Wuhan Coronavirus - are you prepared?

[travsformation]

On a serious note, how is everything going at the clinic, @Rehab1? Haven't heard from you in a while!

[Patton250]

20 hours ago, LanghamP said:

Alcohol spending is up a fair bit according to Nielsen surveys, but industrial figures suggest alcohol consumption is up a tremendous amount (I'd guess 28% and 60% respectively), the difference due to the very high markup at bars and restaurants versus grocery stores.

People are drinking too much, but on the other hand people are carefully cooking at home, with healthy and nutritious meals.

As for spending money, economic activity has fallen off a cliff, but just like in 2008 (and every single recession dating back to the 1840's), Americans are saving much more money than before (an average of $204 per household) while tremendously cutting their expenses.

I was also very surprised to hear all my local hospitals hit maximum capacity the day before yesterday while being entirely out of respirators. That suggests lifting the quarantine was done too early. Ignoring people tested for Coronavirus and just looking at total deaths per day, the line is steep. It's really really steep. I mean, it's on track to kill something like 2.5 million people in a few months just in the US alone, minimum of 200,000 right now. Still, better than the 15 million assuming the 5% death rate holds (Italy is around 10%, by the way).

I erased my original comment. You post is just not worth replying to. 

Edited May 21, 2020 by Patton250

[LanghamP]

Alas, the Hertz rental company is no more, blaming Coronavirus and ride shares for greatly reducing demand.

However, I'd be more inclined to blame the $400,000,000 spent on stock buybacks since 2014 for Hertz's demise. The Coronavirus seems to be getting rid of the old, the sick, the weak, and the greedy...and I don't mean people.