Tracking the COVID-19-Virus in Germany, the USA, Italy and other hot spots in the world

We do need to count people who died with coronavirus in the death count, in my opinion. People with kidney disease, diabetes, obesity, smokers and others with comorbid health issues would have been expected to live a little longer without the virus, otherwise all those people would have been swamping the hospitals with final-phase illness, virus or not.

Anyway, the point of the entire exercise is not that 99%+ of the population will survive, but that the 1% of deaths is on top of deaths from all other causes. Those 1% are piled up into a 2-3 month time period versus all "other" deaths spread out over a 12-month year.

No country in the world had a health care system that was ready to have millions of additional people needing hospital care in a few short months.

We are doing this, not because "only" 1% of the people will die eventually, but to stretch that 1% eventuality out over more than 2-3 months so that more ventilators can be built, more bed space created, and more health care personnel can be found. That last one, the health care workers is a tough one.

This is a health care readiness emergency as much or more than a lethal disease emergency.

 

Here's an example of why Coronavirus should count in the death rates of virus deaths.

My grandmother's mind was destroyed by Alzheimer's over the last 13 or more years of her life. For the last decade, she was just a shell of her former vibrant self, living in the shell of a relatively healthy body. She finally had a heart attack, which killed her. Without the heart attack, she could have technically lived for, well, forever until a heart attack or stroke or organ failure took her away. The Alzheimer's didn't kill her; the heart attack did.

For people with preexisting conditions, those conditions are not the cause of death. The coronavirus on top of those conditions was what put them in the hospital, shortened their lives and killed them.

 

Things are moving quickly. The FDA approved an antibody test yesterday. That will show who has immunity. They will test health care workers first, so that people with the antibodies will care for Coronavirus patients.

I don't know how long it will take to produce and distribute antibody tests to everyone. If it's the same situation with the tests to detect coronavirus, we may still be in for a long haul, but antibody testing will be the answer to who gets to go back to work sooner.

 

Yes, this is one of those situations where cause of death is being obfuscated. My father smoked all of his life and was diagnosed with Emphysema and Sleep Apnea. He eventually had a massive heart attack but it was the smoking that caused the emphysema that resulted in the final heart attack. The heart attack was listed as the cause of death and not the underlying conditions.

So there are probably plenty of others with Emphysema from smoking and I know a firefighter who ended up with from smoke inhalation at a fire that caused him to retire early. If they end up with the Covid virus how will their deaths to be recorded? The virus effectively shortens their lives so yes, that should be cause of death.

 

That might be the first ray of hope and let's hold thumbs for it working.

 

If that happens I will say that it doubled in a week.

 

50% of the U.S. cases, and deaths, are still in New York and New Jersey. Their rates should serve as a "heads up" to the rest of the country.

 

The important point regardless of what column these tragic deaths are placed in is the reasons why they died. That is knowledge that can be used to treat future patients.

Of course the healthcare system has to handle those people who are infected but by understanding just who is getting sick we are better able to identify and isolate them. A much clearer understanding of this is becoming available. And the treatment of these patients with medications currently available in both a prophylactic and active infection way can be implemented. For example Dr. Stephan Smith has noted that COVID infected obese patients who are both pre diabetic and full on diabetic go downhill at a faster rate due possibly to the excess sugar in their blood. As was mentioned before none of his ~ 80 patients (yes, very small sample) required intubation.

 

The tobacco industry is working on a coronavirus vaccine using something from tobacco leaves. (That's just an aside.)

For years, people in agriculture used nicotine as an insecticide. It doesn't hurt plants, but kills just about every insect. (That's also an aside. Just a little trivia.)

Meh. That data point about current smokers was just weird.

 

In Dallas the most affected zip code is in the Park Cities, a very affluent area, re a couple of earlier posts about that. They are also near a major airport, and a university, hence will have a lot of air travellers and overseas traffic and tourism.

 

Sorry to hear of your grandmother. My mother had Alzheimer's as well. Alzheimer's is a gradual deterioration of brain function. The obvious signs are there but the autonomous functions of the brain are deteriorating as well making those afflicted very susceptible to any type of stressor on their bodies. My Mom succumbed to an infection due to her immune system being compromised as the result of Alzheimer's. IMO she died of Alzheimer's disease.

 

Yesterday the UK released the results of a test on the reliability of the antibody test and it failed the tests. I don't know if it is the same antibody test the FDA approved

 

And btw, look at John Hopkins mortality stats. Oh, and the guy who wrote that tweet, who is scared of reporting to work in the ER? He once flew in the space shuttle:

 

Allowing church services is just additive. For anyone with common sense, minimizing contacts means just that. Don't go to church, don't go to a crowded beach, don't start having house parties just because the bars are closed but the liquor stores are open.

We all have to buy food and some of us have to work, but other than that and seeking healthcare if needed, there is no excuse for being out around people right now.

 

This can end up being the G-dsend of the century, because it can get the healthy back to work asap and as you noted, to care for COVID-19 patients.

 

It could be that current smokers tend to not breathe in as deeply as ex-smokers meaning that the virus enters the lungs deeper in ex-smokers leading to a more severe case of covid-19

 

Link or source ??

 

As a doctor friend used to say to my aunt (who worked 43 years as a hematologist): "honey, the last thing that kills you is the thing that killed you, so pick your poison well"

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...england-covid-19-downing-street-a9443266.html

 

http://www.politicalforum.com/index...-in-the-world.569531/page-111#post-1071565139

 

I only have bandwidth for so many nations and only so many will stay on my screenshot. I thought Netherlands was doing basically the same thing? They have not turned to stay at home orders the last I heard. Sweden I did start following initially back when they hit 1000 total cases. But they have not kept pace with the rest of the world in terms of either total cases or deaths. They seem to be doing something right for now, although the deaths have started to increase the pace as of late.

There are actually bigger successes out there than Sweden that have not shut down such as Taiwan, who started screening passengers from China as early as Dec 31. They have done aggressive contact tracing and mandatory reporting of COVID-19 symptoms. Currently they are at 348 cases and 5 deaths. I am not aware of any other nation that has been as successful.

Thanks for letting me know. I personally think that is kind of deceptive reporting given that those other 88% apparently died at least in part due to the virus.

 

del

 

So? If there was a reliable test then they would have stated it! You only need one test to be reliable to start using it

 

No one needs to be thrown under the bus for doing what is basic human nature. If you have enough money and resources to save one child, but two children are likely to die, you will save the child which is yours before you save your next door neighbor's child.

The whole globe is behaving naturally right now. Each country, state, or city is the child of the elected official whose responsibility is to first take care of their own. Once their own child is fine, they'll worry about the neighbor's.