upstateNYer
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Also, I tried to drill down and finds stats of how many seniors die annually in US nursing homes (long-term care facilities, whichever terminology one chooses). Is 100,000 a lot more than typically die? I don’t know. I grew frustrated and decided it wasn’t worth the investment of time.
I had a thought last night that I’ll drop here since this is a lively, intelligent group with thoughtful opinions:
If we were actually living through a catastrophic pandemic there would be no need to debate statistics, would there? The evidence would be right in front of our faces. We’d be too busy burying and mourning loved ones to find time or even care about arguing with anyone.
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Here in my county in upstate NY the County health dept states we have 235 deaths. Deaths are blared in the headlines every single day (fatality rate is pretty much flat line on a graph). The NY state health dept website shows 230 deaths in the county … of which only 209 were RESIDENTS of our county. I thought deaths were counted by where you lived, but what do I know.
Bottom line, 209 is a fatality rate of less than 1 person per 10,000 county residents. Of these, almost half were nursing homes. I’m not clear whether that means they died IN the nursing home, or were nursing home residents prior to being hospitalized. But, less than 1 per 10,000 people any way you look at it.
Remote schools, remote work, job loss, small business closings, long waits to get the dog into the vet, to see the eye dr, the dentist, the list is endless. This year we get to have a “virtual” tree lighting ceremony. Truly, what’s the point??
Unlike Vietnam Vet, I cheered when the court decided people are free to worship. I don’t personally go to church. But it’s about time someone had the money and the means to fight our loss of rights.
I’m sorry your relative is experiencing post-viral syndrome following COVID infection. Millions of Americans have been experiencing this type of thing for decades. Where do you think “chronic Lyme” (not acknowledged by mainstream drs), CFS, Fibromyalgia,Lupus, et al, come from? A percentage of people will be disabled, post COVID infection, to varying degrees. As it was and ever shall be …
You mention: “A significant percentage of the US population thinks that a Covid infection is not a serious concern. My question would be whether they think they are healthier than Chinese doctor Li Wenliang who died from Covid.” Personally, I do not think I’m healthier. Not by a long shot. I’m almost 60, have had autoimmune (post viral?) issues for the past 3 years. I’m at risk. That doesn’t mean I want to stop living until such time as I die. I’ll take my chances. I get the feeling a lot of the US population feels the same way.
You also say: “I take the Worldometer dead and increase it by 25% to give me currently about 330,000 dead in the US.” I think you’re calculating in reverse of what is likely true. Did you read Raul’s article before you commented?
In closing … I humbly, oh so humbly, acknowledge that Dr D and other commenters here at TAE were right all along. Flatten the curve turned into no one can die. We have sold our souls to the parasitic class to save our physical bodies. It is well past time for humanity to set this particular hysteria aside.
Just jumping in to say thanks!!! to Doc Robinson for responding to my post last night, and for providing a link to the pretty thorough JPost mRNA vaccine article. (Raul included the link today). Isn’t it curious that the person being interviewed and telling everyone not to worry about this form of vaccine won’t be taking the vaccine for “at least the coming year”? Uh huh … we see what you did there …
Following up on Noirette’s post yesterday that provided links about potential early evidence of COVID spread (Noirette was responding to an earlier poster’s question about why it didn’t spread if it was around here earlier).
I dug into the flu stats for New York State. Low and behold, we have a “NYS Flu Tracker – weekly” (who knew?) that tracks flu season from October through May. (I’d take a screen shot and post it but I’m afraid my lack of technical skills will make me look, well, stupid). The site also compares the current season with previous seasons.
There is clear evidence something was going on in NY very early in the 2019/20 flu season.
WEEK 49 (first week in December – weeks are based on the # in a calendar year):
2017/18, 571 cases
2018/19, 602 cases
2019/20, 1,838 casesIt steadily gets worse:
WEEK 1 (first week in January)
2017/18, 3,936
2018/19, 3,736
2019/20, 10,076Interestingly, by April the flu disappeared for the 2019/20 flu season … once everything was diagnosed as COVID:
WEEK 15 (mid April):
2017/18, 1,798
2018/19, 3,342
2019/20, 143Also, is it possible to start a GoFundMe so I can donate my COVID vaccine(s) to someone living in a “poor” country, or even to a “poor” American? I don’t want marginalized people to miss out on this once-in-a-life-time opportunity.
Americans, we’re so lucky, we get the mRNA vaccines – hallelujah!! Inject me with a synthetic mRNA strand that hijacks my cells and tells them to produce something. Anything!
I’m not yet clear on how “the scientists” made sure this mRNA hijacker will quit forcing my cells to produce stuff once its demands are met. Does anyone here with medical knowledge understand how it’s guaranteed that the mRNA strands don’t get just a bit power hungry and take over more than initially agreed upon? Cause we all know how things go once hijackers get involved ….
Anticlimactic: “With 70 million upset Trump voters will they fade away to nothing or will they shake everything up?”
Bingo. It’s possible we are looking at a third party push in the near future that makes all the third party hopefuls coming before look like they belong in the Mickey Mouse Club.
“Because John reads the Automatic Earth, which has totally gone over to the Orange man side, and now he has no power left to think for himself, because Ilargi put a spell on him. Isn’t it obvious?
C’mon man!”
Thanks for the laugh, Raul. Needed it!
Obviously a ridiculously stupid typo in my original comment above:
“NY state (my home state), 20,000 million people, 575,000 cases, 34,000 deaths”
“20,000 million” people. Yes, we are wall-to-wall people here in NY, in case anyone who is wondering.
That should be 20 million people.
This piece is very cogently written, Raul. Well done!
But … “We need to find a balance between the threat of COVID19 and the threat of everything else”
Ahhh … the “royal we.” In NYS “we” don’t have a choice on finding a balance. King Cuomo has it all figured out for us since, I don’t know, I guess we aren’t smart enough to figure it out for ourselves. We are “code yellow” in Central New York right now (I think that’s what it is … )
To be clear, I was not opposed to NY’s initial lock down to slow the spread here. NY was a fustercluck at the start of this and medical people were struggling. I had even prepared for the possibility of a few weeks’ lock down based on links on this site (thank you!). However, a few weeks morphed into what looks like will be a year. What is being done now has no logical premise, and I’m well past tired of it.
Here’s an example: I work with a woman with 5 grandchildren who live in one household. A child in one of her grandchildren’s classes tested positive. That particular grandchild is now quarantined for two weeks and must learn remotely … while living in the household with the other 4 grandchildren WHO CONTINUE TO GO TO IN-PERSON CLASSES in the same school district. In addition to the complete lack of logic here, the [both working] parents had to figure out how to watch the one quarantined child using the time off available through their jobs. Even though they managed it this time, what about if this happens 6 more times over the course of the winter?
I am almost 60, have autoimmune issues, so I’m at risk (taking Vitamin D, K-2, zinc, quercetin … thank you, John Day!). But, frankly, I’d rather just get on with life and, if it so happens I die from this, so be it. People die.
As I review this comment I’m thinking the lock down has made me depressed.
I haven’t commented in a while but am going to jump in on today’s discussion on the interpretation of the study on factors impacting COVID.
V Arnold defends Thailand’s low case and death count. Indeed, Japan, Korea and other countries have managed to do the same.
Oddly enough, India and Greece are also managing to keep numbers pretty darned low if you take a look at their total population count and, in some areas, the living conditions of people. I selected these two countries as a question mark because a) India has extremely dense population areas with extreme poverty and people living in squalor, and b) Greece has refugee camps with extreme density and people living in squalor. These are people without adequate access to even clean water and sanitation facilities. How is it possible there aren’t refugees dying in droves in Greece? Corpses piling up in the slums in India?
Woldometer as of yesterday (bit of rounding on the numbers):
Thailand, 70 million people, 4,000 cases, 60 deaths
Greece, 10 million people, 60,000 cases, 860 deaths
India, 1.4 billion people, 8.6 million cases, 127,000 deaths
US, 330,000 million people, 8.6 million cases, 128,000 deaths
NY state (my home state), 20,000 million people, 575,000 cases, 34,000 deathsSo here’s what I continue to ponder: NYS did hard lock down initially (mid march – everything shut down). We continue to socially distance, wear masks, remote learn, quarantine visitors, test, trace, etc., etc., etc. All of the stuff that supposedly ends the spread. Yet here we are … still spreading the disease to some extent (Gov Cuomo has a system for implementing lock down measures in state hot spots based on positive testing rates and other data. It’s lovely).
Riddle me this: how are Greece refugee camps and India slums able to keep spread low despite deplorable living conditions that also obviously impact a person’s overall health … but Western countries can’t?
How did Thailand keep deaths to 60? That is about HALF of the deaths in the county where I live in upstate NY that has a population of 460,000 (217 deaths here as of yesterday).
Sorry … I don’t believe Thailand (as an example), India’s slums and Greece’s refugee camps are doing everything right and Western countries are just plain too dumb to fix the problem.
I’m open to explanations for these glaring inconsistencies, although I’d prefer not to focus entirely on “overweight and older” and “masks” as the only causes for it. The inconsistencies are far too extreme. No longer buying that.
I’m thinking it’s time to give the nod to Dr D and his, um, passionate expositions, about the true reason for turning coronavirus into a pandemic.
@JohnDay … what a succinct summary. Exceptionally well written: “This elite power struggle is one fundamental cause of the partisan divide in American society. These divides happen in history when essential resources become scarcer. The threats are not as they are presented in the media. Pawns (our status) are being manipulated to support one or another elite oligarchic faction. Pawns are not supposed to take the side of “other” pawns, which would disrupt the power structure. Pawns provide meat, blood and work.” Thank you!!! Saving it to read later when I lose sight of what’s going on. 😉
Mr House: gotta agree with you on NC. It’s unfortunate how much the commenters have been beaten into accepting the NC narrative (or banished from the kingdom altogether). A lot of what made the site good was the variety of perspectives. Now I barely skim the comments. Not worth it. I also stopped donating.
Thanks from me, also, Dr John Day. Because of you I’m taking Vitamin D (also vitamin K) and zinc picolinate (also has copper). I don’t have health insurance (self employed) and have no primary care physician so I’m trying to figure out how to score some hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, and doxycycline so in case I get sick I can self treat. Actually I have Doxy from a few years ago but it’s outdated. Most likely still somewhat effective though.
Anyhow, wanted to say thank you … your posts are both an eye opener from a medical perspective and heartwarming because it’s nice to read things written by a person who cares.
And, yeah, complacency is tough to stomach sometimes. I work in the nonprofit world – it’s become second nature here and it results in not achieving very much of anything, if that makes sense.
@Mr. House … you actually listened to NPR for an hour? Wow. Talk about taking one for the team. There is not an ounce of objective in any reporting they do. I’m not sure how one can even call what they do reporting.
I haven’t commented here in a few months. It’s been rather nasty around here and I stayed out of the fray. But @Mr. House cracked me up with the “This reads like the temper tantrum of a five year old child.” Just had to login in and say … hat’s off! Thanks for the laugh.
I don’t know what it is about Trump, but he brings out the worst in people (both the “pro” AND “con” people). He truly does. I don’t pay any attention to the daily headlines (aka, clickbait), don’t follow Twitter, and never listen to him speak. I just pick up what, generally, is the result of his actions. Watching his results using my hands off method, quite honestly, I don’t see any difference between what he accomplishes (using that term loosely) and what, say, Obama accomplished. Seems pretty much the same to me. Environment, immigrants, wages, jobs, blah, blah … what, seriously, is the difference between Obama and Trump? No one can actually say, can they, using real statistics? I suggest we put together one of those side-by-side charts and see how these 2 stack up on these pivotal issues. Want to place bets on that? 😉
Raul, I also like Dr. House’s idea of only posting pro Biden/Harris and negative Trump things for a couple weeks to see what happens to adverts and revenue. Now THAT is a flippin’ stellar idea. Two thumbs up.
Rototillerman: Darn those conservative scientists thinking they need data to accurately assess a situation!!! LOL. Thank you for asking her. Will look forward to getting the inside scoop, hopefully, someday, maybe, if it’s possible …
VietnamVet: You are correct, we have no public health system to speak of in the US. And while we have testing sites where you can get tested without referral/symptoms … most cost some pretty big bucks ($150 – $200) if you don’t have health insurance. We do have a public health clinic in this county that does testing for free, but that has limited testing sites and usually requires a person to travel to Syracuse for testing (many rural residents won’t consider that an option). The clinic is starting to open up more testing options with the pop up clinics in more rural areas (kind of late).
One thing many people lose sight of is the fact there is an entire state attached to New York City. 😉 The City’s infection rate is very high (close to 20%), but in the remainder of the state it’s still [generally] around 2% or less. We have a LONG way to go before we’re on the other side of this if we don’t get it under control. As you so succinctly pointed out, we have no system in place to get it under control.
It can be hard to read the comments about the pandemic being a “nothing burger” because here in NY, it is far from that. My friend lost a very close cousin to Covid-19 (blood clot, no underlying health conditions) so you’d be hard pressed to convince me that “business as usual” and just let people die is the answer to a pandemic.
Correction: I shouldn’t have said “I think most NYers feel pretty beat up at this point by this virus.” How would I know what most NYers are feeling??? My apologies. A bit of an assumption on my part there.
Thank you, Wes. I don’t think our stats for nursing home deaths are as high as you’re experiencing. I found data from 5 days ago that shows about 25% of NY deaths are in nursing homes (note: does not include nursing home residents admitted to hospital and then died so it’s undoubtedly much higher %). In NY our testing has ramped up considerably. There are well-publicized “pop up” testing sites in our county where you can simply show up and get tested, no referral, no symptoms. As far as masks? That’s hard to gauge since I’ve never been a very good consumer so rarely go out shopping … but the times I go shopping, people have masks on. I think most NYers feel pretty beat up at this point by this virus. NYC is the worst affected, and many counties have little spread so probably don’t wear masks? But here in my county we mostly are.
Rotertillerman: if you happen to read this and feel inclined to respond… since your wife is an epidemiologist I wonder if you’d mind asking her just what it is that NY got so wrong with this virus? I live in NY and the numbers here are simply appalling. Yes, NY City has density, but so do a lot of other cities/countries. Even here in upstate NY, my county has over 1800 cases and 100+ deaths (pop 450,000). I remain perplexed as to just how it has gotten so far off track here compared with nearly everywhere else …
kimyo99: if you think they can successfully introduce a “global digital currency” in the US, you haven’t spent enough time here in the non-coastal enclave areas. Not. Going. To. Happen.
Huskynut: “There is a good argument presented that reductions in GDP/wealth are statistically correlated with average life expectancy.”
Yup, poor people have lower life expectancy. Been proven statistically for many decades. Of course they die earlier. Poorer quality food, stress, depression, exposure to more pollutants and chemicals, etc., lead to chronic health issues. Poor people die younger. Most of the time no one cares because the people running the models aren’t poor.
“Proposed Covid interventions can also be modelled in terms of impact to average life expectancy.”
Yup, we can “model” this, too. If we reduce GDP, the life expectancy of people declines by x%. If we let Covid-19 run through the population then life expectancy reduces by y%. Look! Overall life expectancy reduces by LESS if we just let Covid-19 run through the population than it does if we reduce GDP!!
“As a comparator it also weights more heavily towards the younger population who will bear a greater (ie longer) impact over the course of their lives from both the current crisis and however we respond than will older people.”
Bye, bye Grandma and Grandpa. So sorry about your luck. We decided the model looked better for younger people if we didn’t reduce GDP so we let Covid-19 run loose.
There were actually times throughout history when we considered the wisdom and contribution of elders to be worth something. Now we mainly warehouse them in nursing homes and wait for them to die. Sometimes we visit our elder relatives once a month to make ourselves feel better. Nice of us, isn’t it?
Idk, maybe Covid-19 is a wake up call to begin appreciating something we’ve tossed to the side without a second thought. Anyone considered that?
Btw, a red flag in your “mailbox” item: “a careful discussion about trade-offs.”
Trade offs?? There’s little I can say to that aside from, how did humanity get so far off track? I imagine it started with discounting the value of plant, insect, and animal life, then discounting the value of people who live in dire situations throughout the world, then discounting the value of our own citizens … and now discounting the value of our own FAMILY?
Reminds me of that poem that goes: “First they came for the Jews. And I did not speak out. because I was not a Jew.”
I don’t know, Bosco, they’re saying we’re, like, almost 20 years into the 21st century? What the hell? When did that happen? I’m still living the way I was raised … by my grandmother who was born in 1892. (Not kidding). Interesting perspective …
V. Arnold: “Bravo Ilargi!” Totally agree. I’m trying to figure out if my budget can handle another donation just now. Raul’s been doing a boat load of work over the past few months. Wish I were wealthy and could donate more often … oh, forget it. I’m going to donate again. Maybe if I run out of grocery money Raul can spot me $20.
And Bosco, damn, you nailed it again: “Currently, the problem is reducing contagion, not arguing Rubix-cube conspiracy complexities, which is what ALWAYS happens with topics like that. The inevitable search for the Smoking Gun will waste valuable resources that could be put to good use.”
I know a woman who spends every spare moment trying to figure out conspiracies (Kennedy, 911, Jekyll Island, you name it). I always ask, what difference does it make? Talk about wasted energy! And, btw, I agree that if releasing this virus was some great conspiracy to accomplish (I have no idea what), those in power are way more flocking stupid than even I thought they were.
Greetings, Wes! No, flooding won’t directly affect me, thankfully. I’m about 10 miles outside Syracuse (Onondaga County). Can’t imagine that type of mess on top of everything else that’s going on here. However, I’ve followed the flooding taking place over the past few years along the lake (45 minutes north of here) and along the river, and my heart goes out to all you who have properties there. I’ve lived in this area most of my life (aside from living in both Boston and Raleigh for 4-5 years). Flooding, as I recall? Almost never! No doubt what is going on now is a result of “save those guys, not these guys.” I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?
@glennda, thank you for your comment. Darn, people on this blog write much more succinctly than I do. Love this sentence: “I easily scroll past his (Dr D) ranting, but it’s a chore.” I struggle to even scroll past his ranting. Hats off that you can. 😉
@boscohorowitz: “Let me put it more plainly, Doc. D: if the various NOWoid cabals wanted to spread fear of and submission to their agenda while disguising it as freedom-loving resistance of empire, they would be wise to hire you as Chief Psy-Prop.”
And further, from bosco … “Doc writes a pretty good schtick. The content, however, is, imo, grossly inferior to that style, and provides a disservice to those of us who want to take each other seriously here when we present serious topics; and Doc always presents his remarks as if they are as serious as a bad lung x-ray, his humorous elements notwithstanding.”
Thank you, Bosco. You are quite eloquent. Today is the first time I’ve even skimmed comments here in quite awhile because the BS was getting to me. Glad I ran across your comment. You’ve restored my faith that all TAE readers aren’t buying into this schtick.
I’d be glad to read intelligent insights from TAE readers about what’s going on because the whole mess sucks and especially being in NY I’m in the middle of it (does this even closely resemble FUN?), but the constant drum beat from Dr D, et al, is deafening.
You know, guys, not for nothing … but this is Raul’s blog. I find it helpful and (as I’ve mentioned), it’s the first place I visit with my morning coffee. Instead of ragging on about what you believe in the coronavirus “spamdemic” in Raul’s comment section (and thereby dissing him – how very considerate of you, that) how about ya’ll start you OWN blog, put in the work yourselves, so you can espouse your views to your hearts content?
For example, neoh: “I never thought I would see TAE and the MSM linking arms like this.”
Really? Wow. As my grandmother always said, if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. wtf
Thank you, Raul. Very observant and succinct. You’re correct. Stay at home is all our “leaders” can say/do at this point, having reached the point of failure on any other front. Here in NY it hits very close to home now. Commenters who think we should just let this thing frolic about and run its course are really not considering the ramifications of thousands of people dying at home and laying there rotting until something can be done about it. (ps … anyone who believes China’s fatalities at this point needs to stop smoking whatever it is they’re smoking. Or maybe I need to start smoking whatever it is they’re smoking)
Anyhow, keep up the good work. Stay well. Thank you.
I’m sorry, Lonnie_King, and don’t blame you for your ire. Please understand the vast majority of New Yorkers aren’t hightailing it out of the state to infect others. The people doing this type of thing are the usual suspects: those with lots of money (the rest of us couldn’t afford to flee even before we lost our jobs). I’m sure it’s the same with Washington fleeing to HI. I can’t imagine being on the receiving end of such self-centered actions. (Oh wait … there is that recent stimulus package that sorta tossed us peons only a few crumbs).
Well, Dr D, I think you pinpointed it with this statement: “It’s beyond my imagination how people can behave this way, they’re not shelling my town, they haven’t even cut off Netflix for God’s sake.”
No, we aren’t being physically threatened by shelling and gunfire. We’ve been asked to isolate ourselves to slow the virus and help others who are/will bear the brunt of this: healthcare workers, seniors, and both young and old people with underlying health issues. And we’re trying to step up and do the right thing. My sister is a doctor. If doing what I can to make her life easier is cowardice, I’m in.
About the Henry Ford Health System letter: I’ve been following Italy and they’ve had to implement similar measures. In Italy only those with very high fevers and significant breathing issues are even admitted to the hospital (everyone else stays home to, hopefully, recover). An Italian emergency center doctor said if you have several co-morbidity issues they don’t move you to the ICU for care when you worsen (you aren’t going to make it anyhow). That’s reality. We can’t save everyone so resources are targeted to the people who have the best chance of surviving. (I’m older and have immune system issues so I’m not being callous with this – I likely wouldn’t get ICU care when/if the chips are down).
This is a murky area. I’m from NY (upstate – constantly need to remind New York City there is a state attached to them). When I first heard this yesterday it made sense. We’re a mess here. Shouldn’t be traveling wherever and exposing everyone else. Then I started thinking about logistics. A huge number of airline flights come through NY state through a variety of hubs. How would that work? No one changes planes on their way through? That’s just one of the logistical issues that popped into my head. Wall Street is another, but that topic is too complex for this venue. Then I also considered what happened in Italy. Locking down only northern Italy backfired in the worst possible way. Regionswork, above, is also correct. We aren’t Europe. We’re one country. United under [apparently] God. Indivisible … blah blah blah.
I’ll end with … Trump is doing an absolutely awful job with this. I didn’t vote for Trump (or Hilary), and I’ve completely avoided jumping on the “Trump sucks” bandwagon over the past few years. With this pandemic? Is F- a grade? Does that exist?
“Imagine the earth protecting herself from mankind by debilitating its powers to destroy her any further.”
Nature bats last.
This blog was a boatload of work, Raul. I’m floored at how well you track and summarize this stuff. I can’t keep up with one state, much less the world. Here in NY many people are talking about what a good job Cuomo is doing (I’ve even see some comments over on NC about his performance). But you’re correct, our leaders did a crap job. Here’s one tiny example from Onondaga County in NY where I lost count the number of totally dumb ass statements I saw in an article dated March 12th …
For example … you have got to be kidding …
“In order to collect samples from patients, primary care doctors need to wear goggles, gloves and other protective gear. Some primary care offices and community clinics in the Syracuse area have those items and others don’t, said Dr. Stephen Thomas, chief of infectious disease at Upstate University Hospital.”
This virus had been around for MONTHS and you’re just now reaching out to see which providers have protective gear? Whaaaaat?!!!!
And how about this statement:
“Infectious respiratory illnesses like flu are not decreasing as much as they typically do at this time of the year, Thomas said.”
Wonder why?? Hmmmm, how much coronavirus testing are you doing???
Oh wait, in another Syracuse.com article I found the answer to that question. At that point we’d tested about 2,000 people in NY. The NYS population = over 20 million. Lovely.
Raul was way ahead of the curve and spot on in his assessment of this virus. I just donated again anonymously. Encourage everyone to do so. “Donate early and often …” I think that’s how the saying goes??
Our morning line up from NYS Governor Cuomo:
The number of coronavirus cases [in NYS] is more than 15,000, with nearly 2,000 hospitalized. (My note: on Wednesday, March 18th there were only 2,382 cases)
NYS has 114 deaths. About 70 percent who died were people 70 and older who had underlying health problems. The majority of people younger than 70 who died also had another health issue
53 percent of New York’s cases involve people 18 to 49 years old
New York has tested more than 61,000 people. Nearly 16,000 were tested in the last day or so
The governor is calling on all hospitals to expand existing hospital capacity by 100 percent
[Cuomo] is requiring that hospitals increase their treatment ability by at least 50 percent. “I’m not just asking you as governor,” he said. “This is a law,” he said of the 50 percent goal
Starting Wednesday, all elective, non-critical surgeries will be canceled across the state. “That is a mandate,” [Cuomo] said
Drug trials will start being used on Tuesday in New York. It’s an anti-malaria treatment
[Cuomo] asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to start building four temporary hospitals in the New York City and Long Island areas
Cuomo also is asking FEMA to build four hospitals at the Javits Center in New York City. Each FEMA hospital has 250 beds, he said
The drs on here can speak to the medical mandates better than I can. It does look like we’ll be using malarial drugs here.
boilingfrog: “UpstateNYer – great input, thank you. I’m isolated in the New River Valley of the South Central Appalachians. Your take is much appreciated.”
Thank you. Wasn’t sure anyone would be interested. Thanks back at ya for the chicken story!Dr D Rich: “And we’re back to China bashing which was a not infrequent theme on TAE over the past two months.”
I don’t see this happening. Commenters aren’t supposed to criticize China even slightly, but the US is fair game? Why? The majority of people in the US don’t agree with our government, but just like in other countries there’s little we can do about it. (please don’t tell us to “vote them out”. It’s impossible in our system where two choices are offered up: worse and worser).And the name “Wuhan Coronavirus” is racist. Along those lines I’m proposing we change the name of Lyme Disease. It unfairly stigmatizes Lyme, CT, where it was originally identified.
Meanwhile back at the ranch …
– Coronavirus: Which workers get hurt most, least due to state-ordered business shutdowns?
“Independent contractors are not eligible for unemployment benefits, so they won’t even receive an unemployment check to cushion the blow … there are more than a million such workers in New York.”
That would be me. Independent contractor, no health insurance. Part of me agrees with Dr D’s take on the virus. Feels like we’re fish in a barrel and it’s darned easy to get picked off right now as everything slams shut here in NY. The other part of me doesn’t want to watch a train wreck happen here like it has in Italy. Probably too late anyhow.
I’m relatively new to reading TAE and never commented. I figure most TAE readers are able to comment more intelligently than me so why embarrass myself. However, I live in upstate NY (in a village about 8 miles from Syracuse) and we’ve turned into the epicenter of the pandemic in the US so maybe I can add something of value now. Or maybe not. Time will tell.
First, a BIG thanks to Raul because following this blog got me to prepare for the virus ahead of the rush. I also think Raul’s aggregate links are the best around. TAE is my first stop every morning. Know that we appreciate you even if we don’t comment. (I’ve donated to TAE anonymously a few times, when financially able, and encourage everyone to).
Coronavirus cases in NY exploded. Raul’s not wrong. We’re likely the next Italy. So, yes, people are worried (not that I understand the toilet paper thing at all). But who could blame them? Anyone care to volunteer to be the person suffocating to death in the hospital hallway when healthcare breaks down? People might be worried, but where I live I’m not seeing them be rude, pushy or inconsiderate (not sure what it’s like within the City of Syracuse). Most people leave more space between themselves, some wear gloves, very few masks, everyone is subdued. Waiting for that other shoe to drop I guess.
Everything but essential businesses (defined by the state) are closed as of tomorrow (Sunday) night. All non-essential staff who work at an essential business must work from home. Some “essential” employers are trying to help by providing daycare for those who continue to work (schools closed). A lot is being done to support the poor (not PC, sorry). Lunches handed out to school age children, more meals delivered to seniors, food banks geared up, the local community foundation is making special grants, etc. There were MANY people suddenly out of a job who applied for unemployment. The crush crashed the system multiple times over at least two days.
Healthcare is the big concern. Syracuse has several large hospitals and is a regional medical hub for something like 9 counties. It took way too long to ramp up testing considering we have an Infectious Disease Center here and the idiots’ entire JOB is to prepare for epidemics. The first positive cases in my county were community spread (lovely!!), but we only just started drive-thru testing a day or so ago. People are coming from over 50 miles away to get tested at that ONE site. Can you think of any downsides to this?
Too much of the US population is overweight. Many have health issues and take meds that mess with the body’s system. If those aren’t risk factors, I don’t know what is. Could be we make Italy look like they did a bang-up job when this is all over.
Hello from NY!
