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AlbaNY_Ram
Looks like we have different ideas of what 'small percentage' means.
The following list of comorbidity factors is copied from [
www.cdc.gov] I provided the percentage of people in the USA who qualify
- People 65 years and older (15.2%)
People of all ages with underlying medical conditions, particularly if not well controlled, including:
- People with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma (10%)
- People who have serious heart conditions (12.1%)
- People who are immunocompromised (3.6%)
- People with severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 40 or higher) (6.6%)
- People with diabetes (10.5%)
- People with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis (less than 1%)
- People with liver disease (1.8%)
(My note: Naturally, some people will have more than one comorbidity so you can't just add up all the percentages and get anything meaningful. But I remember reading somewhere that 40% of Americans have at least 1 comorbidity factor. Can't find the link, but I'm still looking ...)
edit: I couldn't find the link I was looking for but I did find this: [
www.medrxiv.org]
A summary of what it says: Overall approximately 45.4% of US adults reported any of the 6 comorbidities (cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, asthma, hypertension, and/or cancer other than skin) , increasing from around 19.8% for ages 18-29 years to around 80.7% for ages 80+ years.
Thanks for the research, AlbaNY. Nobody does it better, man.
But my point still stands. Those that are vulnerable should self quarantine for maximum safety and peace of mind, whether that’s 1% or 50% of the population.
The rest of us should be allowed to go back to work and play as we see fit. It’s really that simple.
BTW, and this is admittedly anecdotal, but in my extended family and circle of friends (about 100 people, I believe) there are only 4 that would fit within your ‘vulnerable’ group. Of these same 100, exactly zero have been tested positive so far and of course zero have been hospitalized or passed. Sooooo...
However, quite a few have been financially upended to one degree or another. Some have been unemployed for 3 months or more. One is seriously contemplating early retirement several years before planned.
Three of our favorite restaurants will never reopen. Many other of our favorite businesses will surely fall by the wayside. My point is that there are very real and terrible consequences to this extended quarantine that are negatively impacting millions of fine and hardworking people all across this country through absolutely no fault of their own. It breaks my heart, tbh.
Rant over...
