The Next Pandemic: SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19

[shoshin]

5 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

There is a rise happening as the virus moves around the country. Not surprising at all. But...there isn't a rise happening nationwide. Similarly, hospitalizations are not what we need to be watching. We are way better at treating the virus than we were just a few months ago. Continue to focus on deaths....that's what we're hoping to avoid.  Finally, the numbers speak for themselves.  Over the four day period spanning the entire weekend, we did not get anywhere near 1,000.

 

There's a rise happening in places that went down, including spikes in hospitalizations. In PA, Covid hospitalizations are up almost 100% in the last month. From 420 in mid Sep to 799 today. 

 

You watch hospitalizations because if they rise to a certain point, the entire medical system is stressed. Right now that's not the case anywhere but a 100% rise in 4 weeks before flu season really even arrives is something to watch anywhere. No panic, but watch. 

[spartacus]

1 hour ago, shoshin said:

 

There's a rise happening in places that went down, including spikes in hospitalizations. In PA, Covid hospitalizations are up almost 100% in the last month. From 420 in mid Sep to 799 today. 

 

You watch hospitalizations because if they rise to a certain point, the entire medical system is stressed. Right now that's not the case anywhere but a 100% rise in 4 weeks before flu season really even arrives is something to watch anywhere. No panic, but watch. 

if there was any concern for the health of all these hospitalizations, then there should be massive education campaign on how people can be treated and not live in fear.

[SoTier]

8 hours ago, SoCal Deek said:

I want to know where the updated numbers are? I’ve watched all week to see the death toll rise after joking about the EXTREMELY low numbers over the weekend. It hasn’t happened. It’s Thursday and we’ve yet to see a single day with 1,000 deaths. So by definition the average across the week must be WAY WAY down. And yet every time I turn on the national news I see stories about spikes in the virus. Just more Pandemic Porn! (I quickly turn the channel.)

 

They're in the thread Covid-19 vs Trump.

 

1 hour ago, shoshin said:

 

There's a rise happening in places that went down, including spikes in hospitalizations. In PA, Covid hospitalizations are up almost 100% in the last month. From 420 in mid Sep to 799 today. 

 

You watch hospitalizations because if they rise to a certain point, the entire medical system is stressed. Right now that's not the case anywhere but a 100% rise in 4 weeks before flu season really even arrives is something to watch anywhere. No panic, but watch. 

 

Spikes in hospitalizations eventually lead to spikes in deaths, starting about 3 weeks out from when patients enter the hospital.    Deaths probably won't occur as frequently as they did in the spring because the symptoms are well known, testing is more widespread, treatments are better, and people are entering hospitals earlier, before they're critically ill.  

 

The threat of the local medical system being overwhelmed is very real.  In rural areas and small cities,  just10 critically ill covid patients can overwhelm the resources  available.  We saw that in parts of rural Texas this spring and early summer where there simply no more beds available and patients had to be med evac'd  by helicopter to other hospitals.  Moreover, hospitals in some of the hardest hit metropolitan areas were able to get extra staff from around the country because the pandemic was only in a relatively few areas.  Now, it's everywhere, and medical staff in many areas are already stretched thin.

[SoCal Deek]

39 minutes ago, SoTier said:

 

They're in the thread Covid-19 vs Trump.

 

 

Spikes in hospitalizations eventually lead to spikes in deaths, starting about 3 weeks out from when patients enter the hospital.    Deaths probably won't occur as frequently as they did in the spring because the symptoms are well known, testing is more widespread, treatments are better, and people are entering hospitals earlier, before they're critically ill.  

 

The threat of the local medical system being overwhelmed is very real.  In rural areas and small cities,  just10 critically ill covid patients can overwhelm the resources  available.  We saw that in parts of rural Texas this spring and early summer where there simply no more beds available and patients had to be med evac'd  by helicopter to other hospitals.  Moreover, hospitals in some of the hardest hit metropolitan areas were able to get extra staff from around the country because the pandemic was only in a relatively few areas.  Now, it's everywhere, and medical staff in many areas are already stretched thin.

Honestly? Give me a break. You can keep peddling this 'sky is falling' stuff if you'd like. But to date, the sky has not fallen. This is a contagious virus for sure, but it is nowhere close to being as lethal as first suspected.  It seems to me we've done what we should have done, and are still doing what we should be doing. It takes a balance between precaution and getting on with our lives. I believe Americans have found that balance.

[BuffaloHokie13]

13 hours ago, SoCal Deek said:

Honestly? Give me a break. You can keep peddling this 'sky is falling' stuff if you'd like. But to date, the sky has not fallen. This is a contagious virus for sure, but it is nowhere close to being as lethal as first suspected.  It seems to me we've done what we should have done, and are still doing what we should be doing. It takes a balance between precaution and getting on with our lives. I believe Americans have found that balance.

Check out the 'Gender, Partisanship, and the Pandemic' section and associated poll data.

https://news.gallup.com/opinion/gallup/321698/covid-responses-men-women.aspx

[SoCal Deek]

15 hours ago, spartacus said:

if there was any concern for the health of all these hospitalizations, then there should be massive education campaign on how people can be treated and not live in fear.

And just as important, if we know what’s coming then why aren’t hospitals already prepared for it? People protect their homes before a hurricane. You’re telling me that hospitals haven’t been doing anything since March to get ready fir a potential influx of flu and Covid patients? People criticized Trump for his decision not to panic the American people. Seems to me they’re able to panic themselves without any help from anybody.

[realtruelove]

17 hours ago, shoshin said:

 

There's a rise happening in places that went down, including spikes in hospitalizations. In PA, Covid hospitalizations are up almost 100% in the last month. From 420 in mid Sep to 799 today. 

 

You watch hospitalizations because if they rise to a certain point, the entire medical system is stressed. Right now that's not the case anywhere but a 100% rise in 4 weeks before flu season really even arrives is something to watch anywhere. No panic, but watch. 

Also something to consider is that early on people were told to wait to go to the hospital until they really had bad symptoms and since that time we have learned that early treatment is key.  

[daz28]

40 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

And just as important, if we know what’s coming then why aren’t hospitals already prepared for it? People protect their homes before a hurricane. You’re telling me that hospitals haven’t been doing anything since March to get ready fir a potential influx of flu and Covid patients? People criticized Trump for his decision not to panic the American people. Seems to me they’re able to panic themselves without any help from anybody.

No people criticized him for not sharing the severity of the situation with them so they could properly care for themselves and their loved ones.  At the current rate over 400,000-450,000 people will die from this in one year.  In 1 year close to the same amount of people who died in combat during WW2 and both sides of the Civil War over those 8 years will die.  Roughly 1 in 5 deaths will be from Covid.  I have no idea how or why anyone would want to downplay these numbers.  As for hospitals, last year 47 hospitals were closed, and it's not like we have doctors, nurses, equipment, and facilities all on the bench waiting for a pandemic.   

Edited October 16, 2020 by daz28

[shoshin]

Just now, realtruelove said:

Also something to consider is that early on people were told to wait to go to the hospital until they really had bad symptoms and since that time we have learned that early treatment is key.  

 

Treatments are much better now. That's indisputable. CFR has to be much lower these days than April, though we had such a limited handle on cases in April that it's hard to compare CFR now vs then. 

[Reality Check]

1 minute ago, daz28 said:

No people criticized him for not sharing the severity of the situation with them so they could properly care for themselves and their loved ones.  At the current rate over 400,000-450,000 people will die from this in one year.  I don't see how anyone can downplay this number.  In 1 year close to the same amount of people who died in combat during WW2 and both sides of the Civil War over those 8 years will die.  Roughly 1 in 5 people will have died from Covid.  I have no idea how or why anyone would want to downplay these numbers.  As for hospitals, last year 47 hospitals were closed, and it's not like we have doctors, nurses, equipment, and facilities all on the bench waiting for a pandemic.   

Try not to panic. It is bad for your health.

[SoCal Deek]

3 minutes ago, daz28 said:

No people criticized him for not sharing the severity of the situation with them so they could properly care for themselves and their loved ones.  At the current rate over 400,000-450,000 people will die from this in one year.  In 1 year close to the same amount of people who died in combat during WW2 and both sides of the Civil War over those 8 years will die.  Roughly 1 in 5 people will have died from Covid.  I have no idea how or why anyone would want to downplay these numbers.  As for hospitals, last year 47 hospitals were closed, and it's not like we have doctors, nurses, equipment, and facilities all on the bench waiting for a pandemic.   

What? This is a PANDEMIC, so we’re told. If hospitals aren’t ready they should be. God help us all when the hospitals are part of a government run system. 

[daz28]

2 minutes ago, Reality Check said:

Try not to panic. It is bad for your health.

If by panic you mean take precautions, then they actually are good for your health, and I surely will

[realtruelove]

3 minutes ago, shoshin said:

 

Treatments are much better now. That's indisputable. CFR has to be much lower these days than April, though we had such a limited handle on cases in April that it's hard to compare CFR now vs then. 

Another statistic I would like to see is average length of stay in hospital for COVID patient.  That would be very telling.

[SoCal Deek]

Just now, realtruelove said:

Another statistic I would like to see is average length of stay in hospital for COVID patient.  That would be very telling.

This thing has completely evolved and we’re much better now at treating it than we were when it started. Trust me, the stories will all turn positive once they drag Uncle Joe across the finish line. 

[daz28]

1 minute ago, SoCal Deek said:

What? This is a PANDEMIC, so we’re told. If hospitals aren’t ready they should be. God help us all when the hospitals are part of a government run system. 

Do you have any suggestions how hospitals could/should be more ready?  We can't just create more qualified health care professionals like we could say build more beds.  

Just now, SoCal Deek said:

This thing has completely evolved and we’re much better now at treating it than we were when it started. Trust me, the stories will all turn positive once they drag Uncle Joe across the finish line. 

The media might, but the virus is evolving, too.  We must remain vigilant

[Reality Check]

1 minute ago, daz28 said:

If by panic you mean take precautions, then they actually are good for your health, and I surely will

You mentioned nothing of precautions, nor nothing about personal lifestyle choices that have everything to do with your immune system. You brought up more death statistics and nonsense that has nothing to do with a human being taking responsibility for their own health choices. Going to the supermarket where half of everyone is obese while wearing a mask is a sick joke. People don't want to take any personal responsibility, but seem to think trillions of dollars of government failure compounded annually is the solution.

[realtruelove]

1 minute ago, Reality Check said:

You mentioned nothing of precautions, nor nothing about personal lifestyle choices that have everything to do with your immune system. You brought up more death statistics and nonsense that has nothing to do with a human being taking responsibility for their own health choices. Going to the supermarket where half of everyone is obese while wearing a mask is a sick joke. People don't want to take any personal responsibility, but seem to think trillions of dollars of government failure compounded annually is the solution.

This is exactly why I can't accept the mask shaming.   

[daz28]

1 minute ago, Reality Check said:

You mentioned nothing of precautions, nor nothing about personal lifestyle choices that have everything to do with your immune system. You brought up more death statistics and nonsense that has nothing to do with a human being taking responsibility for their own health choices. Going to the supermarket where half of everyone is obese while wearing a mask is a sick joke. People don't want to take any personal responsibility, but seem to think trillions of dollars of government failure compounded annually is the solution.

Nice bait n switch.  You said I shouldn't panic, because it's bad for me.  I said I'd take precautions.  Again how are statistics "nonsense".  I can't protect myself from other peoples negligence any more than I can stop a car from hitting me.  Obesity is in the Constitution, so that's their right.  Not wearing a mask isn't   

[SoCal Deek]

The utter lack of information in this country is absolutely stunning. After MILLIONS of cases and 200,000 deaths you’d think we’d know whether there’s any correlation between mask wearing and the virus. But no, everything’s political. How hard is it to find out what the common denominator is of those in the hospital? It’s not hard at all. They just won’t tell you.

[Reality Check]

1 minute ago, daz28 said:

Nice bait n switch.  You said I shouldn't panic, because it's bad for me.  I said I'd take precautions.  Again how are statistics "nonsense".  I can't protect myself from other peoples negligence any more than I can stop a car from hitting me.  Obesity is in the Constitution, so that's their right.  Not wearing a mask isn't   

Have you considered having your water checked for lead contamination? You can attempt to mask shame people, but it is a failing narrative. I am under no legal obligation to wear a mask to satisfy people who by and large treat their minds and bodies like trash cans.