Disturbing Responses to COVID-19

1.  Trump has put Pence in charge of the battle against the virus in the U.S.  Other than Trump, himself, Pence probably is the most anti-science person in the entire current Administration.  There are so many competing for the anti-science King title, though, that naming Pence as the winner is a tough call.  :)

2.  All statements about covid-19 now have to be approved by Pence before being released to the public.  That includes all informational statements from the CDC, medical researchers, and all medical professionals in the Gov't.  Does anyone besides me see a problem here?  This approval requirement basically is a modified Gag Order, and approval for release will be doled out by a guy who essentially knows jack-squat about Science.

I'm guessing the probability is high that sooner or later crucial info may be kept from us because its release would have a damaging effect on the economy.  The false perception of a "great" economy is crucial to Trump's re-election.

3.  The pundit, Rush Limbaugh, has stated that covid-19 is nothing but a "common cold".  This is often what happens when people with little to no science background delve into a scientific topic.  I imagine he read somewhere that one type of common cold is caused by a corona virus (which is true).  I further imagine he concluded that means covid-19 is a common cold.  Apparently, it never entered his mind that several different types of corona viruses exist, with different degrees of virulence.  SARS is caused by a corona virus, too, but it's far from being a common cold.  Arguably, covid-19 is worse than SARS, especially in regard to how fast it spreads.

Hey, Mr. Limbaugh (& all his fans), covid-19 causes illness MAGNITUDES worse than a common cold.  In your dogmatic pontifications, perhaps you should stick with what you know.  I'm not sure what that is, but am fairly certain it involves nothing scientific.

Finally, the 1918 Spanish flu infected about 500 million people and killed an estimated 50 million...including 675,000 in the USA.  Pandemics never should be taken lightly.
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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Our Bubble Economy is About to Meet the COVID-19 Black Swan

Preface
I'm not a virologist or toxicologist; however, I do have a Biology and Environmental Science background, both academically and in the field.
Key terms in the title above---
COVID-19:  corona virus disease, 2019;
Black Swan:  "A black swan is an unpredictable event that is beyond what is normally expected of a situation and has potentially severe consequences. Black swan events are characterized by their extreme rarity, their severe impact, and the practice of explaining widespread failure to predict them as simple folly in hindsight."  ~ Investopedia
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Following are a few facts regarding covid-19, and some speculation on my part.

Facts---
1.  The virus is:  highly contagious, spreading rapidly, and too often deadly (especially in children and old people).
2.  The CDC has stated that there still are a lot of unknowns regarding exactly how this virus behaves.
3.  Except for Antarctica, the virus is now on every continent in the world.
4.  It's now in 50 countries.
5.  Confirmed cases in humans now number 82,550; confirmed deaths from the virus now number 2,810.
6.  Larry Kudlow of the Trump Administration stated that the corona virus epidemic was "fake news", and that the U.S. has the virus "tightly contained".  Trump has stated that China has the virus under control, and the risk to U.S. citizens is "very low". 
7.  The CEO of Alibaba, Daniel Zhang, recently stated that the corona virus (covid-19) is a Black Swan event for the world economy.
8.  The U.S. Stock Market is now down 13%.

Speculation---
1.  The Establishment (including Trump and the CDC) is scared to death to use the word "pandemic"...because of the effect it would have on the economy.
2.  A pandemic is the worldwide spread of a new disease; therefore, covid-19 is a pandemic.  The Establishment would argue the numbers are not yet high enough to warrant that designation.  Okay, that's arguable, so at the very least, it's a pandemic in-the-making.  And the rapidity with which it spreads guarantees the making soon will be completed.
3.  Kudlow, Trump, et. al. are either flat-out lying or demonstrating a degree of ignorance beyond the pale.
4.  The private and public Powers-That-Be will do anything to keep the Bubble Economy rolling along on irrational exuberance.  They rarely will give us the truth regarding covid-19.
5.  This tiny virus very well could bring on our overdue economic & financial Crash.

Not only my opinion.  Be Prepared