March Madness and Covid-19

[steverocks35]

I was just looking over the brackets and I was wondering how the novel coronavirus Covid-19 might affect the NCAA basketball tournament.

Washington state is the epicenter for the virus in the United States, but every day cases are popping up all over, and I guarantee you that there are more cases than are publicly known because we are inexplicably not instituting widespread testing yet!

Just looking at the bracket, I see that first round games are set to be played in Spokane Washington. Are the powers that be really going to want teams and fans from all over the country to congregate in Spokane? Also, Florida is a hotspot for the virus and games are scheduled to be played in Tampa. In a couple of weeks, the virus will be more widespread, maybe by a couple of magnitudes, than it is now. There may be rumblings about moving/canceling games and/or playing games in empty arenas.

This is scary stuff and much bigger than basketball.

[BoulderSooner]

from a harvard MD

https://slate.com/technology/2020/03...mpression=true

[steverocks35]

Originally Posted by BoulderSooner

from a harvard MD

https://slate.com/technology/2020/03...mpression=true

Mortality rates so far have been in the 2-3% range which is at least 200 times more deadly than seasonal flu. But even at low mortality, if it spread to millions of people, which is likely, you're talking about thousands of deaths.

And the virus has likely mutated, it appears to be more aggressive now than when it first started spreading in Wuhan.

The point of all this being, it's not likely that the government is going to want thousands of people inside a small arena in a virus hot zone.

Even in the "case study" that guy cited, the Princess Cruise ship, his calculated mortality rate of 0.85% is still more than 8 times the mortality of seasonal flu. (Also, that's a completely anecdotal case he cited, so it's not scientific)

[BoulderSooner]

Originally Posted by steverocks35

Mortality rates so far have been in the 2-3% range which is at least 200 times more deadly than seasonal flu. But even at low mortality, if it spread to millions of people, which is likely, you're talking about thousands of deaths.

And the virus has likely mutated, it appears to be more aggressive now than when it first started spreading in Wuhan.

The point of all this being, it's not likely that the government is going to want thousands of people inside a small arena in a virus hot zone.

did you even read what i linked

i would guess no

[steverocks35]

Originally Posted by BoulderSooner

did you even read what i linked

i would guess no

Yes I did, what's your point? That's it's no big deal? It is a big deal and you minimize it at your own risk. Even if you look at his "case study" (anecdotal) he calculates a mortality of 0.85% WHICH IS ALMOST 9 TIMES THE MORTALITY OF SEASON FLU!

[steverocks35]

Even if you want to put your head in the sand, the public health officials here in the United States are NOT going to put their heads in the sand as people are dying, and they may not want to risk spreading this disease by having people from all over the country packed into tiny arenas in virus hot zones.

[steverocks35]

By the way, I work for the Veteran's Administration and the VA has cancelled ALL travel, not inessential travel, ALL travel! They are definitely taking this seriously.

[Soonercuda]

Italy and Korea are playing sporting events in front of empty stadiums to combat the spread of Covid-19. In The EPL they are stopping the pregame handshake between players and officials as a precaution. I am sure the ncaa, nba, nhl, etc. are monitoring this.

[sheepdogs1]

March Madness may take on a new meaning before it's all said and done.

[steverocks35]

Originally Posted by sheepdogs1

March Madness may take on a new meaning before it's all said and done.

The transmission of the virus has slowed in China. Do you know how they did it? They "locked down" 57 million people in Hubei province and had widespread lockdowns all over the rest of the country! That's 1/4th the population of the United States locked down in one province!

[Max Power]

who would have thought our fan base would actually prepare the team for NCAA tournament crowds

[steverocks35]

Originally Posted by max power

who would have thought our fan base would actually prepare the team for ncaa tournament crowds

hahahahaha!

[WichitaSooner]

Originally Posted by Max Power

who would have thought our fan base would actually prepare the team for NCAA tournament crowds

Well done, sir, well done.

[steverocks35]

Just got the word, the hospital where I work, starting tomorrow, is going to close all entrances but one and screen every person at the door for Covid-19.

[hoopsaustin]

Originally Posted by Max Power

who would have thought our fan base would actually prepare the team for NCAA tournament crowds

Perfect

[BoulderSooner]

Originally Posted by steverocks35

Just got the word, the hospital where I work, starting tomorrow, is going to close all entrances but one and screen every person at the door for Covid-19.

screen how??

[BoulderSooner]

this is basicly only dangerous if you are above 65 or have a weakened immune system

[steverocks35]

Originally Posted by BoulderSooner

this is basicly only dangerous if you are above 65 or have a weakened immune system

You basically don't know what you're talking about. Sure, the mortality is lower, but it can still kill anyone.

We are being screened by answering a series of questions and probably getting our temp taken.

[sheepdogs1]

Originally Posted by BoulderSooner

this is basicly only dangerous if you are above 65 or have a weakened immune system

I would think children would be at risk, too. The thing is for people who are not high risk they will be the conduit for the virus to spread to the high risk group.

[steverocks35]

Originally Posted by sheepdogs1

I would think children would be at risk, too. The thing is for people who are not high risk they will be the conduit for the virus to spread to the high risk group.

Yep, about 90% of the symptomatic cases are among people ages 30-69. What that means though is that a lot of young asymptomatic people who have the virus are running around spreading it far and wide.

[BoulderSooner]

Originally Posted by sheepdogs1

I would think children would be at risk, too. The thing is for people who are not high risk they will be the conduit for the virus to spread to the high risk group.

suprisingly they havent been thus far that is something the medical community is a little confused about

[BoulderSooner]

Originally Posted by steverocks35

You basically don't know what you're talking about. Sure, the mortality is lower, but it can still kill anyone.

We are being screened by answering a series of questions and probably getting our temp taken.

has any previously healthy person under 60 died of this ??

has any child died of this??

[MJSooner]

I agree with Steve, this is a big deal. Those who want to claim it is not that deadly or contagious and it is all liberal media hype are not paying attention. Yes, it is more deadly if you are old, but all ages are contracting it at a very rapid rate-2-3 X more contagious than the flu. Yes, you still have a 97% chance of surviving it if you contract it but the ones who are warning about it are doctors and health organizations. It has crashed markets, potentially caused a global recession, or at minimum definitely a slowdown, caused shortage of medical supplies, halted non-essential travel and practically shut down the travel industry. As someone that works in the investment arena, it is a big deal.

Yet many want to claim it's just hype and fear-mongering.

As it relates to sporting events, Washington may be an issue. There was a vendor at the MLS/XFL arena that has contracted it and now they are trying to determine who came in contact with this person. Since it spreads to 2-3 people, who knows how many may get it from that game. The NBA and NHL has basically told their athletes to halt all fan interaction, like high-fives or even consider autographs. By the time March Madness hits, I can see some places doing voluntary confinements or do what Europe did by prohibiting spectators at soccer games. And Steve is right, the reason it has slowed in China is because they basically shut down entire cities of millions of people.

I can see basketball games in the NCAA or certain NBA cities played in front of crowds like an OU women's game.

[steverocks35]

Originally Posted by BoulderSooner

has any previously healthy person under 60 died of this ??

has any child died of this??

Yes!

[steverocks35]

The otherwise healthy 34 year-old physician who discovered this virus in China, and who blew the whistle and sounded the alarm died of Covid-19 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/06/w...ronavirus.html