Changing Things for a While to Slow Down Coronavirus and Maybe Keep our Health System Afloat: Post 3
March 16, 2020
A lot changed in the past 24 hours. Spain, Italy, and France are closed, and the UK abandoned its "let's develop herd immunity" plan. In this country, city and state governments started taking the pandemic seriously, and some private business did as well. Many schools are closed, San Francisco implemented "shelter in place," many cities closed restaurants and bars, and more drive-through testing sites are up and running, with more in progress.
We still don't have enough tests. Several private labs are developing and some deploying tests, but there is no central command and control from CDC as there was for Zika and H1N1 testing. So we don't know how good the tests are, how long it takes for results, and how they are being distributed. Experts believe people will need 2 negative tests in a row before an infected person is cleared to leave isolation, which means we need even more. We have some idea of why the US refused the World Health Organization tests. trump's in-laws are selling tests and making a profit off the pandemic, and Germany confirmed that trump tried to bribe a lab working on a coronavirus vaccine to sell only to the US. I wonder if trump thought he'd get a cut of each vaccine's price.
We still don't have enough protective equipment for health care workers and first responders. Jack Ma, billionaire founder of Alibaba, shipped masks and gloves to the US. That's right. Other countries are shipping aid to us. trump today told states to start looking for their own ventilators. We are facing a shortage, and the strategic national stockpile is federally controlled, so it's not like there are places to just go get ventilators from.
The US Senate disagrees with the House that we need funding for testing so people own't have to pay for it themselves, and support for those losing jobs or having trouble paying rent or buying food. And, the bill to support the coronavirus response is being held up in the House by a small-town Texas Congressman who doesn't understand the bill (his words).
It's clear that state and local governments are in the lead. trump is out of his league and damaging the health system and the economy with every statement, and the federal administration is in disarray.
People are appropriately scared and confused. We are trying to figure out which is safer - going to the grocery store or ordering take-out or delivery from a restaurant. Some grocery stores are having senior citizen hours so that these more vulnerable people can shop without as much risk. Parents are grappling with the challenges of working from home while children are home from school. People are still coming to grips with the reality that they really can't go do things they did for enjoyment. And many students are disappointed that they won't see friends, won't have graduation ceremonies, won't have the social connections that children and teens need.
Tragically, many Americans still don't think this virus is a problem and are traveling and going to stores, movies, and restaurants. About the same percentage of people who rate trump as an ok president are refusing to accept that we are in a pandemic with a dangerous virus. So if they fill up all our hospital beds and use all our medical resources, how do we allocate? To them, the people who intentionally exposed themselves and others? Or to the people they exposed? We're already having to plan for rationing of care. How will we do that?
My guidance for you today:
Stay home. Don't leave unless you are a first responder or work in health care or infrastructure (including the food supply). If your boss doesn't understand that people shouldn't go to work, bring up the CDC's recommendation that people should not be in groups of more than 10, and should stay 6-10 feet apart.
Watch less television, and spend less time on twitter and facebook.
Read a book with your children. Eat well. Rest.
Our new reality for the next weeks will take some (a lot of) adjustment. It's ok to cry, be angry, be indecisive, or take actions that aren't completely thought through. It's ok to make a decision you need to reverse later.
We can only make decisions based on the available information.
Right now, information is voluminous and confusing. So take the time to find information sources that are fact-based, and know that you are doing the best your can.
A lot changed in the past 24 hours. Spain, Italy, and France are closed, and the UK abandoned its "let's develop herd immunity" plan. In this country, city and state governments started taking the pandemic seriously, and some private business did as well. Many schools are closed, San Francisco implemented "shelter in place," many cities closed restaurants and bars, and more drive-through testing sites are up and running, with more in progress.
We still don't have enough tests. Several private labs are developing and some deploying tests, but there is no central command and control from CDC as there was for Zika and H1N1 testing. So we don't know how good the tests are, how long it takes for results, and how they are being distributed. Experts believe people will need 2 negative tests in a row before an infected person is cleared to leave isolation, which means we need even more. We have some idea of why the US refused the World Health Organization tests. trump's in-laws are selling tests and making a profit off the pandemic, and Germany confirmed that trump tried to bribe a lab working on a coronavirus vaccine to sell only to the US. I wonder if trump thought he'd get a cut of each vaccine's price.
We still don't have enough protective equipment for health care workers and first responders. Jack Ma, billionaire founder of Alibaba, shipped masks and gloves to the US. That's right. Other countries are shipping aid to us. trump today told states to start looking for their own ventilators. We are facing a shortage, and the strategic national stockpile is federally controlled, so it's not like there are places to just go get ventilators from.
The US Senate disagrees with the House that we need funding for testing so people own't have to pay for it themselves, and support for those losing jobs or having trouble paying rent or buying food. And, the bill to support the coronavirus response is being held up in the House by a small-town Texas Congressman who doesn't understand the bill (his words).
It's clear that state and local governments are in the lead. trump is out of his league and damaging the health system and the economy with every statement, and the federal administration is in disarray.
People are appropriately scared and confused. We are trying to figure out which is safer - going to the grocery store or ordering take-out or delivery from a restaurant. Some grocery stores are having senior citizen hours so that these more vulnerable people can shop without as much risk. Parents are grappling with the challenges of working from home while children are home from school. People are still coming to grips with the reality that they really can't go do things they did for enjoyment. And many students are disappointed that they won't see friends, won't have graduation ceremonies, won't have the social connections that children and teens need.
Tragically, many Americans still don't think this virus is a problem and are traveling and going to stores, movies, and restaurants. About the same percentage of people who rate trump as an ok president are refusing to accept that we are in a pandemic with a dangerous virus. So if they fill up all our hospital beds and use all our medical resources, how do we allocate? To them, the people who intentionally exposed themselves and others? Or to the people they exposed? We're already having to plan for rationing of care. How will we do that?
My guidance for you today:
Stay home. Don't leave unless you are a first responder or work in health care or infrastructure (including the food supply). If your boss doesn't understand that people shouldn't go to work, bring up the CDC's recommendation that people should not be in groups of more than 10, and should stay 6-10 feet apart.
Watch less television, and spend less time on twitter and facebook.
Read a book with your children. Eat well. Rest.
Our new reality for the next weeks will take some (a lot of) adjustment. It's ok to cry, be angry, be indecisive, or take actions that aren't completely thought through. It's ok to make a decision you need to reverse later.
We can only make decisions based on the available information.
Right now, information is voluminous and confusing. So take the time to find information sources that are fact-based, and know that you are doing the best your can.
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