Dear Matzav Readers,
It’s Zvi here and I just put this together because people need to really understand what this is all about and what the risks are and why governments are reacting the way they are and why I agree with the measures taken.
Please read this essay that I wrote! EVERYONE IS PANICKING FOR NO REASON!
There is a very big difference between a systematic risk and a personal risk. On a personal level there is absolutely NO reason to be concerned here and that is why I’m flying away for Pesach!
The ONLY problem here is misinformation!
If you are a normal healthy person especially under 60 there is a .4% mortality rate. That means that you have a greater chance of getting hit by a car. There is also 85% chance that this wont effect you at all even if you get it! Those that are healthy and under 60 that get effected will just feel Flu like and get past it. So you can safely say that if you are under 60 there is a 95% chance that you wont even see a hospital and if you do it will be a 99.6% chance you will recover there!
Who is actually at risk? Those above 80 or those younger and/ or with underlying medical problems the rate goes all the way up to 8.23%! That is the scary part! It is also a much higher chance than the Flu that this will transmit. And obviously if you are in a hard-hit place like NY, you have a much greater chance of getting it over let’s say South Africa or Columbia. It’s just a numbers game. Fact!
Flying on a plane poses no risk as the HEPA filters remove 99% of airborne contaminants and regardless this is not airborne anyway (unless someone sneezes within 3 feet of you then its airborne for 30 seconds). The risk is being in a public place and touching a surface that has it and then touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. That is exactly how is transmits. That means that if you are not careful, you have the same chance of getting it at a local supermarket especially if the statistics in your area is high and that is the case in NY!
What is the only thing you need to actually do? Just keep washing your hands with soap and water thoroughly and DO NOT TOUCH YOUR FACE ESPECIALLY YOUR MOUTH EYES AND NOSE. Using soap and water is much better than hand sanitizer.
So lets try to understand and put things in perspective because I already met my fair share of people who are having anxiety for no good reason and this is just ruining their lives and based on the above on a personal level you have absolutely no reason to be concerned and please STOP acting crazy!
Therefore this concludes that there is really no concern or personal risk!
So why all the hype? Why is the government acting is if the world is ending and what happened in Italy?
As mentioned above, there is a big difference between personal risk and systematic risk.
When we talk about risk, there are many different elements to consider. Naturally, we are concerned about ourselves and our loved ones. This is an example of personal risk. By and large, your personal risk is low. most concerned about is systemic risk. The reason that the government imposed what it did is because complex systems, such as the healthcare system, function because all the moving pieces fit together and interact with one another in such a way that the system functions under normal loads, lower than normal loads, and slightly higher than normal loads but may break down under the very high loads they anticipate with COVID19. We have watched in horror at what is taking place in Italy where their healthcare system is failing. The healthcare system was overwhelmed by a flood of people requiring critical medical care all arriving too close together in time. Italy does not have enough ICU beds, ventilators (mechanical breathing machines), and medications to manage all the patients that needed it. Physicians in Italy are judging who gets an ICU bed and critical care and who does not because there is not enough supply to take care of everyone. That is why so many people there are dying. We do not want to see this happen here and that is why the governments are doing as they are.
Therefore all this hype and social distancing and travel bans are not because this will be an issue for normal healthy people. The issue is that a normal healthy person that gets it will transmit it to someone who is elderly or has other underlying problems and then they will need treatment and the hospitals will be flooded and will not be able to help them. That is it! This is not Ebola!
So stop this craziness and stop being concerned! Just be a responsible human so that others who are at risk don’t get hurt but by no means be concerned of getting this yourself because then its really no big deal.
DISAGREE!
I’m concerned about getting it because then I will probably spread it to my family members who will spread it to neighbors, friends, etc. who will then spread it to their family, neighbors, and friends, etc. etc. And some older or vulnerable person can die!
If you’re flying away for Pesach, that means that you DEFINITELY did not chap the message Hashem is sending us…
This is horribly irresponsible! I am shocked at the willingness of the Matzav editorial staff to be so callous to our parents and grandparents. How do these older people catch it? They catch it from the younger people who are at less risk! By advocating that younger people should not take it seriously because they are at less risk it is literally KILLING older people who get caught up in an overwhelmed medical system.
This is the same media created frenzied hysteria that they perpetrated last year with the deadly measles epidemic that took thousands of Yiddishe lives. If you recall, frum yidden were dropping dead on the streets of Monsey and Williamsburg. The batei kvorim were over filled with new masim arriving daily. Remember??? No, I don’t either. The whole measles thing was a media driven hoax! This coronashtusim is the exact same thing. There won’t be any deaths from a healthy Yid. The 2 people who died in NYS were in their 80’s and had respiratory issues before all this. This so-called doctor from Brooklyn going against daas Torah, sets a very dangerous precedent. It was bad enough he went around yelling to kick out any kid that wasn’t vaccinated from Yeshivos and chassuna’s. Mayor DeBlasio and Governor Cuomo have NOT shut down the public school system or the public libraries so let’s not outsmart them. Buy all the toilet paper you can. It shows what you’re full of. Think about that.
While he addresses some important points, the panic is not that people are fearful of dying… it’s the chaos and disruption of the order in our ordinary lives. Many have loved ones, such s parents and grandparents who are not under 60, and then there is also the economic disruption and how that will affect people’s parnasa. So while yes it’s never good to panic and we need to have emunah especially in these times, there is the psychological aspect of being concerned for others and how they are faring. Like the story of the Bsht when his talmidim asked him how can the Mida of kifirah be used for avodas hashem? He answered, when your friend comes to you with a problem, don’t start preaching on emunah and teshuva etc, instead be a ‘kofer’ and think practically about the situation. For your own problems be a maimin. (Wow sorry for such a long post..).
May I ask where you are flying from, and where you are flying to, for Pesach? Many countries are locked, and more restrictions are coming.
Shameful (or rather shameless) piece.
Very strong undertones of self-centerdness.
The fact that he primary risk is to the elderly and those with underlying health issues is stated clearly in the piece
But the conclusion of “Hey, everybody, take it easy! It’s not “YOU” whose at risk, it’s “THEM!” is very revraling of a terrible self-centeredness that is the antithesis of everything we stand for as Yidden.
WE are in a sakanah! Period!
No one is advocating panic, but telling everyone healthy and young to take it easy, because most of us will be okay, is downright goyish, and an unfortunate commentary of where we are at.
The Dr’s knows alot better then you and they say otherwise,its funny how the commen man feels he knows better then the Dr( Stuart )Its time to stop being so clever with your numbers and follow daas torah and the Dr with years of practice.
To some up “I don’t care about the community, I will probably be fine ”
Seriousl was this written by a 5th grader “gets it will transmit it to someone who is elderly or has other underlying problems and then they will need treatment and the hospitals will be flooded and will not be able to help them. That is it!”
That is it?
this rasha is writing off thousands of “elderly or has other underlying problems” as if its nothing?
http://www.torahweb.org/audio/rsch_031920.html
R Schachter says it all
Let’s summarize the article: the author thinks that since he is under 60 and has “only” .4% mortality rate which is “less than chance of being hit by a car”(apparently the author gets hit by a car every few months), therefore he is free to go around and infect people over 80 who have 8% mortality rate. Because the author’s flying to his vacation is more important than some old people dying, you see. Can’t tell what’s more crooked: author’s math, or author’s ethics.
Who are you, a Doctor? You say that flying on airplane is totally fine, we all know that airplanes are one of the most contaminated place on earth. So you proved yourself that you have no clue as to what your talking about. Please keep your unhealthy opinions to yourself and lets all just take the precautions were being instructed to do, that, that’s it.
You missed one extremely important safe guard….do teshuva!! Everyone of us needs to look within ourselves and fix what is wrong. Talking in shul? Well, now you can’t go to shul. Talking loshon hora? Well, now you can’t hang around and yenta. Of course there is still the phone to yenta on….Please my fellow Yidden, let us make ourselves holy so that we can be mekabel pnei Moshiach and bring the korban Pesach!!!
Wow! Thank you so much, that really put it all into perspective!
For the Machla itself, there are a good number of Natural Healing medications and treatments that, Im Yirtza Hashem, are very effective. For example, please see the article titled: “Dr Brownstein: We are Not Worried About COVID-19” at the “VaccineImpact” (com) website, in which is mentioned using increased amounts of the well known vitamins, A, C, and D. Also noted there are treatments with Ozone, Glutathione, and Hydrogen Peroxide. See the entire article
What you fail to realize is that even healthy individuals seemingly can require intervention, that while simple if available, is detrimental if untreated. So while you mention italian hospitals being overwhelmed, and you say it as if its not possible here, what you miss is that that is the EXACT situation that we are be”h seeking to avoid. And no, its not just for older people.
First off, the mortality rate for above 80 is 15%. That means that out of 100 entered hidden who get it, 15 may die. This is an utterly self-centered and irresponsible piece of drivel. This attitude is why in a few days Maimonides and other hospitals will be filled with sick Jews Hashem year hem. All those crowding into Boro park stores today, running around joking about it, Please daven and
Earn at home. Yes, it will be inconvenient, but it’s the right thing to do. If someone in your child’s school tests positives, stay home. Call your child’s monad and ask them to shut down in that case. I know people in the medical field, and they’re all saying it’s not pretty. The Torah says “ Chavey kema’at rega ad ya’avor zo’am” . Now is the time to do so. Hakol beyedei shomayim chutzpah metzinim u’pachim, that means that if you do something foolish in regards to your health, it’s on you. You will be the cause of you and others getting sick…
I found this letter and at least one of the comments quite offensive! The only people dying are some older people or with respiratory issues?! Only!?! Are you mad? Do you have parents, grandparents? Someone who is 80 should die because he’s “only” an elderly person?! Someone who dies because he “anyway” has respiratory issues is an “only” and “anyway”?! Every person is a world, regardless of his age and his ‘underlying health issues’. With those underlying health issues he may be dancing at grandchildren’s weddings, teaching, laughing, exercising, working, learning and myriad other healthy activities…. how is he less “normal” than you!? The amount of times the letter writer wrote “normal healthy people” is particularly offensive… so someone who has a health issue like elevated blood pressure or asthma is not normal?!
Go on your vacation for Pesach, enjoy it, but keep quiet and don’t gloat your good fortune in front of those less “normal” or carefree. And by the way, do the math. 0.4% mortality is NOT NEGLIGIBLE, it means four out of every thousand, or one out of every 250!! Do you know 250 “normal” healthy young people?! Al tiftach peh l’satan, but watch what you say about statistics and “only”…..
So, was everyone panicking for NO REASON?