those older than 60-years of age and those with pre-existing conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, abnormally high blood pressure, and so on. Basically, it's flu-like symptoms that are more dangerous for the elderly and those that are already medically unwell. Not to mention, the transmission rate for this virus is almost equivalent to the common cold, which is lower than you probably think.

The media and all of us who pay attention to it are making a much bigger deal out of this than it requires in comparison to many other illnesses and topics of discussion. So, again I say, live your lives and everything will sort itself out.

[Porckchop]

Be interesting to see how much those athletes care about equality for all when they sit collecting paychecks and people that pay high ticket prices still have to go to work to pay the bills.

[Monster]

I live in Bavaria, in southern Germany. I'm about 6 hours away from Italy, where the whole country has been shut down for days and the death rate so far looks like it could be relatively high. 1,000 deaths out of 15,000 cases, or almost 7%. It's probably lower than that given probable undiagnosed cases, and Italy has an old population with a relatively high number of smokers, so that figure should be taken with a grain of salt. The death rate in China was roughly 3% (also lots of smokers). The infectious disease experts generally are saying it's probably closer to 1%, and I hope that number is more accurate than those stats out of China and Italy, but even if so, think about that. There's no vaccine and no immunity, and this virus is already everywhere, so it's logical to think it's only a matter of time until a significant percentage of the global population is exposed. One percent might seem like a small number, but multiply that by a large percentage of the global population and you're talking about the possibility of something truly catastrophic.

That's why Italy shut down. Germany has more slowly been shutting down since we have fewer cases, mostly through employers telling people to work from home and the public schools here are about to close too. Now it sounds like the U.S. finally woke up yesterday and realized how serious this is. It's been surprising to see how fast the change seemed to happen yesterday. As late as Tuesday, the president said it was nothing to worry about and would just go away like a miracle when it got warm (which would be good news if summer lasted forever), and within 24 hours it looks like schools, sports, flights, and business are all shutting down. It's like a tipping point was reached.

I came down sick Tuesday night. No fever (yet) thankfully, just a sore throat, light cough, general aches and pains. So I assume so far it's just a regular cold. If I get a fever or someone else I may have had contact with tests positive, there's a number I can call and a doctor will come to my house with a kit and test me or a drive-through I can go to to be tested. Even if it turns out I do have it, I'm 43 so I'm not too worried personally. But this is obviously some serious stuff. So I'm glad they're shutting down sports and schools and people are really starting to limit contact. Basketball will be waiting for us when we're past the worst of it--even if the Wolves will still suck. In the meantime, it's a reminder there are more important things out there than sports. Take care out there, everybody.

Thanks for the report it's interesting to hear what happening in another country.

[Lipoli390]

Looks like we may need to find some new hobbies. Baseball is done too.

I hear there is something called books people use to use for a short time in history. Might need to pick a few of those up and try them out.

Lol. Love this post!!

[Lipoli390]

Wash your hands. Clean your surroundings. Cover your mouth when sneezing or coughing. Avoid close contact with others.

All of which people should be doing daily anyways. The fact of the matter is this breakout is less of a threat than influenza despite there being no cure for it yet. Continue to live your lives as you have been. It will all sort itself out.

I'm not a medical professional, but my wife is. Based on what I've read and what my wife has told me, this virus is more contagious/transmissible than influenza, lives far longer in the environment (in the air and on surfaces) and has a much higher mortality rate. And 20% of those who become ill with Coronavirus require medical intervention. That's a huge percentage. Furthermore, unlike influenza, this virus may not diminish with warm weather. Yes, those over 60 and with preexisting health problems are far more likely to become critically ill or die, but that's a lot of people in this Country. Influenza is bad, but this has the potential to be worse. If this isn't contained, it could overwhelm our medical system, including hospitals, and cause severe economic harm.

The NBA and NCAA have never shut down their seasons over the flu or any other illness. Those organizations are big, sophisticated businesses with huge financial stakes in continuing to operate. They wouldn't shut down based solely on hype. They have access to the world's leading experts and the best information. Their decisions to shut down speak volumes about how serious this is or could become.

We can't stop living our lives or barricade ourselves in our homes. But we need to take this very seriously and take extra precautions to avoid getting it or infecting others, including others like our relatives or friends who are over 60 or have underlying health issues. That's my view anyway.

[bleedspeed]

I agree with Lipo here. It is serious and obviously we precautions need to be taken. I am certainly worried about my mother who lives in a senior apartment complex. If this gets into that facility the results could be very tragic. USGA canceled all upcoming meets and this is devastating for my stepdaughter as her season is now done.