My wife has me under a self-imposed seclusion at home. I can't say that I blame her. I'm 73, diabetic and undergoing chemo. Talk about high risk for the virus.
I agree totally Mike. It is the only prudent thing to do!!!! Hopefully it turns out to be for naught, but I don't think it will be. I hope you can avoid this thing, and that your conditions improve really soon.
I guess I fall into the "doom and gloom" category (at least according to some of you) because I have been reporting info that I have found from what I consider to be reliable sources (like international doctors, nurses, immunologists, and reports directly from the affected areas) and this info has been at least a bit scary. I guess some of you think my motives are for personal gain (somehow?) or just to create a sense of panic for my own satisfaction or no other good reason?
In my many years of being a first responder in a large city, and having been to many hospitals during periods of high demand, I have never witnessed anything even in the ballpark as to what the overrun ER's are experiencing in Italy right now. This is based on photos and reports coming from Italian doctors that are trying to survive it (work within it). Unfortunately it is not just the elderly and those with comorbidity that are experiencing the need for medical intervention (although yes, those groups have higher rates).
This "outbreak" has only really been going for about 10 weeks and most places in the world are only really just at the beginning (first stages). We (US and Canada) are just about to enter the "full blown" stage of exponential growth. As one source states the growth; case,case, cluster, cluster, BOOM. The boom is almost here, so my advise is "get ready now" because time is almost out. Looking at Italy and info from China during their peak, this is going to be bad. I know, there I go again, doom and gloom.
Realize, that if we react perfectly to this to minimize the spread and outcomes, we will (hopefully) look back and think that maybe we "over reacted", and that my friends would be a very good thing.
We are all entitled to our differing opinions, however, if the one's who are saying this is "only like the flu" or words to that affect and they turn out in fact to be wrong, we will all pay a higher price as a result. Examples of this abound in the flu outbreak of 1918/19. JMHO, and I hope I am wrong, but unfortunately, the longer this goes on, the more I fear that I am not.