1. There's flu vaccine. Nearly half of us in the USA get the flu shot. That jump starts herd immunity.
2. The flu is seasonal: it goes away on it's own before we actually reach herd immunity.
New York State reports 2 death totals. One is 'confirmed deaths' and only people who have had a positive coronavirus test are counted. The other is 'probable deaths', meaning COVID-19 is likely the cause but a test wasn't administered. For example, let's say John Doe comes into the hospital and he tests positive for COVID-19. An hour later his wife comes in with similar symptoms. They might not test her (perhaps they're running low on tests) but they still treat her as if she has COVID-19. Then they both die. John is listed as a confirmed death, his wife is listed as 'probable'.
New York has done more testing on a per capita basis than any state in the union by far and more than any country in the world, including both anti-body testing and diagnostic testing. Using their results the morbidity rate is .5% if you use only confirmed deaths and .8% if you use both confirmed deaths and probable deaths. These are probably the most accurate estimates available right now considering NY's testing regimen.
You are one of my favorite posters, 43, and I trust that our recent conversations about this topic doesn't affect the great board relationship I have with you. The truth may lie somewhere between the points you and I put forward. My only hope is that an honest dialog among respectful posters like you will help us all learn the truth. I'll bow out now and look forward to hooking up with you in a football thread.
AlbaNY_Ram
