Nationals and Coronavirus.

Hi Elaine, This is actually been a wonderful "dialogue" so info that 67King presented comes to light. In response to your post, I should have been explicit by saying that I don't consider my post to be the "TRUTH." that will come much later after so much more has taken place. I was presenting "the other side of the story." :) Simply though - I continue to believe the world is over-reacting and, in the end, the cure will be far worse than the disease because of the economic hardship. As 67King mentioned and I referenced in an earlier post, no human has known immunity to this strain. Therefore, there is no "cure" at this point. So, the best course of action is the same as we have followed in the past - the same guidelines that are currently posted. IMO, nothing more is needed. Some will get sick, some will die, the majority will be just fine - same old, same old. If I am one of those who die, so be it - it is part of life, so-to-speak. End of my posts.... Paul

This was sent to me by my kids' club coach, who is by all means anxious to return from our spring break and get the kids back in the water. As an engineer who is married to a physician, I tend to try my best to bypass the folks opining in the media, and listen to experts such as Anthony Fauci, and their comments directly. At any rate, I found the information below to be pretty interesting, and good at explaning why we are taking such drastic action. Pay special attention to the very last thing written. Posted from a Ballad employee Dr. Mayur Patel Understanding COVID-19.....simply A complex disease Feeling confused as to why Coronavirus is a bigger deal than Seasonal flu? Here it is in a nutshell. I hope this helps. Feel free to share this to others who don’t understand... It has to do with RNA sequencing.... i.e. genetics. Seasonal flu is an “all human virus”. The DNA/RNA chains that make up the virus are recognized by the human immune system. This means that your body has some immunity to it before it comes around each year... you get immunity two ways...through exposure to a virus, or by getting a flu shot. Novel viruses, come from animals.... the WHO tracks novel viruses in animals, (sometimes for years watching for mutations). Usually these viruses only transfer from animal to animal (pigs in the case of H1N1) (birds in the case of the Spanish flu). But once, one of these animal viruses mutates, and starts to transfer from animals to humans... then it’s a problem, Why? Because we have no natural or acquired immunity.. the RNA sequencing of the genes inside the virus isn’t human, and the human immune system doesn’t recognize it so, we can’t fight it off. Now.... sometimes, the mutation only allows transfer from animal to human, for years it’s only transmission is from an infected animal to a human before it finally mutates so that it can now transfer human to human... once that happens..we have a new contagion phase. And depending on the fashion of this new mutation, thats what decides how contagious, or how deadly it’s gonna be.. H1N1 was deadly....but it did not mutate in a way that was as deadly as the Spanish flu. It’s RNA was slower to mutate and it attacked its host differently, too. Fast forward. Now, here comes this Coronavirus... it existed in animals only, for nobody knows how long...but one day, at an animal market, in Wuhan China, in December 2019, it mutated and made the jump from animal to people. At first, only animals could give it to a person... But here is the scary part.... in just TWO WEEKS it mutated again and gained the ability to jump from human to human. Scientists call this quick ability, “slippery” This Coronavirus, not being in any form a “human” virus (whereas we would all have some natural or acquired immunity). Took off like a rocket. And this was because, Humans have no known immunity...doctors have no known medicines for it. And it just so happens that this particular mutated animal virus, changed itself in such a way the way that it causes great damage to human lungs.. That’s why Coronavirus is different from seasonal flu, or H1N1 or any other type of influenza.... this one is slippery. And it’s a lung eater...And, it’s already mutated AGAIN, so that we now have two strains to deal with, strain s, and strain L....which makes it twice as hard to develop a vaccine. We really have no tools in our shed, with this. History has shown that fast and immediate closings of public places has helped in the past pandemics. Philadelphia and Baltimore were reluctant to close events in 1918 and they were the hardest hit in the US during the Spanish Flu. Factoid: Henry VIII stayed in his room and allowed no one near him, till the Black Plague passed...(honestly...I understand him so much better now). Just like us, he had no tools in his shed, except social isolation... And let me end by saying....right now it’s hitting older folks harder... but this genome is so slippery...if it mutates again (and it will). Who is to say, what it will do next.

As 67King mentioned and I referenced in an earlier post, no human has known immunity to this strain. Therefore, there is no "cure" at this point. So, the best course of action is the same as we have followed in the past - the same guidelines that are currently posted. IMO, nothing more is needed. Some will get sick, some will die, the majority will be just fine - same old, same old. If I am one of those who die, so be it - it is part of life, so-to-speak. End of my posts.... Paul Paul, I know you responded to Elaine, but I sense by your response that what I posted was not very clear. This virus is markedly different than the same old same old in two ways. One, the mortality rate is an order of magnitude higher than the best comparator we have and two, this thing is mutating factors more quickly than what we have seen before. And that is just what we DO know. There are things we do not. This thing could just disappear in the coming weeks as the temperature climbs. Or it could mutate yet again and thrive in 90ndegree temperatures. I don't tell my kids' coach how to do his job, even when I think he kisses stuff. I'm damn sure incompetent to tell the CDC how to do theirs. I trust professionals. Even when I may think they are being over cautious. But hey, I am also vaccinate my kids, so what do I know?

I found portions of this text in a few different places. cdapress.com/.../ wsau.com/.../

From Forbes: Confirmed Coronavirus Cases Are Growing Faster Than Anywhere Else In the World 12349 Don't forget, these are confirmed cases (cases confirmed by testing). Since there is still a tremendous shortage of testing kits in this country, and it is taking five days to get many of the results, this statistic WILL explode.

Just look at what is taking place in Italy. Unless you think that they are somehow more genetically predisposed to contracting and succumbing to Covid 19, it’s hard to imagine a sound argument for moving forward with USMS nationals. It’s a swim meet. Hardly worth risking more lives over. :applaud: It wouldn't have happened anyway, since the CDC has set May 10th as the earliest date for loosening restrictions. San Antonio and the Northside Independent School District would have canceled it for us. Still, there probably would have been the same complaining on this thread from the two who have yet to take this seriously. Thanks, 'freestyler, for being one of the Forumites with common sense and compassion for others! :agree:

Just look at what is taking place in Italy. Unless you think that they are somehow more genetically predisposed to contracting and succumbing to Covid 19, it’s hard to imagine a sound argument for moving forward with USMS nationals. It’s a swim meet. Hardly worth risking more lives over.

This guy knows a thing or two about what’s important. swimswam.com/.../

67King, I so wish there was a way to “like” or “love” posts in this forum. Thank you so much for both of your recent posts.

67King, I so wish there was a way to “like” or “love” posts in this forum. Thank you so much for both of your recent posts. I agree with you, Chris, because I was going to thank 67 for his posts. Thanks, 67! Windrath, I am glad to see you will no longer be posting on this subject. Stick to what you know best: coaching. If you don't care about your own life, fine. But, please, stay home and don't put anybody else at risk. Other lives DO matter to them, their families, and their friends.