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Coronavirus patients start to overwhelm US hospitals

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Re: Coronavirus patients start to overwhelm US hospitals

#71
post #24

Judging by the history of most pandemics, I am currently more worried about the capacity of morgues than hospitals. Maybe this one will be different though.

That's probably a little more easily solved. When things get ugly enough, humans have a tendency to skip all the polite rituals and start using mass graves.

Re: Coronavirus patients start to overwhelm US hospitals

#72
post #3

While I'm not questioning the truth of these accounts, what annoys me about all these reports is that they seem to be anecdotes rather than hard data. It's really difficult to understand what's actually going on because the data sucks. It's hard to assess just how full hospitals are, which hospitals are at capacity, how many patients are actually testing positive vs. showing up at the hospital because they feel a bit…

Even if you are on the fence I hope you're taking measures now and having older relatives isolate. If you're not, a couple of weeks from now you will look back and regret being on the fence. Look after yourself.

Re: Coronavirus patients start to overwhelm US hospitals

#73
post #34

Well, that’s some fear mongering. The article is all anecdotes. Most of the nurses and doctors they talked to are anonymous sources. According to the AHA[1], there are 6,146 hospitals in the US. There are 68,000 confirmed covid-19 cases in the US, and 33,000 of those cases are all in New York—almost 10x more than the next states (4.4k NJ, 3.2k CA)[2]. I don’t know the rate of hospitalization for the infected, but sym…

[deleted]

Re: Coronavirus patients start to overwhelm US hospitals

#74

The American people are at the mercy of a rudderless death cult, and have increasingly been so over the past decade. It's coming to a head now. Oh, it seems I've been flagged.

You will be down voted to oblivion for even suggesting this is a deep cultural and political problem with America. Because suggesting such a thing is uncivil here on HN.

I doubt such sentiment is considered uncivil or rare.

Everyone seems to agree that America has deep problems, but the nation is divided - and not just along party lines - about what those problems and solutions are.

It's the useless complaining, labeling, and content-free comments that are uncivil.

Re: Coronavirus patients start to overwhelm US hospitals

#75
post #34

Well, that’s some fear mongering. The article is all anecdotes. Most of the nurses and doctors they talked to are anonymous sources. According to the AHA[1], there are 6,146 hospitals in the US. There are 68,000 confirmed covid-19 cases in the US, and 33,000 of those cases are all in New York—almost 10x more than the next states (4.4k NJ, 3.2k CA)[2]. I don’t know the rate of hospitalization for the infected, but sym…

Remember the US is short on tests, so I would assume a greater than 20% hospitalization rate because only the most severe cases are being reported.

Re: Coronavirus patients start to overwhelm US hospitals

#76
post #16

The 2017-2018 flu season also overwhelmed US hospitals: https://time.com/5107984/hospitals-handling-burden-flu-patie... https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season/flu-season-2017-2018.ht... My point isn't that we should take Coronavirus any less seriously this year. Healthcare workers have no vaccine for it. It's on top of the flu. Etc. My point is that we should take the flu more seriously every year. Everyone gets their…

I'd love a more comprehensive discussion about the flu shot, because I've only used anecdotal evidence, and I suspect a lot of other people do the same. The first two years I got the flu shot from my employer at the time was 2007-2008, and I got a violent flu both years. Didn't get one after that for years, until last Feb, when I felt like I was going to die. Eventually went to urgent care, where I got fluids and she…

We have lots of actual scientific evidence on this.

The flu shot can't give you the flu. (The nasal spray can! Your doc will recommend against it if you're in certain categories, like being immune suppressed.)

The efficacy varies from year to year, because they have to make an educated guess at which strains will be most prominent each year.

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines-work/past-seasons-estimates...

50/50 is fine, for the same reason even imperfect handwashing and social distancing are better than nothing.

Re: Coronavirus patients start to overwhelm US hospitals

#78
post #3

While I'm not questioning the truth of these accounts, what annoys me about all these reports is that they seem to be anecdotes rather than hard data. It's really difficult to understand what's actually going on because the data sucks. It's hard to assess just how full hospitals are, which hospitals are at capacity, how many patients are actually testing positive vs. showing up at the hospital because they feel a bit…

Well in the hypernetworked hive mind that is society these days, American News Media plays the role of brain cancer.

Randomly infecting cells to over broadcast, attack each other, focus on noise, unfocus signal etc etc.

Basic prediction about them, whether on the left or right or podcasting from a garage is that they don't contribute to good outcomes and the bad outcomes are not their fault.

Then one year down the road they hand each other Pulitzers for "unravelling" what actually happened.

Re: Coronavirus patients start to overwhelm US hospitals

#79
post #3

While I'm not questioning the truth of these accounts, what annoys me about all these reports is that they seem to be anecdotes rather than hard data. It's really difficult to understand what's actually going on because the data sucks. It's hard to assess just how full hospitals are, which hospitals are at capacity, how many patients are actually testing positive vs. showing up at the hospital because they feel a bit…

“If you need to be right before you move, you never win. Perfect is the enemy of what is right when it comes to emergency management. Speed trumps perfection.” - WHO Executive Director Dr. Michael Ryan

https://twitter.com/JIMrichards1010/status/12391407105589698...

Re: Coronavirus patients start to overwhelm US hospitals

#80
post #16

The 2017-2018 flu season also overwhelmed US hospitals: https://time.com/5107984/hospitals-handling-burden-flu-patie... https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season/flu-season-2017-2018.ht... My point isn't that we should take Coronavirus any less seriously this year. Healthcare workers have no vaccine for it. It's on top of the flu. Etc. My point is that we should take the flu more seriously every year. Everyone gets their…

I'd love a more comprehensive discussion about the flu shot, because I've only used anecdotal evidence, and I suspect a lot of other people do the same. The first two years I got the flu shot from my employer at the time was 2007-2008, and I got a violent flu both years. Didn't get one after that for years, until last Feb, when I felt like I was going to die. Eventually went to urgent care, where I got fluids and she…

Since we are speaking anecdotally, I have had the flu shot every single year since 1994, which was the last time I got influenza. I have three kids and all of them get the shot every year too. They have never had influenza either. It works.
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