It's Not Just About The Death Rate

Here's a post I found at FR, lifted from WBBM 780 in Chicago. It really, IMO, gets to the core issue. Most of these young people don't die. The reason is mostly because they're stronger, have more endurance--you can see that in the anecdotal accounts. But large numbers of young(ish) people DO wind up in the ICU. Cutting off care to anyone older than 60 won't change that, and failing to curtail spread through the only means currently available--social distancing--will result in hospital overload anyway. Because of the numbers of infected young people. Check it out. I included the first comment:

CDC Warns Coronavirus Can Be Serious For Young Adults
wbbm780 ^ | MARCH 19, 2020

As the coronavirus continues to spread, young Americans are being warned not to take the pandemic lightly. 

A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that younger adults are also at risk of becoming very sick from COVID-19. 

While Americans aged 80 and older have a higher risk of dying from the virus, a significant portion of those hospitalized for the illness were younger, the study found. 

Of 508 patients hospitalized between February 12 and March 16, 38% were aged 20 to 54. 

The report also found that 47% of 121 patients who were taken to intensive care units were under the age of 65. 

Additionally, 20% of those hospitalized and 12% of those in intensive care were ages 20 to 44, essentially the range of the millennial generation. 

(Excerpt) Read more at wbbm780.radio.com ... 

OK so you likely won’t die if you’re young and healthy.
But ending up in ICU with pneumonia kinda sucks an if it’s bad enough it can leave a lasting impression on your lungs.
I’ve had pneumonia twice. It’s a beast.

Again--this is why social distancing is important. Lots of people still work well into their 70s. This pandemic is not somehow nature's way of ridding the world of dead (!) weight. Permanent lung damage and long recovery for able bodied adults is not without social cost. Yes, we all hope that chloroquine and other drugs make a difference, but right now it's key to slow or stop the spread while we have the ability to do so. It's my unscientific view that because of America's unique physical and human geography that may still be possible. Time will tell.

And I see that Rand Paul just tested positive.