... and this is why I will continue to mask, socially distance, etc.

[PeterB]

Robert M wrote:
PeterB,

I wouldn't say they're comparable. The risks posed to other people by smokers to themselves and other people aren't remotely on the same level as the risk posed to other people by someone who is infected with Covid-19. People can be in the same room as one or more smokers for quite a while and the likelihood they're going to catch a potentially deadly illness from him/her/them because of the smoking is teensy. Can't say that about someone with Covid-19. The risk is far greater even with reasonable safety precautions.

Robert

Hi Robert, you'll notice that I said they are and they aren't. mrbigstuff presented me with a false equivalence, which I rejected. They are similar in the sense that they're both very serious public health problems, which need to be dealt with through mandated social and public health policy. They're not similar in the ways you mentioned, but also in the very important ways I pointed out: that vaccination saves lives, whereas smoking causes death, and through a highly addictive product. (And one which the companies who market the products knew full well was highly addictive for years, hid that fact from the public as best they could, and in fact modified their product to make it even more addictive.)

[mrbigstuff]

PeterB wrote:
[quote=Robert M]
PeterB,

I wouldn't say they're comparable. The risks posed to other people by smokers to themselves and other people aren't remotely on the same level as the risk posed to other people by someone who is infected with Covid-19. People can be in the same room as one or more smokers for quite a while and the likelihood they're going to catch a potentially deadly illness from him/her/them because of the smoking is teensy. Can't say that about someone with Covid-19. The risk is far greater even with reasonable safety precautions.

Robert

Hi Robert, you'll notice that I said they are and they aren't. mrbigstuff presented me with a false equivalence, which I rejected. They are similar in the sense that they're both very serious public health problems, which need to be dealt with through mandated social and public health policy. They're not similar in the ways you mentioned, but also in the very important ways I pointed out: that vaccination saves lives, whereas smoking causes death, and through a highly addictive product. (And one which the companies who market the products knew full well was highly addictive for years, hid that fact from the public as best they could, and in fact modified their product to make it even more addictive.)
I was responding not to your assertion of death and seriousness, but to the claimthat covid is using scarce hospital and healthcare resources. When in fact, smoking and its myriad problems usefar more resources.

[PeterB]

mrbigstuff wrote:
[quote=PeterB]
[quote=Robert M]
PeterB,

I wouldn't say they're comparable. The risks posed to other people by smokers to themselves and other people aren't remotely on the same level as the risk posed to other people by someone who is infected with Covid-19. People can be in the same room as one or more smokers for quite a while and the likelihood they're going to catch a potentially deadly illness from him/her/them because of the smoking is teensy. Can't say that about someone with Covid-19. The risk is far greater even with reasonable safety precautions.

Robert

Hi Robert, you'll notice that I said they are and they aren't. mrbigstuff presented me with a false equivalence, which I rejected. They are similar in the sense that they're both very serious public health problems, which need to be dealt with through mandated social and public health policy. They're not similar in the ways you mentioned, but also in the very important ways I pointed out: that vaccination saves lives, whereas smoking causes death, and through a highly addictive product. (And one which the companies who market the products knew full well was highly addictive for years, hid that fact from the public as best they could, and in fact modified their product to make it even more addictive.)
I was responding not to your assertion of death and seriousness, but to the claimthat covid is using scarce hospital and healthcare resources. When in fact, smoking and its myriad problems usefar more resources.
It depends on to which type of resources you're referring. Smoking and its myriad problems don't soak up the ER beds the way corona has. On the other hand, you're right that, long-term, smoking probably expends far more total resources. I'm also thinking that the ER bed taken by the corona patient is one less bed available for someone who needs it due to an unrelated (but serious) health emergency, like a cardiac event.