This isn’t great (and yes, I know, it’s one doctor at one hospital): Miami Hospital ICU Doctor: New Influx Of Patients Is Younger Than Before
That's one big change. Much younger patients, pretty much healthy. Not really major past medical history.
We are not seeing that much obesity. I know there are some reports about obesity, but at least in the ICU, I would guess maybe 20% of patients are obese. Most of them are pretty young and healthy patients.
And also they get sicker than the previous [wave]. Mortality has not been a major issue because they are younger patients. But I think as the days go on, we might also see a change in mortality.
That is exactly what the ICU doctor in Sarasota, Florida said about the state of things at his hospital.
He also said he never thought he'd have three young critically ill patients and be forced to choose only one of them for treatment due to lack of/shortage of equipment and shortage of meds.
He was still reeling from seeing a 20-year-old die from COVID and appealed to the young to wear masks and take this seriously.
(Live interview on TV about 4-5 days ago)
It is encouraging to see that perhaps there will be considerably less death while it rages among the younger crowd and we have better treatments, but I am also wondering about the rise in deaths at home.
Is that the older population scared and refusing to go to the hospital where they fear to die alone in a hallway?
Florida is not reporting pneumonia or stroke or heart attacks as Covid deaths only on the list of contributing factors. How accurately does that reflect our real death toll?
Florida never flattened the curve enough and then rushed to re-open with nowhere near the criteria recommended for re-opening.
A delusional governor bent on denying the crisis all around him from the total failure of our states unemployment system to handling the pandemic.
It borders on criminal neglect of duty.
Long recoveries are just one more economic issue in the years to come for everyone around the world recovering from Covid.
There will be lasting impact.
When did we become so ignorant and willing to tolerate dysfunctional, disorganized-mismanaged federal and state government to the degree that it has become harmful to us as a nation?
WTH does this outcome serve well?
Sorry guys for ranting but I just got off the phone with a friend in Germany - they currently have 3 cases in her area (Hesse-state) - compared to over 30,000 cases in my area (my county and the adjacent county are relatively comparable to the state of Hesse at least imho).
It is mindboggling to me.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countriesThe state of Florida pop 21.48 millon has over 300,000 cases compared to the country of Germany pop 83.02 million which has over 200,000 cases
You can spin this any way you want but there is no denying that a functional, centralized government with a well established healthcare system is better equipped to deal with a pandemic of global proportions.
Despite Germany taking in millions of refugees and despite its population density.
What mattered were the political will to work together and committed leadership that listened to their scientists and acted upon that data.
It was what state governor Cuomo achieved in NY - kudos to him for working out the kinks on ground zero. It wasn't perfect because he was flying blind but for people to come in after the fact, after we know more about the virus to criticize him is beyond the pale. They now have a system they can work with when the second wave rolls around and time to prepare for that second wave.
Gov DeSantis in Florida had plenty of time and opportunity to do an even better job ... instead, he keeps on failing to do his job.
Worse, what it means to us is that we will have little opportunity if any to prepare for a second wave in fall/winter.
Until the US figures out that divided we fall we will be in for one hell of a ride.