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Old 30 January 2020, 12:33 AM   #22
MikeMike
"TRF" Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: Ha Ha Land
Posts: 50
Quote:
Originally Posted by 3 Putt View Post
I live 700 km from Wuhan. My company is making me leave until things stabilize. So I will return to the US until China stabilizes. I can tell you, my city of 10 million people seems deserted. Not a single person outside walking. The subway is operating only 20% of the time and busses are just about empty. Anybody that has been to China knows this never happens.

Shanghai airport was empty yesterday when I returned to China from Singapore. Very few cars on the road and road blocks set up along highways to take passenger temperatures. The place is now intimidating and I don't scare easy.

Those of you trying to compare mortality rates with auto accidents or the flu are missing the point. Of the 7,000 cases reported (and probably double or triple that in actuality as the Chinese government is not always honest), only about 150 people have been cured. Cured meaning they have beaten the virus. The rest are still suffering through the painful symptoms. While this will not likely be as bad as SARS, it will affect a lot more people than those in China.
I live in China. Have lived here for over a decade. Luckily not close to Wuhan. You can compare mortality rates because the Coronavirus is a flu virus. The streets are relatively empty, part of that is because it is Spring Festival. And there is fear and paranoia amongst all. No one wants to get sick. As for the supposedly lack of people being cured, the normal flu takes at least a week to recover from and undoubtedly hospitals are being extra-cautious. Things could get a lot worse (virus could mutate, much greater mortality rate), but right now there is a clear overreaction even if the Chinese government are lying about the figures (although I don’t believe they are).

Oh, not that it matters but I have been on plenty of empty buses and there are people walking outside in this city of over 10 million.
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