i think i saw something about how the spanish flu pandemic basically lasted for about 6 years before it became just part of the normalized, endemic millieu of diseases that seasonally flare up and kill many thousands per year, especially in communities without sufficient public health infrastructure or support. 61,000 people died in the US in the 2017-2018 flu season, which was a bad one.
this should also be a lesson for people to get their flu shots, wash their hands, and generally be hygienic because a big pile of people do get sick and die from preventable bullshit every year just because every host in the chain linking them played it fast and loose.
my ecological understanding of diseases is that selection pressures for less lethality to the host and spread more easily/quickly among hosts. so my vision of the future is one where the flu shot has a corona shot that comes with it (BOGO). if you don't get the flu-rona shot, you'll probably get sick as a dog from some asshole bringing it into your workplace, your household will get it from you, and like somebody you barely know's grandma will get pneumonia and die.
but the hospital ICU's won't be packed, everything will be open, and the spice will flow so it will be an acceptable, background level of human suffering.
i think i saw something about how the spanish flu pandemic basically lasted for about 6 years before it became just part of the normalized, endemic millieu of diseases that seasonally flare up and kill many thousands per year, especially in communities without sufficient public health infrastructure or support. 61,000 people died in the US in the 2017-2018 flu season, which was a bad one.
this should also be a lesson for people to get their flu shots, wash their hands, and generally be hygienic because a big pile of people do get sick and die from preventable bullshit every year just because every host in the chain linking them played it fast and loose.
my ecological understanding of diseases is that selection pressures for less lethality to the host and spread more easily/quickly among hosts. so my vision of the future is one where the flu shot has a corona shot that comes with it (BOGO). if you don't get the flu-rona shot, you'll probably get sick as a dog from some asshole bringing it into your workplace, your household will get it from you, and like somebody you barely know's grandma will get pneumonia and die.
but the hospital ICU's won't be packed, everything will be open, and the spice will flow so it will be an acceptable, background level of human suffering.