185 - Pandemic: COVID-19 vs 1918 Spanish Flu

What the Hell is going on right now? Why is the world in lockdown? Today I try and answer some biology basics: What is a virus? What is a coronavirus? Why is the governmental reaction to COVID-19 so much more severe than it was to SARS back in 2003, or MERS in 2012, or the H1N1 outbreak of swine flu in 2009? I also interview Amy Ward, MS, RN, CIC, someone with a masters degree in infection prevention and epidemiology, to get a feel for what the medical community thinks of this pathogen. We break down how COVID-19 kills, what treatments are being explored, and I also go over a timeline of the 1918 Spanish flu to get a feel for how much worse that virus was and understand what we're trying to avoid with our current employment of "social distancing" and "shelter in place" measures. One of the most informative Sucks yet! Stay safe, and, this too shall pass. Hail Nimrod!

World Health Organization COVID-19 information: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

Andrew Welmers Mental Health COTC FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/512302776280743/?ref=share

Watch my Amazon special Don't Wake the Bear: https://amazon.com

We've donated $4800 this month to The Martin Richard Foundation.
Link to donate: https://teammr8.org/ Donate via Timesucker Matt Cox: https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/mr8bos20/matthewcox1

2020 Toxic Thoughts Tour Is Currently On HOLD due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Listen to the best of my standup on Spotify! (for free!) https://spoti.fi/2Dyy41d

Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vF9O50abfQ0

Merch - https://badmagicmerch.com/

Want to try out Discord!?! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v

Want to join the Cult of the Curious private Facebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" in order to locate whatever current page hasn't been put in FB Jail :)

For all merch related questions: https://badmagicmerch.com/pages/contact

Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcast

Wanna become a Space Lizard? We're over 7500 strong! Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcast

Sign up through Patreon and for $5 a month you get to listen to the Secret Suck, which will drop Thursdays at Noon, PST. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch. You get to vote on two Monday topics each month via the app. And you get the download link for my new comedy album, Feel the Heat. Check the Patreon posts to find out how to download the new album and take advantage of other benefits.