This matter should concern all of us. From The Federalist, dated April 23, 2020....
Instead Of ‘Flattening The Curve,’ We Flattened Hospitals, Doctors, And The U.S. Health Care System: Across the country, hospitals shut down 'non-essential' procedures in preparation for a surge of coronavirus patients that never appearedRead the rest HERE.
When the lockdowns began last month, we were told that if we didn’t stay home our hospitals would be overwhelmed with coronavirus patients, intensive care wards would be overrun, there wouldn’t be enough ventilators, and some people would probably die in their homes for lack of care. To maintain capacity in the health-care system, we all had to go on lockdown—not just the big cities, but everywhere.
So we stayed home, businesses closed, and tens of millions of Americans lost their jobs. But with the exception of New York City, the overwhelming surge of coronavirus patients never really appeared—at least not in the predicted numbers, which have been off by hundreds of thousands.
[...]
[H]ospitals and health care systems nationwide have had to furlough or lay off thousands of employees. Why? Because the vast majority of most hospitals’ revenue comes from elective or “non-essential” procedures. We’re not talking about LASIK eye surgery but things like coronary angioplasty and stents, procedures that are necessary but maybe not emergencies—yet. If hospitals can’t perform these procedures because governors have banned them, then they can’t pay their bills, or their employees....
Additional reading...
1. Young and middle-aged people, barely sick with covid-19, are dying from strokes: Doctors sound alarm about patients in their 30s and 40s left debilitated or dead. Some didn’t even know they were infected
2. Coronavirus: China Continues to Flood the World with Defective Medical Supplies.
The WaPo article mentions halfway through that this is a minuscule amount of people. We we say the large percentage of victims are old or have other medical issues, that obviously means that a minority will be young, healthy people, and the news articles are searching out those cases to scare us all back into our homes and crash the economy.
ReplyDeleteSF, see my latest.
DeleteThis is cra cra … crazy. My son-in-law is an ER physician and hasn't worked in weeks. My mom had a spiral fracture of her tibia (she is 90) and her surgeon hadn't done a surgery in 14 days. Hospitals are being decimated. Personally, I have had melanoma and my dermatology appointment has been cancelled several times. An ablation in my cervical spine was cancelled twice. I consider this work essential but somebody disagrees with me. Our economy is now a greater risk than COVID-19. Somebody ought to shake themselves.
DeleteWe have far exceeded the rationale for shutting down.
ReplyDeleteNow it's just a raw power grab.
There is no reason for a "planned" reopening.
Open. Now!
AMEN!
DeleteSpot on, Ed.
DeleteNews media long ago adopted the cult of individualism. I have come to know that the next line after, "Floods are devastating the entire Midwest," will be, "Molly Smith has lived on her farm for 42 years and..." accompanied by a picture of an elderly woman weeping at her loss.
ReplyDeleteIt makes it easy to slant the news. "Thousands are dying of Covid19" is followed by, "Jack Ward was a successful 24 year old salesman until..." This avoids telling us that 95% of those who died were over 85 years old and in poor health, and creates the impression that Covid19 is slaughtering young people in droves.
Jayhawk,
DeleteThe Inverted pyramid was abandoned years ago. Instead, the anecdotal lead is the required style.
**sigh**
It's a concerted exploit the logical fallacy appeal to emotion.
**sigh** again
Other logical fallacies are also in play -- to many to enumerate here.
A good book on the topic: The Fallacy Detective.
Speaking of consequences....My cousin, her husband, and their grandchild (of whom they have had full custody since before she was 1 year old) are in 2-week quarantine as of April 23 because one of her husband's colleagues test positive for the Ripley.
ReplyDeleteFortunately, my cousin, who carries the family's health insurance, can work from home. Her husband, on the other hand, is an electrician -- no work, no pay.
I don't understand that, AOW. We still need electricians, plumbers, etc. If folks can still pick up our trash, deliver the mail, repair highways, issue traffic tickets, then why can't they still do electrical repairs? Maybe I'm just slow ...
DeleteMustang: No, it's not you....
DeleteMy sister had a zoom appointment with her doctor last week. It was just him, her, and their computers. During the appointment, the doctor wore a face mask. Apparently, it's possible to catch the Covid-19 virus through bandwidth. Who knew? Is Zoom Med the future of US healthcare? Do we all need to run out and purchase pre-appointment medical devices so we can take our own blood pressure readings? Will any of this improve the health of our fellow citizens? It all seems very whacky to me, but if Obama Care will pay me for a new computer ...
ReplyDeleteI gotta say, I appreciate my doc talking me out of an office visit a couple weeks ago.
DeleteDoesn't help him financially, though.
I can see a resurgence of interest in and reliance Christian Science.
DeleteNot kidding!
I'd much rather trust GOD than TECHNOLOGY if it comes down to a clear choice between the two.
It does help him financially. Doctors can charge insurance companies, including medicare, for "Telehealth visits." I don't know what the rates are.
DeleteI have three regular doctors that I see: a pulmonalogist, a neurologist, and a cardiologist. Yes, maybe I could take my own blood pressure, but in a "telehealth visit" my pulmonologist cannot listen to my lungs ("take a deep breath"), my neurologist cannot do a neurolocical exam ("squeeze my fingers") and my cardiologist cannot listen to my heartbeat. So what good are any of these visits doing?
Well, yes, there are degrees.
DeleteSam,
DeleteDuring the appointment, the doctor wore a face mask.
You are kidding, aren't you? Please tell me you're kidding.
Franco,
DeleteI can see a resurgence of interest in and reliance Christian Science.
I can see a place for Christian Science in certain situations. But not all! Christian Science cannot cure a cataract or operate to repair a retina -- just to cite two examples.
Schools get paid for NOT being OPEN as well.
DeleteParents must PAY the SAME RATE even though their children ar kept home, and must get their lessons via COMPUTER with parents manning the technology.
In this case it's the PARENTS who must do the lion's share of the work if they want to see their children get educated. Elementary School kids must be closely supervised.
Even so these har working parents must still pay FULL TUITION rates to the SCHOOL, because the teachers ARE giving lessons via computer.
This is a private school I know in the area. I think favorably of the place, but don't think i fair that parents must pay full rates when the school's overhead is so greatly reduced by present "crisis" conditions.
Do you agree or disagree?
I gotta say, Christian science is only Christian in it's name.
DeleteMany Christians (like myself) rely on prayer for healing, yet the doctor is the backup.
Ed,
DeleteSame here!
Franco,
DeleteThis is a private school I know in the area. I think favorably of the place, but don't think i fair that parents must pay full rates when the school's overhead is so greatly reduced by present "crisis" conditions.
Do you agree or disagree?
In my view, it depends on how much marking of papers the teachers are still doing.
My cousin has a similar situation with her granddaughter's private school. There are mounds of packets which the teacher grades. First grade, BTW.
Franco,
DeletePS: the overhead may not change as much as you imagine. Rent (or taxes, depending on the business structure) still remains the same -- and is usually the biggest part of the overhead.
@ AOW ... no, not kidding.
DeleteSam,
DeleteThe mind reels!
What the hell is wrong with people?
Jayhawk, I hear you on the equipment. I do take my own BP daily, as well, my O2 saturation and finger prick for my A1C to check blood glucose levels. I finger prick for ketones levels. The things is, physicians want you to do this but they don't accept the data. They are too afraid in today's litigious atmosphere. So the internet appointments are really nothing more than a verbal consultation. There is a little value there but I wouldn't call it "treatment".
DeleteOT: ENCOURAGING NEWS on WED. 4/29/2020
ReplyDeleteDOWZUP FIVE-HUNDRED-THIRTY-TWO
24,633.86 +532.31 (2.21%)
Jayhawk,
ReplyDeleteSo what good are any of these visits doing?
I suppose that it depends on the case.
Mr. AOW had a telemedicine "exam" with his neurologist's physician's assistance yesterday -- not with the neurologist herself (Ugh!(. There was a bit of a neuro exam, but of course that exam couldn't not assess strength. The PA wrote a script for Mr. AOW to have more physical therapy (he has fallen twice recently) and sent an electronic script to the pharmacy. The neurologist's office insisted on either an in-person or a telemedicine exam to renew prescriptions.
I can see a future for telemedicine in some respects, but not all.
Well, I see a tremendous need for a return to stronger faith in and reliance on GOD.
DeleteSince most of my relatives were born in th nineteenth century and ived through many revolutionary the changes that created "The Modern World" I know from listening to their stories that while life was still difficult for them it was certainly very different then from what it is today.
My relatives and thir friends did NOT suffer from anxiety and ill health NEARLY as much as so many do today. They were generally more cheerful, more optimistic, more resilient, more couageous and more productive than we are today.
The reasons for that I believe would fill an intensely interesting volume.
ATTITUDE can be THE decisive factor in whether one leads a satisfying life or merely lurches and bumps from one horrid crisis after another in perpetual anger, resentment and discontent.
As Solomon said:
"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine."
Franco,
DeleteI see a tremendous need for a return to stronger faith in and reliance on GOD.
I don't disagree.
What I'm saying is that medical care and reliance on God are not mutually exclusive.
I'll repost this comment here:
DeleteChristian science is only Christian in it's name.
Many Christians (like myself) rely on prayer for healing, yet the doctor is the backup
Ed,
DeleteMany Christians (like myself) rely on prayer for healing, yet the doctor is the backup
Same here! I learned the hard way about the doctor backup when I was having kidney trouble in 2015-2016. I'm sure you remember that agony I went through!
Yep.
Delete"What I'm saying is that medical care and reliance on God are not mutually exclusive."
DeleteLike the guy who died on the roof of his house in a flood and upon entering Heaven asked God why he had not saved him from the flood. God replied, "I sent you a raft, and a boat, and guys in a motorboat, and a helicopter. What were you waiting for>"
I think God sent us doctors.
Meanwhile, Fox News fires Diamond &Silk for violating their "Corona Virus Misinformation Policy". Anybody think that censoring Diamond & Silk like this is a good policy?
ReplyDeleteFJ,
DeleteDiamond & Silk fired? WOWZER!
What in the world did they say?
DeleteAccording to sources, Fox News and streaming service Fox Nation “no longer have a relationship” with the duo.
DeleteEarlier this month, Twitter locked their account over a tweet that criticized coronavirus crisis stay-at home orders and suggested that people should be “out in the environment.”
“The only way we can become immune to the environment; we must be out in the environment.” they wrote. “Quarantining people inside of their houses for extended periods will make people sick!”
https://deadline.com/2020/04/diamond-and-silk-fox-news-donald-trump-1202919395/
They sound like me. :)
DeleteActually, they sound like Tucker.
DeleteIf they sound like Tucker -- and I don't doubt Ed's word on this -- then why did they get canned?
DeleteAttention anyone who thinks that Fox News is fair and balanced: I have a gold mine for sale in Wisconsin.
DeleteEd said: "They sound like me. :)"
DeleteYeah, but can you move your head side to without your shoulders moving :- )
I'm getting better with practice.
move your head side to side …
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteOff topic. Comment removed.
Deletehttps://xkcd.com/2300/
ReplyDeleteit's a good one today ;)
Jez,
DeleteYes, a good one.
Are you into jokes and comics?
xkcd is a fav of geeks, math nerds, coders and engineer types.
Deletexkcd's the only comic I keep up to date with. I feel like Silverfiddle's about to give me a wedgie!
DeleteGEEZE! I wish you guys would quit with the Slang and "In" Jargon!
DeletePlease try to address us in ENGLISH –– IF you still CAN, that is
];^}>
Doin' whatcher doin' is the same thing as foeigners speaking in their native tongues at a gathering of English speakers so they can be as rude, insulting and derogatory as they like without having to be held accountable –– not that THAT is YOUR motvation, of course.
I'm sure it's just habit with you. but its time somebody TOLD you how it comes across.
Sorry I had to be the one.
Once I'm gone you'll be free to Argle Bargle and Bibble Babble to your heart's content –– and to Society's Detriment too, of course.
Won't THAT be FUN?
xkcd is the name of a web comic.
DeleteFranco,
DeleteIt happens to be the name of a web site. Not jargon.