Apologize if this has already been stated (its hard keeping up on this forum!). You can’t compare NYS death rates to those states spiking now. Back in March/April when NYC was really suffering, it was almost impossible to get tested. You had to be in the hospital to get a test, and some of those folks weren’t tested, just presumed positive. So the number of positive cases is definitely much higher than the numbers show, so the death rate is actually much lower. Sadly we will never have the correct data.
Much of that is on the mask thread.
Great, then let’s reply with the conclusions from that thread. What really isnt helpful are the posts from HCP stating they have no trouble wearing masks for 8 hours ( obviously, it is a job requirement for you) or that those with difficulty are sociopaths. Clearly, some people do have trouble, and a simple “try silk” or “baseball cap/faceshield” response would be more effective in achieving a public health objective.
We were asked to keep mask comments on that thread so…???
Oh good grief, I was kidding. Absolutely kidding. Geez.
And which post stated that people with difficulty wearing masks are sociopaths? Cause I clearly missed it.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/21/us/us-coronavirus-sunday/index.html
That’s just incredible.
I completely disagree that masks only serve to delay deaths. If, without keeping the economy shut down, we can push Rt below 1, the infections will decrease and eventually either peter out or at least be few enough to be controlled with contact tracing. There are numerous examples of countries and states having huge successes in pushing numbers down. As I pointed out previously, in my state (CT), even though we have reopened quite a bit and people are out in throngs, infection rates have continued to go down. There is very high compliance with mask wearing, presumably because we know how bad COVID-19 can get.
It’s likely that if superspreader settings, like indoor bars, rallies, and religious services had remained restricted, and people consistently wore masks, we would have seen dramatic progress. I’m glad that the death rate has been decreasing, but it’s inevitably going to start to go up as cases rise. New York and several other states have had higher death rates at the outset than they should, partly because some of the hospitals were overwhelmed (there may have been beds, but there certainly was not enough staff), partly because we have gotten a little better at managing the disease, and especially because, in a misguided effort to clear hospital beds, they sent contagious patients back to nursing homes. But that doesn’t mean that the number of deaths going forward will be trivial. And if I can possibly prevent someone else’s death by the small inconvenience of wearing a mask, I am going to do that. In fact, I consider it to be a civic duty. I can’t for the life of me understand the mentality of “I’m not personally worried about this, so I am not going to do anything to help.”
Maryland numbers in the last 24 hours. Positivity rate down 0.15% to 5.03%. Hospitalizations down 36 to 608, covid ICU usage at 230. All these the lowest levels since March/early April.
I am very happy to see our numbers continue to get better and better. I am glad to be able to share such positive news about my home state.
^^^ THIS ^^^
“New Zealand beat back the coronavirus, but families were left divided and migrant workers stranded in the process”
Washington Post today.
Just a reminder that it’s always not as it appears when we hold out other places as getting everything right and the US is not doing a good job considering our culture, mobility, being a republic, size and basic freedoms.
Since my wearing a mask does little to protect ME but does a lot to protect YOU, I view wearing a mask as a common courtesy. It is courteous of me to be thinking of you, and, frankly, I expect you also to be courteous towards me. Hence I expect everyone to wear a mask. Where I am that is the case.
@privatebanker — lots of countries have taken stronger measures than necessary. Drastic measures are needed when spread threatens to overrun hospitals, and 3 months ago, we knew much less about this disease than even the little that we currently know. But the fact that people in some places have perhaps done more than is necessary is NO excuse for not even trying to get it right. We know more about this disease than we did in March. We have a better idea of how to control the spread without draconian measures.
Basic freedoms are never absolute, particularly in a public health crisis. Don’t believe me? Try going about your business with active TB.
And on that note — at least in my state, I don’t need a person’s consent to inform a contact that they have been exposed to an STD or HIV. I just don’t have the right to disclose the source of the exposure.
My only point is that even in the tiny island nation, seen as poster child for excellence, there are issues we avoid in the discussion.
There are varied and reasonable public policy questions that many assume don’t exist in the real world of decision making.
We can certainly eliminate much of the spread of the disease.
The potential costs - Economic, ancillary health offsets and constitutional freedoms among others are weighed and debated. It’s not so cut and dry as often presented here on our forum.
Hospitals are overrun if the increase in infected cases is occuring in medically fragile patients who are likely to have severe or complicated cases, such as the elderly. It appears most of the recent increases in cases in Florida and Texas, at least, occur in young, otherwise healthy and perhaps overly social teens/adults who are unlikeky to require hospitalization.
Btw. Happy Father’s Day to all. We are all here mainly because we love our children and care about other kids/parents too. I hope you all have a great day.
And please wear a mask.
@roycroftmom - Florida and other states are betting that having widespread disease in the community at large won’t ultimately transmit to more vulnerable populations. Personally, I wouldn’t take that bet; the downside of being wrong is devastating. I also think it’s early yet to say that death rates will stay as low as they have. But, several states with large populations of elderly are performing that experiment, so I guess we’ll see what happens.
I would also like to point out that the cost to the people who supply our food, healthcare, and other essentials has not been trivial— but it has been a sacrifice that WE are willing to make.
Since we will never get the infection rate close to zero in the foreseeable future, the vulnerable will have to continue to isolate from the general population if their goal is to maximize avoiding COVID ( and not all share that goal). I am not sure it matters if 5% or 25% of the general youthful population is infected, particularly since assymptomatic infection is so common. It still is not safe for the elderly, since they do not and can not know who is contagious, so their behavior should not change, even in states reporting low levels of new cases.
IIRC, there are some Florida hospitals getting dangerously close to being overwhelmed.
Nurse staffing has been a problem for years. Even if they have the beds, they may not have enough staff who have the required expertise.
H reports that the restaurant he works for had another week where they beat last year’s sales & beat projected sales for this year.
Carry-out orders remain high and the outdoor dining area has been on a wait-list most nights (NE Illinois).
This is a huge relief, as we don’t know how things will change moving into the fall and winter. We need him to keep his job at his current salary!
The owners where I work have said they are committed to keeping both of their restaurants open. One location is limping along “okay”, and the other location is suffering significant losses. Some employees who were on salary pre-pandemic have said they need to start looking for second jobs because they cannot make ends meet.
I remember this line from a couple of months ago:
“I was worried about the elderly and then I realized I AM one of the elderly.”