Coronavirus prep
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GaleHawkins wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »
My husband caught something back in late January and had symptoms like those you describe. He was on again off again sick for about a month or so. He may well have had it - his company does business with China and someone may have traveled there before everything got locked down.bmeadows380 wrote: »We had a few people in my church hospitalized with that stuff in January, too. It was also going around in late November/early December, and the dry cough lasted for weeks. Though that was before the 1st case was discovered in China, so I'm not sure if it was, or not. It was something that had a respiratory component to it, and when I think back to my mom's symptoms, she was extremely lethargic for several days and ran a fever as well with it, and the cough seemed to linger for a while. My church actually limited services for about 2 weeks because of it as it was going around pretty quickly - so was it COVID-19? Maybe? No way of knowing now, though. And unfortunately, it seems that you can re-catch it after you've had it before, so that isn't going to help if it starts around again, though I hope that if you catch it a second time, the case will be milder.
As far as reinfection - it's not clear if it's reinfection or if the illness didn't completely go away, or if the virus went dormant / hid from detection.
Yeah, I had the same type of illness in December. At the time I even said, "This is different to any other illness." Coughing that wouldn't stop, lasted a month. Then I got a sinus infection and was sick for another two weeks. I didn't go to the doctor, but with the sinus infection I was considering it - they can turn on you. I have a lot of close contact with children and Chinese nationals living here in the Seattle area as well as other tourists.
I believe it was here long before February. No way to know if that's what I had. In a way I hope it was...
The flu lab here was testing for it under the radar. You may have seen the news story, it's interesting.
https://komonews.com/news/coronavirus/seattle-flu-study-allegedly-tested-samples-for-covid-19-against-federal-state-guidelines
https://livescience.com/first-case-coronavirus-found.html
"A 55-year-old individual from Hubei province in China may have been the first person to have contracted COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus spreading across the globe. That case dates back to Nov. 17, 2019, according to the South Morning China Post."
Assuming China was ground Zero we can assume it came by plane to the USA at least by Nov 2019. You link info concerns me as to why testing for COVID-19 should have been a no no by Federal mandate.
I don't feel like it was a conspiracy or anything.
I think it was probably more HIPPA related and of course every lawyer in Washington DC had to have a say.
I just think government is very big and unwieldy and it's tough to make decisions.
This goes back to what AnnPT was saying earlier though - this is too big for people to just say, "Okay, well, we'll stop testing then." The private lab did the right thing...but they'll likely get sanctioned for it.7 -
There are several hundred different viruses that cause upper respiratory symptoms**, symptoms of varying type, duration and severity.
I had a persistent cough in December severe enough for chest X-ray. I've had similar things in past years, though not at all routinely. I'm not going to speculate about what I had. It's at best pointless, and at worst could be harmful.
COVID-19 may have been here longer than we think. Or maybe not.
Please know when you're speculating, vs. when you actually know something. Be clear in your communications accordingly.
Panic and anxiety are more likely when we feed beliefs about conspiracy and cover-ups by speaking darkly and imprecisely about speculations.
** https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/common_cold_causes19 -
TX announced its first death last night. Since testing was ramped up we're over 100 confirmed cases now according to the JHU map. TX has had such a scattered response. The governor is leaving it up to individual cities to do what they want. While I'm generally more in favor of decentralizing government, in this case I believe it would be better to have a single voice and response plan to lessen the confusion and step up the response.
We have a town right outside of San Antonio that holds a strawberry festival every March. Up until last night they kept saying the festival was going on as planned. Mind you, this is a festival that draws thousands of people. I'm not sure that leaving the decision up to individual towns is the smartest choice at this point.
I was happy to hear that our local school districts just cancelled classes for an additional two weeks. Several of our restaurants have voluntarily closed their dining rooms and gone to take away only. The city of Austin just mandated take-out only for all their bars/restaurants, which makes me wonder how long before SA does the same. To be fair, Austin has 10 confirmed cases, while SA has 4, but I figure it's only a matter of time.2 -
One of the more interesting phenomena I am starting to see: people WANT to help and are feeling bad because nobody is taking them up on their offers. One friend has contacted a couple of elderly at-risk neighbors and offered to run errands or pick up needed groceries. She is actually disappointed that she keeps getting "we are still fine" when she mentions she is heading out for things for her family.
People need to feel needed in times like these. In a funny way, you are helping them by actually letting them help, even if it is something simple like a loaf of bread or a dozen eggs.15 -
There are several hundred different viruses that cause upper respiratory symptoms**, symptoms of varying type, duration and severity.
I had a persistent cough in December severe enough for chest X-ray. I've had similar things in past years, though not at all routinely. I'm not going to speculate about what I had. It's at best pointless, and at worst could be harmful.
COVID-19 may have been here longer than we think. Or maybe not.
Please know when you're speculating, vs. when you actually know something. Be clear in your communications accordingly.
Panic and anxiety are more likely when we feed beliefs about conspiracy and cover-ups by speaking darkly and imprecisely about speculations.
** https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/common_cold_causes
So you were tested?5 -
There are several hundred different viruses that cause upper respiratory symptoms**, symptoms of varying type, duration and severity.
I had a persistent cough in December severe enough for chest X-ray. I've had similar things in past years, though not at all routinely. I'm not going to speculate about what I had. It's at best pointless, and at worst could be harmful.
COVID-19 may have been here longer than we think. Or maybe not.
Please know when you're speculating, vs. when you actually know something. Be clear in your communications accordingly.
Panic and anxiety are more likely when we feed beliefs about conspiracy and cover-ups by speaking darkly and imprecisely about speculations.
** https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/common_cold_causes
which is why I did state that Maybe it was here; maybe not, and we won't know for sure in any case. What troubles me is that several people I've talked to in the area have already made that connection in their minds, which in turn has been further cementing the local belief that Covid-19 is no worse than the normal flu; after all, as the reasoning goes, its been here and lots of people got it and no one died, so its not a big deal.
Which is a very dangerous sentiment, and unfortunately in my area of WV, is a common one. Many people in WV are playing out the exact same scenario that has played out several times already in other places; many people don't want to take this seriously and won't follow the social distancing measures until the threat becomes very real - but, as we've already seen, at that point, its too late because by the time a person is found to have it based on symptoms, they've already been out and about and spreading it around. Which is frustrating to me, especially with the people in my own family who still think this is nothing more than fearmongering from the media blowing it out of proportion for news ratings (and yes, I've heard that argument repeatedly) - I tell them to look at China, look at Italy, look at other countries where the death toll and infection rate is climbing, how many countries are locking themselves down because of this.7 -
cmriverside wrote: »
My husband caught something back in late January and had symptoms like those you describe. He was on again off again sick for about a month or so. He may well have had it - his company does business with China and someone may have traveled there before everything got locked down.bmeadows380 wrote: »We had a few people in my church hospitalized with that stuff in January, too. It was also going around in late November/early December, and the dry cough lasted for weeks. Though that was before the 1st case was discovered in China, so I'm not sure if it was, or not. It was something that had a respiratory component to it, and when I think back to my mom's symptoms, she was extremely lethargic for several days and ran a fever as well with it, and the cough seemed to linger for a while. My church actually limited services for about 2 weeks because of it as it was going around pretty quickly - so was it COVID-19? Maybe? No way of knowing now, though. And unfortunately, it seems that you can re-catch it after you've had it before, so that isn't going to help if it starts around again, though I hope that if you catch it a second time, the case will be milder.
As far as reinfection - it's not clear if it's reinfection or if the illness didn't completely go away, or if the virus went dormant / hid from detection.
Yeah, I had the same type of illness in December. At the time I even said, "This is different to any other illness." Coughing that wouldn't stop, lasted a month. Then I got a sinus infection and was sick for another two weeks. I didn't go to the doctor, but with the sinus infection I was considering it - they can turn on you. I have a lot of close contact with children and Chinese nationals living here in the Seattle area as well as other tourists.
I believe it was here long before February. No way to know if that's what I had. In a way I hope it was...
The flu lab here was testing for it under the radar. You may have seen the news story, it's interesting.
https://komonews.com/news/coronavirus/seattle-flu-study-allegedly-tested-samples-for-covid-19-against-federal-state-guidelines
I had a similar illness 2 winters ago. Coughing and then sinus congestion. I was diagnosed(by phone) with bronchitis. It cleared up after taking the meds, but the cough lingered. But I also had no fever. I guess my point is that many different illnesses can have very similar symptoms.6 -
One thing that bothers me about WV not having any confirmed cases is that it makes us considered to be low-risk and in turn means that the limited number of tests available will be diverted from us to places already known to have cases, leaving us vulnerable. We could already have several people who have it but aren't being tested and are still out and about in the public; I don't like to think of how far this thing will get here in the mountain state before we finally have the first serious case found.
I do appreciate that our state officials are treating this situation as though it were already here in shutting down schools, closing group functions, etc. It is rather frustrating, though, to hear the number of people who are complaining about it
4 -
bmeadows380 wrote: »There are several hundred different viruses that cause upper respiratory symptoms**, symptoms of varying type, duration and severity.
I had a persistent cough in December severe enough for chest X-ray. I've had similar things in past years, though not at all routinely. I'm not going to speculate about what I had. It's at best pointless, and at worst could be harmful.
COVID-19 may have been here longer than we think. Or maybe not.
Please know when you're speculating, vs. when you actually know something. Be clear in your communications accordingly.
Panic and anxiety are more likely when we feed beliefs about conspiracy and cover-ups by speaking darkly and imprecisely about speculations.
** https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/common_cold_causes
which is why I did state that Maybe it was here; maybe not, and we won't know for sure in any case. What troubles me is that several people I've talked to in the area have already made that connection in their minds, which in turn has been further cementing the local belief that Covid-19 is no worse than the normal flu; after all, as the reasoning goes, its been here and lots of people got it and no one died, so its not a big deal.
Yes, and people who assume they've already had it and recovered may not take the appropriate steps to keep themselves protected (which, again, puts everyone around them at a higher risk).7 -
cmriverside wrote: »There are several hundred different viruses that cause upper respiratory symptoms**, symptoms of varying type, duration and severity.
I had a persistent cough in December severe enough for chest X-ray. I've had similar things in past years, though not at all routinely. I'm not going to speculate about what I had. It's at best pointless, and at worst could be harmful.
COVID-19 may have been here longer than we think. Or maybe not.
Please know when you're speculating, vs. when you actually know something. Be clear in your communications accordingly.
Panic and anxiety are more likely when we feed beliefs about conspiracy and cover-ups by speaking darkly and imprecisely about speculations.
** https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/common_cold_causes
So you were tested?
For COVID, in December? No. Nor for flu.
I got a chest X-ray. I didn't have pneumonia, per the chest X-ray. I wasn't tested for flu, or anything else. I have no idea what I had. It was managed symptomatically. Eventually (super slowly, like 6 weeks or more), it went away.
What concerns me is people saying "It must have been here earlier", then stacking up cases of people they know who had some kind of something with some upper respiratory symptoms; deciding it must have been COVID; telling other people "I know it was here earlier, because symptoms in people I know" (pure speculation), and having that kind of thing be mistaken for certainty or proof.
We can "know" things from actual proof (like if the researchers mentioned released the test data they've been scolded for, ideally with the timing of the first positive test(s)).
We can "know" things by inference from facts that are not actually proof, like lots of people having bad respiratory symptoms. "Knowing" can snowball among groups, from the latter kind of "knowing", with people adding their own reasons (still not proof) to the discussion, until some reach conspiracy theories or panics/anxieties of other sorts.
I'm just making a general observation that it's good to think and communicate clearly about what we mean, what we really know vs. assume, guess, or speculate.
I seriously doubt that I had COVID in December (most reasonable inference, I think, based on context). But I don't know. I'm not going to speculate.6 -
Does anyone else work for a company that seems to be completely ignoring this altogether? I have received no communication from our leadership team whatsoever. I am extremely disappointed rn ...21
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cmriverside wrote: »There are several hundred different viruses that cause upper respiratory symptoms**, symptoms of varying type, duration and severity.
I had a persistent cough in December severe enough for chest X-ray. I've had similar things in past years, though not at all routinely. I'm not going to speculate about what I had. It's at best pointless, and at worst could be harmful.
COVID-19 may have been here longer than we think. Or maybe not.
Please know when you're speculating, vs. when you actually know something. Be clear in your communications accordingly.
Panic and anxiety are more likely when we feed beliefs about conspiracy and cover-ups by speaking darkly and imprecisely about speculations.
** https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/common_cold_causes
So you were tested?
For COVID, in December? No. Nor for flu.
I got a chest X-ray. I didn't have pneumonia, per the chest X-ray. I wasn't tested for flu, or anything else. I have no idea what I had. It was managed symptomatically. Eventually (super slowly, like 6 weeks or more), it went away.
What concerns me is people saying "It must have been here earlier", then stacking up cases of people they know who had some kind of something with some upper respiratory symptoms; deciding it must have been COVID; telling other people "I know it was here earlier, because symptoms in people I know" (pure speculation), and having that kind of thing be mistaken for certainty or proof.
We can "know" things from actual proof (like if the researchers mentioned released the test data they've been scolded for, ideally with the timing of the first positive test(s)).
We can "know" things by inference from facts that are not actually proof, like lots of people having bad respiratory symptoms. "Knowing" can snowball among groups, from the latter kind of "knowing", with people adding their own reasons (still not proof) to the discussion, until some reach conspiracy theories or panics/anxieties of other sorts.
I'm just making a general observation that it's good to think and communicate clearly about what we mean, what we really know vs. assume, guess, or speculate.
I seriously doubt that I had COVID in December (most reasonable inference, I think, based on context). But I don't know. I'm not going to speculate.
Everyone so far in this thread who has said they had "something" has said "maybe" "could have been" etc.
Since none of us were tested, none of us (including you) know.
I just don't understand why this [speculation] bothers you so much? There are thousands walking around right now with it, if you believe the WHO and CDC.
I am staying home. I have enough supplies for a month. I'm 66. I am not going out at all unless it's absolutely necessary. My saying, "I might have had it," is not any different to the WHO and CDC saying, "Many people are asymptomatic," and, "80% will have mild illness." That's not speculation.
Most of us are going to get it (if we haven't already HAD it) and my speculating and your chagrin at that won't change it.4 -
cmriverside wrote: »There are several hundred different viruses that cause upper respiratory symptoms**, symptoms of varying type, duration and severity.
I had a persistent cough in December severe enough for chest X-ray. I've had similar things in past years, though not at all routinely. I'm not going to speculate about what I had. It's at best pointless, and at worst could be harmful.
COVID-19 may have been here longer than we think. Or maybe not.
Please know when you're speculating, vs. when you actually know something. Be clear in your communications accordingly.
Panic and anxiety are more likely when we feed beliefs about conspiracy and cover-ups by speaking darkly and imprecisely about speculations.
** https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/common_cold_causes
So you were tested?
For COVID, in December? No. Nor for flu.
I got a chest X-ray. I didn't have pneumonia, per the chest X-ray. I wasn't tested for flu, or anything else. I have no idea what I had. It was managed symptomatically. Eventually (super slowly, like 6 weeks or more), it went away.
What concerns me is people saying "It must have been here earlier", then stacking up cases of people they know who had some kind of something with some upper respiratory symptoms; deciding it must have been COVID; telling other people "I know it was here earlier, because symptoms in people I know" (pure speculation), and having that kind of thing be mistaken for certainty or proof.
We can "know" things from actual proof (like if the researchers mentioned released the test data they've been scolded for, ideally with the timing of the first positive test(s)).
We can "know" things by inference from facts that are not actually proof, like lots of people having bad respiratory symptoms. "Knowing" can snowball among groups, from the latter kind of "knowing", with people adding their own reasons (still not proof) to the discussion, until some reach conspiracy theories or panics/anxieties of other sorts.
I'm just making a general observation that it's good to think and communicate clearly about what we mean, what we really know vs. assume, guess, or speculate.
I seriously doubt that I had COVID in December (most reasonable inference, I think, based on context). But I don't know. I'm not going to speculate.
My pneumonia in January was diagnosed by x-ray. COVID-19, from what I was told shows up as extensive bilateral changes on the chest x-ray. My pneumonia was unilateral and mild. I am fairly confident in saying that my January illness was not COVID-19, despite recent travel to an international conference, based on the x-ray results. They did do the NP swabs to rule out influenza, but at the time they weren't testing for COVID-19. At this point, anyone in the hospital where I work who has the NP swabs for ILI (influenza like illness) has the COVID-19 test automatically added to the testing.
I think your point about making statements clearly as either known fact or presumptions based on interpretation of different factors and sources of information is an important distinction to help reduce the spread of misinformation and increased panic.14 -
bmeadows380 wrote: »There are several hundred different viruses that cause upper respiratory symptoms**, symptoms of varying type, duration and severity.
I had a persistent cough in December severe enough for chest X-ray. I've had similar things in past years, though not at all routinely. I'm not going to speculate about what I had. It's at best pointless, and at worst could be harmful.
COVID-19 may have been here longer than we think. Or maybe not.
Please know when you're speculating, vs. when you actually know something. Be clear in your communications accordingly.
Panic and anxiety are more likely when we feed beliefs about conspiracy and cover-ups by speaking darkly and imprecisely about speculations.
** https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/common_cold_causes
which is why I did state that Maybe it was here; maybe not, and we won't know for sure in any case. What troubles me is that several people I've talked to in the area have already made that connection in their minds, which in turn has been further cementing the local belief that Covid-19 is no worse than the normal flu; after all, as the reasoning goes, its been here and lots of people got it and no one died, so its not a big deal.
Which is a very dangerous sentiment, and unfortunately in my area of WV, is a common one. Many people in WV are playing out the exact same scenario that has played out several times already in other places; many people don't want to take this seriously and won't follow the social distancing measures until the threat becomes very real - but, as we've already seen, at that point, its too late because by the time a person is found to have it based on symptoms, they've already been out and about and spreading it around. Which is frustrating to me, especially with the people in my own family who still think this is nothing more than fearmongering from the media blowing it out of proportion for news ratings (and yes, I've heard that argument repeatedly) - I tell them to look at China, look at Italy, look at other countries where the death toll and infection rate is climbing, how many countries are locking themselves down because of this.
Exactly the bolded.
I was not intending to specifically accuse you (or anyone else here) of anything. I was making a general observation.4 -
Does anyone else work for a company that seems to be completely ignoring this altogether? I have received no communication from our leadership team whatsoever. I am extremely disappointed rn ...
I'm sorry to hear that. My company isn't ignoring it per sé, but they're very adamant about people not working from home unless they're actually sick. "We expect people to show up to work unless they're sick," has been said multiple times since last Friday when our city's first case was announced.
For companies that have the capability for people to work from home, especially if they don't have clients that require face-to-face contact, I really see no reason not to allow WFH. Really, every company should have some response prepared for their employees discussing the issue, regardless of whether people can work from home. Communication is key to alleviating confusion and stress.5 -
cmriverside wrote: »There are several hundred different viruses that cause upper respiratory symptoms**, symptoms of varying type, duration and severity.
I had a persistent cough in December severe enough for chest X-ray. I've had similar things in past years, though not at all routinely. I'm not going to speculate about what I had. It's at best pointless, and at worst could be harmful.
COVID-19 may have been here longer than we think. Or maybe not.
Please know when you're speculating, vs. when you actually know something. Be clear in your communications accordingly.
Panic and anxiety are more likely when we feed beliefs about conspiracy and cover-ups by speaking darkly and imprecisely about speculations.
** https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/common_cold_causes
So you were tested?
For COVID, in December? No. Nor for flu.
I got a chest X-ray. I didn't have pneumonia, per the chest X-ray. I wasn't tested for flu, or anything else. I have no idea what I had. It was managed symptomatically. Eventually (super slowly, like 6 weeks or more), it went away.
What concerns me is people saying "It must have been here earlier", then stacking up cases of people they know who had some kind of something with some upper respiratory symptoms; deciding it must have been COVID; telling other people "I know it was here earlier, because symptoms in people I know" (pure speculation), and having that kind of thing be mistaken for certainty or proof.
We can "know" things from actual proof (like if the researchers mentioned released the test data they've been scolded for, ideally with the timing of the first positive test(s)).
We can "know" things by inference from facts that are not actually proof, like lots of people having bad respiratory symptoms. "Knowing" can snowball among groups, from the latter kind of "knowing", with people adding their own reasons (still not proof) to the discussion, until some reach conspiracy theories or panics/anxieties of other sorts.
I'm just making a general observation that it's good to think and communicate clearly about what we mean, what we really know vs. assume, guess, or speculate.
I seriously doubt that I had COVID in December (most reasonable inference, I think, based on context). But I don't know. I'm not going to speculate.
I also had a sever pneumonia this winter. Was coughing my lungs out for nearly 3 months (1 months until finally diagnosed, then another 2 months until breathing was normal again).
Because I wasn't the only one, the state ordered tests. I had RSV, as had quite a few others. It was a particularly virulent year for it and even otherwise healthy adults were getting knocked down by it.
Even knowing that, there is that little voice in the back of my mind going "but were they really really really sure that that's what it was? Cause... same symptoms".
I sometimes think our brains are wired to find the zebra, even in hindsight and with proof to the contrary.13 -
Does anyone else work for a company that seems to be completely ignoring this altogether? I have received no communication from our leadership team whatsoever. I am extremely disappointed rn ...
I'm sorry to hear that. My company isn't ignoring it per sé, but they're very adamant about people not working from home unless they're actually sick. "We expect people to show up to work unless they're sick," has been said multiple times since last Friday when our city's first case was announced.
For companies that have the capability for people to work from home, especially if they don't have clients that require face-to-face contact, I really see no reason not to allow WFH. Really, every company should have some response prepared for their employees discussing the issue, regardless of whether people can work from home. Communication is key to alleviating confusion and stress.
Given what we're learning about asymptomatic transmission, this seems willfully stubborn.9 -
janejellyroll wrote: »Does anyone else work for a company that seems to be completely ignoring this altogether? I have received no communication from our leadership team whatsoever. I am extremely disappointed rn ...
I'm sorry to hear that. My company isn't ignoring it per sé, but they're very adamant about people not working from home unless they're actually sick. "We expect people to show up to work unless they're sick," has been said multiple times since last Friday when our city's first case was announced.
For companies that have the capability for people to work from home, especially if they don't have clients that require face-to-face contact, I really see no reason not to allow WFH. Really, every company should have some response prepared for their employees discussing the issue, regardless of whether people can work from home. Communication is key to alleviating confusion and stress.
Given what we're learning about asymptomatic transmission, this seems willfully stubborn.
I agree. We're a bank, so there is some measure of people who have to stay in order to service clients, but there are definitely people who could work from home without it causing any problems. In my opinion they should be encouraging those that can to work from home. Unfortunately, from conversations I've overhead around the office in the past few days, there are a lot of people who still believe everything is being blown out of proportion.5 -
I haven’t mentioned anything to anyone IRL other than my husband about speculations about what we did or did not have for a wide variety of reasons... definitely don’t want to stir that pot! My brain does like to wonder and wander though (and have had a fibro flare so sleep is an issue so that gives me HOURS at night to think through things - thankfully this week has been garden planning at 2 AM
). 10 -
cmriverside wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »There are several hundred different viruses that cause upper respiratory symptoms**, symptoms of varying type, duration and severity.
I had a persistent cough in December severe enough for chest X-ray. I've had similar things in past years, though not at all routinely. I'm not going to speculate about what I had. It's at best pointless, and at worst could be harmful.
COVID-19 may have been here longer than we think. Or maybe not.
Please know when you're speculating, vs. when you actually know something. Be clear in your communications accordingly.
Panic and anxiety are more likely when we feed beliefs about conspiracy and cover-ups by speaking darkly and imprecisely about speculations.
** https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/common_cold_causes
So you were tested?
For COVID, in December? No. Nor for flu.
I got a chest X-ray. I didn't have pneumonia, per the chest X-ray. I wasn't tested for flu, or anything else. I have no idea what I had. It was managed symptomatically. Eventually (super slowly, like 6 weeks or more), it went away.
What concerns me is people saying "It must have been here earlier", then stacking up cases of people they know who had some kind of something with some upper respiratory symptoms; deciding it must have been COVID; telling other people "I know it was here earlier, because symptoms in people I know" (pure speculation), and having that kind of thing be mistaken for certainty or proof.
We can "know" things from actual proof (like if the researchers mentioned released the test data they've been scolded for, ideally with the timing of the first positive test(s)).
We can "know" things by inference from facts that are not actually proof, like lots of people having bad respiratory symptoms. "Knowing" can snowball among groups, from the latter kind of "knowing", with people adding their own reasons (still not proof) to the discussion, until some reach conspiracy theories or panics/anxieties of other sorts.
I'm just making a general observation that it's good to think and communicate clearly about what we mean, what we really know vs. assume, guess, or speculate.
I seriously doubt that I had COVID in December (most reasonable inference, I think, based on context). But I don't know. I'm not going to speculate.
Everyone so far in this thread who has said they had "something" has said "maybe" "could have been" etc.
Since none of us were tested, none of us (including you) know.
I just don't understand why this [speculation] bothers you so much? There are thousands walking around right now with it, if you believe the WHO and CDC.
(snip)
To the bolded:
Because I think all of us here don't like the panic side of things (based on reading posts), and I see a memetic side to that, as I think I mentioned earlier in the thread. Essentially, metaphorically, it was a post about memetic hygiene related to potential memetic contagion of poorly-founded beliefs.
I'm not accusing anyone here of anything. I didn't quote anyone. I could've phrased it better: The "you/you're" was intended as generic/nonspecific. "I think people should be clear about when they're speculating" would've been a better, clearer way to put it.
When I look out into my wider circle of acquaintenances, I see people spreading speculations, turning them into truths, then into anxiety or worse. Lots of people? Not necessarily, but some.
I'm not angry, panicked, or any other form of high emotion. I'm not even sure it "bothers me so much". My reaction (not here so much as generally) is kind of on the same scale as reactions to my 20-something friends' inclinations to have house parties when the bars were closed. I eye roll a little, think if I can do anything that's likely to have any impact on those specific cases - if yes, do it; if not, let it go - and go on with my day. (Not equating the severity of others actions/inactions here, equating my level of "bothered". If I can't do anything at all, there's no point in being even a little bothered.)9
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