Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #93

[margarita25]

Get ready for variant surge

 

[GRT]

Or were they frightened of hospital bills?

Most likely.

I think most people will seek medical help as long as they can do so affordably, which means they have decent insurance.

The problem for so many is that either they don't have insurance, or they have such huge deductibles that they still can't afford to use it.

The PPACA didn't really make everything better, it just shifted the burden from one group to another.

I'm not a fan of the insurance industry at all.

 

[Gibbo214]

Most likely.

I think most people will seek medical help as long as they can do so affordably, which means they have decent insurance.

The problem for so many is that either they don't have insurance, or they have such huge deductibles that they still can't afford to use it.

The PPACA didn't really make everything better, it just shifted the burden from one group to another.

I'm not a fan of the insurance industry at all.

So what is your solution without insurance? Universal health care funded by taxes? Like the rest of the western world has had for decades?

 

[Lilibet]

Most likely.

I think most people will seek medical help as long as they can do so affordably, which means they have decent insurance.

The problem for so many is that either they don't have insurance, or they have such huge deductibles that they still can't afford to use it.

The PPACA didn't really make everything better, it just shifted the burden from one group to another.

I'm not a fan of the insurance industry at all.

As I mentioned earlier, I think most of these people who died would have had Medicare, but if they didn’t have secondary insurance or had it with a large copay, the portion of the 20% of the allowed amount that Medicare doesn't pay could have seemed/been astronomical. So that could have discouraged them from seeking more care. I do think a many hospitals are eating a lot of their fees. But who knows?

 

[SouthAussie]

COVAX has delivered over 20 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to 20 low income countries (so far).
Their goal, over 2 billion doses.

Well done, COVAX!

World Health Organisation

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Some folks here were asking about medical contraindications to vaccine, Dr. Campbell covers in this interview with Dr. from Canada he's had on before.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Saturday, March 6th

up - 2,476 USA deaths

 

[weepingangel]

Seems like things are sort of plateauing the past few weeks? I’ve noticed similar locally. Lots of bigger orange spots this weeks as well? Lookin at you Northeast.

Saturday, March 6th

up - 2,476 USA deaths

 

[weepingangel]

Ben affleck sporting a face shield
~~in Boston~~
Ben Affleck (and his Dunkin' coffee) are in Boston to film ‘The Tender Bar’ | Boston.com

 

[weepingangel]

What’s the deal with mink Covid?
More at link


Just like humans, mink with COVID-19 are sluggish and lethargic. Their little noses get stuffy. They wheeze and struggle to breathe. And then, unfortunately, sometimes they die.

The pandemic mink problem started slowly: In April 2020, there were reports of mink on farms in the Netherlands falling ill with COVID-19, having caught the virus from their handlers. Then more workers on those farms got sick. And soon, mink and humans across the mink-raising world were infected, with serious outbreaks from Utah to Denmark.

As was so often the case in 2020, things started to get weird over the summer. And by fall, faced with a growing threat of the virus “spilling” from the mink back to humans, Denmark killed millions of its mink.

 

[dmac55]

I like MAPS
Which states have dropped mask mandates and why

View attachment 287070

Does anyone know what the difference is between the solid blue and the purple?

Dropped Mask Mandate (solid blue) VS No Masks Required State Wide (purple)

I like MAPS better when I understand them.

Thanks

I'll use my purple colored state Arizona as an example
Arizona never had a statewide mask mandate

So that is different from the solid blue states that had a mask mandate at one time

That's just my understanding

 

[Satchie]

It’ll be interesting to see the data analysis of death rates comparing states who had lengthy mask mandates vs those who did not.

There are many variables. I notice that 'universal masks" is one of the models in the IMHE covid predictions produced by the University of Washington, which I believe are well-respected science.

It doesn't show old data, but looking at projections for the US today, it shows approximately (eyeballing a small graph) 5,000 fewer deaths between now and June if there were universal masks, approx 100 per day fewer deaths, 10,000 per day fewer infections.

Note, the model assumes very many more people are infected than the published positive test numbers.

IHME | COVID-19 Projections

 

[tabitha111]

Impact on forecast of future case level
Date: Wed 3 Mar 2021
'When will it end?': How a changing virus is reshaping scientists’ views on COVID-19

Highlights:

Chris Murray, a University of Washington disease expert whose
projections on COVID-19 infections and deaths are closely followed
worldwide, is changing his assumptions about the course of the
pandemic.


But in the last month [February 2021], data from a vaccine trial in
South Africa showed not only that a rapidly spreading coronavirus
variant could dampen the effect of the vaccine, it could also evade
natural immunity in people who had been previously infected. "I
couldn't sleep" after seeing the data, Murray, , told
Reuters. "When will it end?" he asked himself, referring to the
pandemic.

But, they [scientists], say data in recent weeks on new variants from South Africa
and Brazil has undercut that optimism.

They now believe that
SARS-CoV-2 will not only remain with us as an endemic virus,
continuing to circulate in communities, but will likely cause a
significant burden of illness and death for years to come.

As a result, the scientists said, people could expect to continue to
take measures such as routine mask-wearing and avoiding crowded places
during COVID-19 surges, especially for people at high risk.

Even after
vaccination, "I still would want to wear a mask if there was a variant
out there," Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical advisor to US President
Joe Biden, said in an interview. "All you need is one little flick of
a variant (sparking) another surge, and there goes your prediction"
about when life gets back to normal.


bbm/sbm

 

[dmac55]

"The House will vote Tuesday on this version of the legislation before it goes to President Joe Biden, who called the aid "urgently needed," for his signature."

Senate passes $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill, including $1,400 stimulus checks, with no Republican support
Senate passes $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill, including $1,400 stimulus checks, with no Republican support

 

[SouthAussie]

Seems like things are sort of plateauing the past few weeks? I’ve noticed similar locally. Lots of bigger orange spots this weeks as well? Lookin at you Northeast.

I personally know two sets of Northeasterners (MA & NY) who popped down to Florida for a little sun just recently. If I know two, living all the way over here, I am sure that there are many others who have done similar.

Gotta keep that spread travelling around the country, don't you know.

One set of people knew it was so against everything they have been asked to do that they hid their little holiday from almost everyone they knew, except family who had to know due to caregiver arrangements. No quarantining or testing for them when they got back home either.

 

[anneg]

I personally know two sets of Northeasterners (MA & NY) who popped down to Florida for a little sun just recently. If I know two, living all the way over here, I am sure that there are many others who have done similar.

Gotta keep that spread travelling around the country, don't you know.

One set of people knew it was so against everything they have been asked to do that they hid their little holiday from almost everyone they knew, except family who had to know due to caregiver arrangements. No quarantining or testing for them when they got back home either.

Ackkk!
[This is my new all-purpose response to scary news and stories about people behaving badly ]

 

[SouthAussie]

Well, we have just activated our military to assist with our vaccine rollout.
Some of the individual states are struggling to keep up with the schedule.


“Defence’s support to the vaccine rollout will focus on vaccinating senior Australians in locations not readily accessible by other medical providers,” the ministers said.

The ADF, which is involved as part of the government’s continued expansion of the first phase of the COVID vaccine rollout, is expected to commence vaccinations next week.

The goal of vaccinating all Australians by October remains their target, he said.

Military to support COVID vaccine rollout - Australian Ageing Agenda

 

[GRT]

So what is your solution without insurance? Universal health care funded by taxes? Like the rest of the western world has had for decades?

Yes--in the form of single-payer. Right now, American taxpayers are trying to support both the healthcare industry AND the insurance industry. Cut out the insurance industry and there's only one industry to support.

Nobody should have to choose between seeking treatment when they really need it and eating.

People like to say the quality of the care would drop -- but routing general family practice to nurse practitioners, as we've been doing, would ease a lot of the demand on doctors and further reduce costs. Limiting negligence lawsuits would also help bring down doctor liability costs. Besides, if a doctor is truly negligent to the extent that patients die or are incapacitated for life--and it's provable--charge that doctor with a crime.

Look at the Marketplace policies--they're a sham. The poorest folks buy the lowest level of protection -- Bronze -- and yet they're saddled with something like $6,000 deductibles. They can't pay that and still make their rent. Even if they do come up with the money, their co-pay is 40%. Does that make sense?

Yet, the taxpayers are subsidizing their policies to the tune of $1,500 or more, per month. Maybe those poor folks are only paying a couple hundred dollars a month or so for their policies, but they could probably use that money to pay a doctor's visit or buy some medicine. As it is, they pay the required amount, and get a horrible policy that they can't afford to use.

It's a complete sham. And, the taxpayers are subsidizing all of it. There's a reason health insurance stock took a big jump in the stock market the day after the PPACA was approved. It was guaranteed money in their pockets.

We can do better.
JMOO

 

[margarita25]

 

[LadyL]

“This demonstrates that the virus has a sort of intelligence. … We can put up all the barriers in the world and imagine that they work, but in the end, it adapts and penetrates them,” lamented Bollate Mayor Francesco Vassallo.

Fast-spreading variants boost coronavirus surge across Europe