@thegeopolitico's Threads
It is time for one long #Coronavirus update. I have been resisting doing this as (1) I do not want to add to the hysteria & the panic & (2) I don't believe in doomsday predictions. Moreover, things have been moving so fast, who knows what's what. BUT it's time for real talk...
Overall, #Coronavirus (the outbreak of #COVID19) is REAL. The effects on your daily life from the fallout will be REAL. The impact society, economics, & politics in 2020 will be severe & REAL. None of this is Fake News. None of this should be downplayed. (2/
People who are trying to silence REAL discussion are doing a disservice to the public interest. This is a 9/11 & 2008 level event in terms of its impact on domestic & international dynamics. This thread is not about creating panic but encouraging a smarter response. (3/
1. The @CDCgov has just released a report showing that life expectancy rose in 2018, for the first time since 2014, inching up to 78.7 years. This followed three straight years of decline marking the tail-end of @BarackObama's presidency. cdc.gov/nchs/data/data…
2.The 3 leading causes of death, heart disease, cancer & 'unintentional injuries' all showed decreases, although the latter, which includes drug overdoses, showed the most proportional decrease. This was the first decline in 20 years of drug-related deaths healio.com/primary-care/a…
3. In fact drug overdoses had increased from 17,400 in 2000 to an astonishing 70,200 by 2017, disproportionately affecting poor communities as well as Americans living in rural areas. 47,600 were from #opioids & 78% of these, classified as White kff.org/other/state-in…
