Coronavirus

[apl68]

(/sarcasm, in case it wasn't clear! I'm so sorry you have to deal with that BS, especially since it's time that would be better spent on almost anything else. I'm constantly amazed by the time and energy my partner, who's American and not yet a permanent resident here, has to put into getting medical stuff reimbursed.)

Yeah, usually the argument to have services delivered by the private sector instead of by the government is to reduce beaureacracy, but I never cease to be amazed at the indredible amount of red tape Americans put up with for a more "efficient" private system.

And that's going to be the death of our private healthcare.  Eventually their foolishness, inefficiency, and profiteering are going to turn the public so overwhelmingly against them that we'll end up with some kind of drastic government action.  I just hope that when it comes it will be well-considered action.

[downer]

And that's going to be the death of our private healthcare.  Eventually their foolishness, inefficiency, and profiteering are going to turn the public so overwhelmingly against them that we'll end up with some kind of drastic government action.  I just hope that when it comes it will be well-considered action.

If only that were true. But US health insurance has been a disgrace for at least 30 years, making people's lives miserable, forcing them to bankruptcy, and screwing them over. The US has been paying at least twice as much more per person on average for health care than any other country and often much more than that. The US has fairly low life expectancy compared to most of its peers.

There is a will to improve things, and Obamacare was able to draw on that. But the forces keeping the insurance companies in power are extremely powerful. Maybe there will be some change for the better, but it is often one step forward and two steps back.

[bacardiandlime]

The institutionalisation of the elderly (and the Covid disaster) in old folks' homes seems to have happened everywhere, regardless of type of healthcare system. I'd like to see whether how we care for the elderly gets changed as a result of the pandemic.

[marshwiggle]

The institutionalisation of the elderly (and the Covid disaster) in old folks' homes seems to have happened everywhere, regardless of type of healthcare system. I'd like to see whether how we care for the elderly gets changed as a result of the pandemic.

One interesting factor is how much, within a given gepgraphical region, the covid infection and death rates vary between different homes. For instance, here, half of the deaths have come from one single home. From what I see on the news, that seems common.

[Parasaurolophus]

The US has been paying at least twice as much more per person on average for health care than any other country and often much more than that.

IIRC, it's twice as much in public dollars. When you factor in private dollars, too, then it becomes much, much more. (This little tidbit is always left out of the discussion.)

Sorry. Back to your regularly-scheduled thread programming!

[downer]

The institutionalisation of the elderly (and the Covid disaster) in old folks' homes seems to have happened everywhere, regardless of type of healthcare system. I'd like to see whether how we care for the elderly gets changed as a result of the pandemic.

There is a fair amount of variation. (ref)  Iceland and Demmark put more of their elderly into residential and nursing homes, while Italy and Japan put less in.

[apl68]

One of our local families has now gained a reputation as a nest of super-spreaders.  Apparently last week the family's graduating senior went with a bunch of friends on an overnight senior trip or house party.  Members of the family also attended a funeral.  As of Tuesday, the word was out that four members of the family had tested positive for COVID-19.  A host of people they had been in contact with were being advised to quarantine.  There's speculation that our county is about to experience a blow-up of cases.  The sociable family is being roundly condemned on social media for their criminal negligence.

And yet...as of this morning the state's CDC site didn't list any more confirmed cases for our county than the handful that were there before this all got started.  This has some distrusting the official numbers.  But our state's governor--unlike some I can think of--has never given the impression of trying to soft-pedal or dismiss the crisis.  He took action early, and has been faithfully giving daily updates of the epidemic's progress in the state.  Dr. Fauci has gone on record as commending his administration's response.  And we are one of the few states that has thus far seen no increase in overall deaths between now and this time last year.  All of which suggests that our state and local officials aren't covering up anything, or probably missing very much.

I now suspect that our alleged super-spreader family has been a victim of the social media rumor mill.  Innocent or not, it looks like their names will be mud for a while.

[Morden]

One interesting factor is how much, within a given gepgraphical region, the covid infection and death rates vary between different homes. For instance, here, half of the deaths have come from one single home. From what I see on the news, that seems common.

Yes! All care homes are vulnerable, but some care homes have done a much better job at controlling the spread and caring for their residents.

[bacardiandlime]

I now suspect that our alleged super-spreader family has been a victim of the social media rumor mill.  Innocent or not, it looks like their names will be mud for a while.

This is my issue with the track and trace programs. People will point to South Korea or Singapore, saying "why can't we be like that?" with their app notifications of where infected people are etc: no apparent grasp that this would play out VERY DIFFERENTLY in other countries (vigilantism, harassment, etc).

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

I just noticed that my brother posted a pic on FB showing his kids with other kids and families at a beach party. Why???

[secundem_artem]

One interesting factor is how much, within a given gepgraphical region, the covid infection and death rates vary between different homes. For instance, here, half of the deaths have come from one single home. From what I see on the news, that seems common.

Yes! All care homes are vulnerable, but some care homes have done a much better job at controlling the spread and caring for their residents.

I was talking with a friend yesterday whose parents are in assisted living.  They are required to stay in their unit 23 hours a day.  All meals are brought to them.  In homes with a common dining area, I can well imagine that the risk would be far higher. 

[Morden]

I was talking with a friend yesterday whose parents are in assisted living.  They are required to stay in their unit 23 hours a day.  All meals are brought to them.  In homes with a common dining area, I can well imagine that the risk would be far higher.

Some places seem to have good infectious disease protocols and others don't. My dad is in a long term care home; staff wear masks when interacting with the residents; staff work in the same unit all the time; there is an isolation ward for those who show symptoms; there is regular testing; they set up multiple smaller dining areas rather than gather everyone together, etc. We were just really lucky that he wound up there rather than in some of the other care homes in the city.

[apl68]

It turns out that our reported local family of super-spreaders weren't just victims of the rumor mill.  They've publicly said that four members of the family have tested positive.  They got tested across the state line, which has created a bureaucratic delay in getting them added to our local positive test figures. 

These next couple of weeks are going to be interesting.  I know of at least one church that had planned to start having socially-distanced worship services this Sunday that has now postponed their plans.  Our own church had planned to reopen for on-site worship in two weeks, with two services to spread people out.  That may end up pushed back as well.

I guess this whole thing will have the effect of curing a lot of local complacency about the ongoing need for protective measures. 

[Caracal]

It turns out that our reported local family of super-spreaders weren't just victims of the rumor mill.  T

Epidemiologists prefer to talk about "super spreading events," rather than describing people as "super spreaders." This is a pretty good illustration as to why. It is easy to blame the kid who went to the party and might have spread the virus, but he couldn't have had the party by himself. Seems even more troublesome when you're talking about a family. Imagine being the member of the family who told everyone this funeral gathering was a bad idea and didn't go. Now everybody is identifying you as a member of this "super spreading family" because the virus spread at an event you didn't attend.

[apl68]

It turns out that our reported local family of super-spreaders weren't just victims of the rumor mill.  T

Epidemiologists prefer to talk about "super spreading events," rather than describing people as "super spreaders." This is a pretty good illustration as to why. It is easy to blame the kid who went to the party and might have spread the virus, but he couldn't have had the party by himself. Seems even more troublesome when you're talking about a family. Imagine being the member of the family who told everyone this funeral gathering was a bad idea and didn't go. Now everybody is identifying you as a member of this "super spreading family" because the virus spread at an event you didn't attend.

That's true.  For all I know, they were all asymptomatic and had no inkling that anybody in the family was sick until too late.  No more guilty of carelessness than anybody else, but had the misfortune to be "It."