Its like the CDC is being dragged kicking and screaming into a less restrictive position. I think COVID is going to be with us forever...just like the flu...which kills people too...except nobody notices anymore...Get the shot(s), or not...
Contributor Level:
First Mate
WHAT DOES IT REALLY MEAN?
5 Answers
Contributor Level:
Captain
As far as I can tell, it's all "double speak"!
Contributor Level:
Second Mate
IMHO, I believe it's all just bureaucrat speak for "cover thy ass".
While I agree with you about the flu, Covid's mortality rate is almost 10x higher. So I think that's an apples to oranges comparison. But I think the main difference between Covid and the flu vis-à-vis the CDC's warnings is that there is no video news footage of multiple bodies being offloaded from a cruise ship that experienced a flu outbreak. Before Covid the worst you heard about was an occasional norovirus outbreak that had cruisers rushing for the toilets. Sometimes the news media would even run those stories with a humorous slant. Covid changed everything. No one used to equate cruising and viral outbreaks. Now the non-cruising public's general perception is "floating petri dishes".
I agree with you that Covid will be with us forever (like the flu, and like the norovirus) and we'll probably need to get a yearly Covid vaccine for the foreseeable future.
Contributor Level:
Cruise Director
Shots will be needed for the foreseeable future. What will happen is the virus will mutate just like the flu, and look for new hosts. Once more people get the vaccine (or build immunity through infection), the virus won't be able to find a host, and in turn, burn itself out. That's exactly what's been happening with the flu virus: over time, it's slowly burned itself out to the point where it's far less deadly than it was when it was originally discovered.
I feel like I almost resent the "Floating petri Dish" mentality.
On a cruise ship, you see crew cleaning all the time, hand sanitizer everywhere, routine inspections from the CDC...
Ever walk into your local Walmart? now that place is a Petri Dish....
Contributor Level:
Staff Captain
Originally posted by:
OpusTGreat
I feel like I almost resent the "Floating petri Dish" mentality.
On a cruise ship, you see crew cleaning all the time, hand sanitizer everywhere, routine inspections from the CDC...
Ever walk into your local Walmart? now that place is a Petri Dish....
Yep .. I can think of a few restaurants that could qualify as a petri dish ... or a few food stands ... even grocery stores. Cruise ships are just a nice easy target that gets news coverage.
