Covid19 PSA

I'm obviously being facetious and somewhat satirical, but the way things are shaping up here, we're heading the same direction... Depending on where you are, there's no marketplace, no way to measure performance for your average patient (other than reputation), the wait times are getting longer as hospitals consolidate, and in big hospital corporations, its like a race to the bottom on amount of care provided for a given cost.

 

I mentioned it earlier in the thread.

Italy has made a conscious decision to let anyone over the age of 80 die, because they don't have enough ventilators to care for everyone.

If the virus keeps spreading, they may have to drop the age to 70.

 

Insurance is not health care. Everyone is clamoring for more of something that does not improve care or reduce cost.

 

Again, it's this black and white logic that some people are employing that makes no sense to me.

So what you're saying is that you'd only see value in social distancing and isolation IF folks were already dying in droves from this over here......even though the fundamental point of social distancing and isolation is prevent people from dying in droves. That cart before the horse kind of idea doesn't exactly fit this particular scenario very well.

 

We've already got a vaccine....they skipped animal testing and are going straight to human trials in Washington state. They have 40 human test subjects and supposedly the trials began yesterday

https://www.livescience.com/first-person-coronavirus-vaccine-clinical-trial.html

 

I don't think the decision needs to be based solely on age. Sure, that should be a big part of it, but should a 70 year old who chain smoke, drinks a fifth a day, and weighs 300 pounds get a ventilator while a 75 year old who competes in marathons is left to die? Granted, an extreme example, but you get my drift. Some sort of scoring system accounting for age, lifestyle, and other health conditions is a better way.

I'm well aware that my fat ass would probably end up with a higher (lower?) score than my 51 yeas alone would indicate. I can accept that.

Edit. Shit... I just realized that what I laid out above is pretty much the definition of eugenics. This beerSARS is going to fundamentally change the world if it gets really bad globally.

 

Not anymore.

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-51915302

 

Some CEOs just like to hear themselves talk, don't they?

Just got off an "all hands" call with my company. Here are some highlights:

• CEO immediately pronounces it "Cuh-RON-uh" (as in "RON Burgundy" - no "virus" on the end, just Cuh-RON-uh).
• He wanted to bring everyone together to tell them that we have been working from home since the company was founded 30 years ago... As. We. All. Listen. From. Home.
• He wanted to pass along the message that we should follow the CDC's guidelines - washing our hands, social distancing, and staying home if we're sick.
• He wanted to reassure everyone that the company is still operational - there haven't been any illnesses (Did I mention we all work from home? Did I mention he said we've been doing it since the company was founded?)
• He wants us to be aware that our customers will be looking for networking equipment, laptops, and "remote access for using Virtual Private Networking, or "VPN"" (We're a tech reseller, specializing in IBM, Cisco and a bunch of others). Also, have I mentioned we work from home? People use VPN every day. I think he was proud that he learned it this morning and wanted to take it for a test spin.
• Lastly, he informed us that we'll be doing these every two weeks, if not sooner, as things change... As if we haven't suffered enough.

I had more, but I've forgotten them already. I'm just riffing on stuff I hear at this point because I think its funny.

 

Where did I say anything about insurance?

 

our meeting yesterday was great. 15 managers cramped in a small meeting room to be schooled about distancing LOL

biggest fear on emplyer side is productivity for sure, especially for the home office vacationors (like people who are on the beeb all day) bute moreso the ones that stay home all day and then go out amongst people at night.

cheers. all gonna be good.

 

Bill Burr has a good rant about this today.

https://billburr.com/monday-morning-podcast-3-16-20/

 

The comment about selling equipment like laptops and "Virtual Private Networking, or VPN" was actually much funnier than I described it. It was clearly a plug at "continue selling".

 

The virus doesn't cause death immediately. Our health care system is very good at keeping very sick people alive for quite a while. Someone who is infected, develops pneumonia and other breathing related problems that puts them on a vent, will live for weeks or months while on that. Unless they tell the doctors to pull their own plug, have an order forbidding medical intervention, or have a DNR for when they code, they will be around for a while. So you have people on critical care stacking up and taking space so new cased don't have the same access. Let's see what the death rate looks like in a month even if new cases flattens out or drops off.

And yes, I've watched someone be in ICU and critical care for months due to emphysema. Even damaged lungs take a damn long time to give up when the medical care is there.

 

I believe Canada is ranked higher than the US in the referenced link. I stopped reading after I saw that...

 

Plus the steroids and other things they can use against the symptoms to try and help the person fight it (which could seriously shorten supply or eventually run out, as they pile up more people with advanced cases).

 

Using the CDC figures, the death rate for those with a confirmed diagnosis of flu this season in the US is 10%.

 

Who the fuck else would listen to their drivel?

 

I was speaking with a young friend last night and I asked him why he was in the bars as recently as Sunday night. His response stunned me....

He cited that the primary at risk demographic is boomers and that everyone else is being forced to give up their livelihood and way of life primarily to protect that demographic. His problem with that is in his mind, that group of people has never sacrificed anything for anybody. His take was they have all they money, most of the power, and are selfish beyond any generation ever. Therefore, he had zero care about their problems.

I cant help but wonder how many think that way.

 

Their subordinate captive audience that thinks we're there for layoffs to begin, or maybe a partial company shutdown...