What would happen if we all just decided to go back to normal and not care about covid?

I know what hardships others are facing because I read the news homie! You are right about all of those things, but If I had to guess, the OP does not have to deal with the hardships you mentioned. I don’t try to write a full book report in every post.

I should correct this. There is a technology to help bridge the gap in antibody disappearance but we aren't using it much in the US and it is more expensive. But the T cell testing that has been done shows a significantly higher number infected than the antibody studies. It also puts another major hole in the hysteria about short lived immunity to the virus.

To answer a form of the original question, if it was essentially 'ignored' from the

beginning it probably would have looked much like the Asian Flu Pandemic:

https://lockdownsceptics.org/from-stoicism-to-hysteria-uk-pandemic-responses-a-historical-context/

https://www.conservativereview.com/news/horowitz-lost-common-sense-america-lived-asian-flu-1957/

I like this newspaper advice from the 2nd article. Compare to what we get nowadays:

----

The old precautions still hold good. First of all keep as fit as possible, don’t overtire yourself, get your

full quota of sleep and eat an ample diet. Secondly, avoid crowds and keep your windows open – in

other words plenty of fresh air.

...

Finally – don’t worry. If you are unfortunate to catch it, don’t panic.

Lancashire Evening Post, October 11th 1957

----

We can agree at least that serology tests are not conclusive at this point.

We don't need those tests to know that, for much of the country that wasn't hit hard initially, populations have mostly not been infected with the virus. I've already mentioned the "snowballing effect" of gathering infections and then deaths a few weeks later when it finally hits some place it hasn't been. That's way more definitive than any serology or T-Cell test.

A perfect example is the number of infections on the seafood trawler American Triumph last week. 85 of 119 crew tested positive (PCR tests) last week in Alaska. The crew is from the lower 48, so it's not the example of Alaskans be hit late. They were screened and quarantined for 14 days before getting on the boat a month ago. If as many people have already had exposure as you are guessing, there's no way 85 of 119 people would test positive in a PCR test.

We see that pattern of snowballing in states that are being hit later too. That indicates we are a long way from herd immunity. Herd immunity will be best achieved, with lowest lost of life, by widely distributed, effective vaccines.

You know what is preventable?

Obesity

Heart failure

Heart attack

High blood pressure

Diabetes

Joint damage

Kidney/liver failure

Renal failure

Etc

DanM wrote:

The original projection before COVID-19 was for 60.2 Million deaths worldwide in 2020. Births were projected to be 140.6 Million, for a net gain of 80.4 Million.

COVID-19 will barely put a dent in that.

If the entire world had the COVID-19 death rate per population of Sweden, at this moment there would have been 4.4 Million COVID-19 deaths out of a population of 7.7 Billion. (0.057%)

This is NOT the plague of the 14th Century.

But the Left portray it to be. ?

yafd wrote:

Armstronglivs wrote:

The OP's question is pretty much the approach followed throughout the US. The results will be more of the same. Leading the world. For deaths.

Perhaps that has something to do with the fact we are far and away the largest developed country in the world? Most European countries have 30 million people or less. Of course we're going to have more deaths when we have 10X the population. And numbers cannot be trusted coming out of countries like India, China, and Russia. The US is not doing nearly as bad as people like you think.

4% of the world's population; 25% of its deaths - and climbing.

Let's tell people what this is really all about wrote:

DanM wrote:

The original projection before COVID-19 was for 60.2 Million deaths worldwide in 2020. Births were projected to be 140.6 Million, for a net gain of 80.4 Million.

COVID-19 will barely put a dent in that.

If the entire world had the COVID-19 death rate per population of Sweden, at this moment there would have been 4.4 Million COVID-19 deaths out of a population of 7.7 Billion. (0.057%)

This is NOT the plague of the 14th Century.

But the Left portray it to be. ?

No one said it was the equivalent of the plague. But in 5 months the US has amassed more deaths from Covid than in the entirety of the Vietnam War and Korea. Civilian deaths. And the "war" is far from over.

Armstronglivs wrote:

yafd wrote:

Perhaps that has something to do with the fact we are far and away the largest developed country in the world? Most European countries have 30 million people or less. Of course we're going to have more deaths when we have 10X the population. And numbers cannot be trusted coming out of countries like India, China, and Russia. The US is not doing nearly as bad as people like you think.

Part of that has to do with our standard of living and how ability to keep people alive longer than most countries in the world. Something like 40% of all covid deaths in the US are from people in nursing homes. These people would probably have already died in most countries around the world irrespective of covid.

4% of the world's population; 25% of its deaths - and climbing.

It's not even a war in the first place. The virus is overblown & overhyped by the Left to create fear & panic allowing for a more tyrannical government to evolve.

To date 157,000 deaths in a nation of 328 Million. Contrast that with the Spanish Flu in 1918 which had 675,000 deaths with a U.S. population of only 103 million.

Globally it's even more ridiculous: To date 689,000 have died with a Global population of 7.8 Billion and the world goes crazy calling this a Global pandemic?

You see there Armstronglivs, the Left won't tell people this. It would simmer people down and take away some of the fear & panic. And with so much of media under the Left's control, stats like this will never be discussed.

We will all find out around November 4 when this charade ends after the election, no matter the result.

Save the masks to rob banks, as the financial collapse that has camouflaged since March will be in full free fall.

Honestly who even cares wrote:

Mortality rate is far below 1% when you exclude people over the age of 70, possibly as low as 0.1% if you consider how many asymptomatic people there supposedly are out there who never get tested.

As cases ramp up, herd immunity will start to set in so that transmission rates will go down.

After a relatively short period of time, most people will have had it, so transmission will approach zero.

The world will continue as normal and this thing will be nothing but a memory.

Hmmm.. The more I read and the more stories I come across, the more it seems people get infected when large groups congregate and people aren't using masks. To anwer your question, probably a lot more people would get infected. It's called a pandemic for a reason.

I wish it would turn out that way in the US.

People in Mumbai slums are thin and likely without serious comorbid conditions.

30-40% of the US is obese, which is a major risk factor for getting seriously ill from COVID.

I work in a COVID ICU, it's full of old people and younger obese people, dialysis patients etc.

To answer the original question, we'd have a real wave of patients coming into the hospital, ala Italy, rather than our current 'slow burn'. We'd risk lives of both those with and without COVID if hospital ICUs fill up.

If our population was younger/healthier I'd say, keep everything open and just go for it. Unfortunately the US is too unhealthy to withstand a massive COVID wave without serious mortality. We could try to just isolate those at risk, but there are too many to realistically do that.

Let's tell people what this is really all about wrote:

It's not even a war in the first place. The virus is overblown & overhyped by the Left to create fear & panic allowing for a more tyrannical government to evolve.

To date 157,000 deaths in a nation of 328 Million. Contrast that with the Spanish Flu in 1918 which had 675,000 deaths with a U.S. population of only 103 million.

Globally it's even more ridiculous: To date 689,000 have died with a Global population of 7.8 Billion and the world goes crazy calling this a Global pandemic?

You see there Armstronglivs, the Left won't tell people this. It would simmer people down and take away some of the fear & panic. And with so much of media under the Left's control, stats like this will never be discussed.

I suspect you aren't young enough to remember any of the wars that took a toll on American lives. I member Vietnam well, and the distress it caused in America at the relentless loss of its young men's lives. Covid has taken even more American lives - and not soldiers fighting in foreign lands but the old and the vulnerable in America itself - and in a much shorter time frame. And it is far from finished.

You think it isn't a "war" but this virus is claiming random lives like a skilful and invisible sniper in your midst. With over 150,000 dead so far and another 20,000 predicted in the next couple of months, would you not be doing everything you could to defeat such a relentless assassin? You haven't lost family or friends - perhaps that would change your attitude - but it isn't possible to be indifferent to the continuing slaughter of your fellow countrymen. And nor can you be sure that you won't be one of the casualties. I wouldn't be in too much haste to sacrifice more on the altar of the "economy".

George Bird wrote:

not here wrote:

You are correct that it is preventable. Those people should have chosen healthier lifestyles instead of relying on us to make them safe.

Idiot.

Diabetes. Heart disease. Blood disease. Dementia. Arthritis. Cancer. Stroke victims. COPD/Asthma. And hundreds more...many of them genetic. Not lifestyle choices.

Did I say, idiot.

For most of those 50-90% of the cases are caused by lifestyle choices. For example 80% of COPD cases are smokers. Among the 20% of the nonsmokers who develop COPD it is estimated that 3/4 are a result of air pollution/work conditions (i.e. living with a smoker, or 1980s LA air).

Spoken like a true Leftist Armstronglivs. That's the typical fearmongering mantra by Democrats - part of their plan to reclaim the WH...no surprises there.

I gave you the Spanish flu stats compared to Covid and it just blew over your head. And Globally, it's not even a pandemic: To date 689,000 have died with a Global population of 7.8 Billion and the wholw world goes crazy scaring people to death.

In the state I live in, 90% of the deaths are people over the age of 65 - most with preexisting medical conditions. Nationally, almost 45% of the deaths are nursing home related.

There are so many people that are asymptomatic that I can't keep track. These people wouldn't even know they have Covid if they weren't tested. The elderly and people with preexisting conditions are most vulnerable and even some of them are asymptomatic!

The Left never wants to talk about this - so just keep up your CNN driven fearmongering agenda.

You keep going back to this 150,000 number.

1) The 150,000 is over just a few months. COVID may well be around for years, certainly leading to a death toll well above current levels (right now averaging over 1,000 per day). Then you are comparing this to the 689,000 dead from the Spanish flu but that is the total over the entire course of the disease. Comparing numbers from the first few months of an outbreak of one disease to total numbers over the entire course of another disease is idiotic.

2) The relevant measure is not how many die (or suffer from significant and possibly long lasting health implications). It is, how many would have died etc. but did not because we took preventive measures.

moderator note: personal insults removed from post

Let's tell people what this is really all about wrote:

I gave you the Spanish flu stats compared to Covid and it just blew over your head.

So far COVID has killed more people over the first 6 months than the spanish flu did. As an expert in the matter, I am sure you are well aware of that. Why aren't you doing an apples to apples comparison?

Again how many people do you think it is ok to die from this? When did we go from this being "just a flu to being not as bad as one of the top 5 or so pandemics in history.

The establishment would be exposed as the liars they are and would use the media to try to get us to believe there is a horrible pandemic killing millions.

Wait.

That's what they are doing now