Covid count

[achutch3]

Diabetes, cholesterol, heart disease, sedentary lifestyle... poor diet... suicide, depression, opioids,

The drop in life expectancy is from 2019 to 2020, over a single year.  All of the factors listed above have been around for decades so may affect year to year changes, but probably not as drastically as the 1.5 year reduction found in the study.  COVID was the only major health change that I know of from 2019 to 2020.

But we’ll see this Saturday.  Greasy cheeseburgers and other fast food menu items are known contributors to diabetes, cholesterol, & heart disease, so when McDonalds at Puna Kai Shopping Center has their $.50 cheeseburger special, limit 10 per car, on July 24, we’ll see how quickly ambulances are called out, the hospital fills up, and bodies line the road from Pahoa to Hilo.  I expect it won’t be that immediate, and is more likely to affect life expectancy statistics over the long term.  Unless you include 10 large fries with your order.

I agree all of those things have been around for years and are normally a slow gradual development.  It is pretty clear the drop in life expectancy is due to COVID but I was saying the pandemic has compounded these "underlying" conditions.

I think many people were borderline on al lot of those things and the virus simply pushed it over the edge.  Someone unfit or unhealthy in a different way with a compromised immune system probably run a greater risk of death from the virus if they catch it.  Of course there are always anomalies but I think we're talking about the masses. 

On the mental side of things suicide, depression, drug/alcohol use I think these things were compounded as well.  Not specifically due to the virus physically but due to the lockdown and lack of human interaction.  Again. maybe quite a feew that were borderline on some of these things but the lockdown pushed them over the edge.

Just thoughts.

Now go get one of those .50 cheeseburgers!

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I say drop all restrictions. People who refuse to get vaccinated have made their choice; holding the rest of us hostage to the choices of a few is causing more damage than COVID. I realize the permanent state of emergency is very lucrative for the State, but this does not an economy make, especially when they keep all the bailout money for themselves.

Agreed.