Originally Posted by quiltingshorttimer

good explanation, SewingPup. In addition, while the # of people that have died from flu this year is far greater than the # of people that have died from CoVid 19, what is important to remember are 2 things: 1)the % of deaths with CoVid19 compared to flu is about double 2) there is very little known about the long term with CoVid 19--will it decrease seasonally like flu does or will it continue to infect people; when/if a vaccination will be readily available--right now in the US accurate test kits are still very scarce--as of yesterday, Missouri only had 5! So unlike cold/flu symptoms you might normally get and go to the doc and they do a routine Dx test to rule out flu, with CoVid 19 at this point, you have to be pretty darn sick to actually qualify to get tested.
The CDC as of yesterday is saying do not travel to China,Iran, Italy, Korea and caution about travel to Japan--but also say to check daily. They are also saying, especially for those age 50 yr or older with chronic health issues, to avoid events of large crowds and that the face masks available (unless you have access to the N95 healthcare workers special masks) really won't prevent infection, but if you are suspecting you are infected, wearing a mask may help those around you. Actually, they suggest that if you think you might be infected, do not go to ER or doctors, call instead and ask for them to send public health worker out to assess first.