COVID-19 (Cont'd #9)
 

Carry on respectful, non-political discussion.

Hawai’i was 1-2 cases a day for a few weeks, and this week we got record numbers. This happens two weeks before the governor decided to soft-open the state for tourism. The state has been pretty much decimated economically because of the tourism shutdown. So many people lost their jobs, so many multi-generational small businesses went under, suicides are up, it’s really a tough time.

Total cases 1131 as of yesterday. 19 deaths, 271 active, 3 in ICU a few days ago but probably more by now. Should get an update today in a few hours.

I think there were some poignant responses in the last thread (before it was closed down due to # of messages) that need to be addressed.

I do hope they can be continued in this new thread.

NoleDog brought up a very valid point although maybe the phrasing was incindiary.

Reimbursement versus Kickback

It's a fine line.

Basically, Hospital Over Coding and Incidental coding that increases reimbursement.

J

Thank you sir, your clarification is appreciated. I had no intention of being incendiary so I'm sorry if it came across that way.... I hope many who read my post came away with how as a full-time musician in NE Florida, that as fellow guitarists, pro or hobbyists, that you can appreciate there are those of us doing our best to comply with CDC recommendations while still making a living. Both are vital to our health and well-being in the current climate. Again, wishing my fellow AGF'erz, no matter your viewpoint on this, a safe and healthy journey thru this because all life is sacred. Play your guitar and make some positive music with and for those around you! :guitar::up::cool:

Personally, I'm in favor of trying to bring things back to normality, for the gig players, to people that are trying to learn, people that are trying to enjoy their brief life on earth, to people that are trying to continue their business operations (more importantly)

I can't see anyone opposed to trying to bring back live to normality.

Is that too much to ask for?

Imposing restrictions and change of behavior just doesn't seem to be constructive, given all the risks and statistical data, which is rather dubious in my opinion.

J

Error is a +/- proposition. The reported numbers are an approximation. Here is a pretty decent explanation of - Why some people who likely died from COVID-19 aren’t included in the final numbers. I’m sure there are good articles explaining the converse, but I haven’t come across one. Perhaps someone has a link?

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features...avirus-deaths/

How about those folks that were diagnosed cause of death with COVID that died from other complications.

Diabetes, Heart Conditions, Kidney Failure, Old Age.

These statistics can be skewed however people want to extrapolate and report the data.

J

OK...I will make some of the same points that I have made in response to others’ posts.

1. There are MANY more deaths in the US during the months of March, April, May, and June, 2020 compared to the same months this time last year, or any of the previous 10 years. Even if we subtract ALL the deaths attributed to COVID19, there are still more deaths than normal for these months. Something is killing MANY THOUSANDS of US citizens. If you believe the statistics for COVID19 deaths are inflated because “overcoding”, “agendas”, or any other factor that is either intentional or unintentional, I’d like you (or anyone with similar beliefs) to offer an explanation for the many thousands of deaths that are most parsimoniously accounted for by COVID19. I continue to contend that the statistics, while imperfect, are valid and useful reflections of the truly serious and deadly pandemic. Until someone offers a cogent explanation for the excess deaths, all the reports and claims that are supposed to cast doubt about the statistics and their utility simply don’t stand up.

2. We don’t yet know if there will ever be herd immunity, or if there will ever be an effective vaccine. Why doesn’t it make sense to impose restrictions and urge behavior changes that will give researchers more time to learn about COVID19, and to reduce the strain on our medical system?

3. “Normal” is a useful concept, but it is only a concept. It is not like a law of physics. There is no rule that says we will/must return to what we think of as “normal”. And what is normal for us in the US has never been normal in most other parts of the world. So I think pleas for a return to normal are unhelpful, and often put us in the position of fighting with reality. The reality is, this coronavirus is “novel”, and it is having a significant effect across the globe, and it is (IMO) therefore appropriate to respond to it in novel ways. So, unfortunately for all of us, it may be too much to ask that we return to normal....even though I miss hundreds of things about the way I was living before March of this year.

Please account for excess deaths for recent months. See my other post for details.

I'm pretty sure statistics isn't going to get our Country moving in the right directions.

Folks can spew statistics until the cows come home and beyond.

Right now, we need to be concerned with the well being of everyone in the country, and that doesn't mean keeping everyone safe from the virus.

It means keeping us safe from malaise, torpor, depression, indifference, worry and many other things.

We need optimism instead of negativism, pessimism and overall depressive attitude, which there are so many people promoting this attitude.

I can't understand all this negative attitude among the country these days?

Anyway, I see a lighter picture than most folks on this thread express.

J

Perhaps someone also could explain why so many states have thousands more people than usual hospitalized for some reason. My state is one of many that is close to running out of critical care and general inpatient beds all of a sudden, due to thousands more patients than usual. No mass casualty events that I've heard of. No decrease in the number of beds. It started to surge around the same time we started to see a big increase in the percentage of covid tests that are coming back positive. If you think people's illnesses are being coded or billed incorrectly, why are there so many of them all of a sudden?

I don't mean to sound cold.

But, if at this point, hospitals are struggling with resources, who's problem is that?

Of course, citizens are impacted, but it's truly the Hospitals that should be addressing these issues, and if three months isn't enough, then, the health care system has been WILLFULLY negligent in that area.

So, what's the solution?

I think Herd Immunity (Sweden) is the answer, I know it's not popular here, but I think that is the only answer until a Vaccine is developed.

J

I have a "new normal" of stopping by a local brewery every Friday and picking up a pint each for my wife and I. I'm also upgrading my homebrew setup. I have COVID to thank for that.

Maybe I should have posted this on the thread about alcohol sales....

I get the impression that some posters think the people on the front lines, MDs, nurses, Emts , are capable of working 24/7 with no breaks.

When you see the numbers on hospitalizations you should think a minute about the real people that have to deal with this every day.

Does it take the complete collapse of our healthcare system to get everyone’s attention?

I think the problem is that we have conflict between the ' New Normal ' versus the ' Old Normal '

We'll see who prevails.

Wearing Masks at restaurants and other outtings?

Doesn't seem normal to me, but who knows what the public will succumb to.

J