WASHINGTON STATE COVID-19 RESPONSE
The population of WA is about 7.8 million.
Of the 682 people who have sadly passed:
58% of the deaths are people over 80 with underlying health issues.
Another 38% are between 60 and 80 also with underlying health issues.
The vast majority of them have been in Long term care facilities and the other large outbreak was in a prison.
Outside of those groups healthcare workers that are caring for the mentioned patients have also been hit hard.
Yet WA has some of the strictest stay at home orders out there..
I just watched Gov Inslee giving today's update on Covid.
I do take the virus seriously and I acknowledge it is deadly, but I also think poverty kills.
Inslee keeps saying the word Science, but it is clear he doesn't know what the word means. What he was actually referencing is they are making educated guesses based on data. (That is not Science) We hardly have enough data to do any relevant science at this point. All we have is expert advice.
Many of us entered into "Stay Home, Stay Safe" worried about the financial impacts, but also gravely concerned about the potentially overwhelming predictions on the deadliness of the virus and out of concern for our fellow humans, we supported acts of government that have never been taken before. The predictions have been downgraded twice.
We were told we were "slowing down the curve" so that hospitals did not get overwhelmed and they are not overwhelmed most are running far beneath normal capacity.
Early evidence regarding Nations that shut down and those that didn't are the numbers aren't that different.
Also, early testing seems to imply the disease is much more widely spread than initially thought.
That would be good news, because it would show it isn't as deadly as previously thought.
I value life and I also recognize that poverty kills, and the selection of what is essential is imperfect. There is no point anytime soon that we will all be safe again.
We have to move forward. It's time to re-evaluate the response.
Ahh yes, comorbidities and their completely missing data sets. Wouldn't it be nice to have all the data to make real educated decisions?
Over here on the east side we are about done with the horse shit. There has been far more traffic on the highway as more and more people say, "fuck it" and are going out and doing things. Our mayor is pushing for the east side to do our own thing. We are not the metro of the west side. Rural areas have no reason for the despotic rules that idiot Inslee has put in place. I am hoping beyond hope the asshat is forcibly removed from office.
We have all of 28 confirmed cases here in Jefferson County and zero deaths... pretty much the entire county is more or less "socially distant" to begin with... and the median age is well above the state median.
Yeah, if you drill down a huge number of the deaths in WA are in longterm care facilities.
I hope people push back so hard. Especially now even the data does not support this
I go out every day since the beginning of the outbreak.
I think we're "relatively well off" in Washington.
Is Covid deadly? Sure. And particularly to certain at-risk groups.
My impression — as more and more data becomes available — is that the mortality rates are grossly overstated. That is, there's increasing evidence that many multiples of the official infection counts are actually infected. The broad-based community testing done in Santa Clara County, CA suggested something on the order of 25-60 times as many people as originally thought may actually be/have been infected. That, and the fact that as much as 60-75% of "infected" people show no symptoms whatsoever, meaning they are just walking around, spreading Covid-19 while being none the wiser.
Of course, the other side of that equation is that now we're suddenly looking at an illness that actually is deadly only to a tiny fraction of the total infected count. A tiny fraction that would not have warranted the level of shutdowns we have seen.
Of course, not sure if anyone from officialdom is going to step forward and "own" that one...
Totally think we are doing well, there is a quiet but growing theory that it circulated here in January
There was a time in the early part of the year that all the boys in my care, and all the other staff in the house got completely knocked out by a virus. I remember lying in bed for days hardly able to move. I have a suspicion it was not just a coincidental occurrence.
I'm still taking precautions, as I'm technically an essential 'healthcare' worker, working with people who need supported living. I have to set the example for the sake of the business I work for and its reputation in the community.
We were really sick in January and so were a lot of people I know. I was sick for 9 days, felt better for 3 and it hit me again.
Several people I know went to the hospital and tested negative for Flu. At first people thought it wasn't possible, but now that they are testing for antibodies, they are more inclined to think it might have circulated earlier than we knew.
Dear @whatsup
It surely is deadly. Worst of all is the way people die. Suffering, far from family, feeling of beling alone in last moments must be insane. Knowing that there won't be proper funeral and their bodies will be most likely stored in the fridge at the back of the truck, with many other dead bodies ...
That's the hardest part I think. Something most people do not seem to think about.
So I'm glad to hear that you're taking this situation seriously.
I strongly believe you're wrong. I see some central and east european countries (like Poland, Czech republic, austria) as well as others like Hong Kong, Mongolia, Taiwan - which did so much better than western countries.
I'm based in Poland and when I see what's happening in France, UK, Italy, Spain, US and many others who are very relaxed with lockdown - I'm feeling that for the first time I'm proud of our goverment.
Yours, Piotr
Wow, that is interesting.. do you know anyone who has had the virus.
Sorry for such a late reply @whatsup
I actually do know 2 people, who have their family members hit hard by C-19. What about you?
Reality is, that if you ask me if I know anyone who died in car accident within this year - then I will probably say "no I don't". Would it mean , that people are not dying in car accidents?
yours, Piotr
I feel sorry for those who passed by this virus and I also feel bad for those who lose job/income because of the covid19. Maybe we should focus on the remaining "survivor" that needs to feed their family moving forward in life.
This is a good point and also people do die from proverty.
Old people and people with underlying conditions, yet they would still be alive if it weren't for the virus. Poverty I guess does have an impact but I live in a very poor country probably the second poorest in America and yet our numbers are lower than Washington state which has a relatively similar population. The heat? It hasn't gotten to us yet? I don't know, what I do know is I always have had problems feeling I have had my fair share of oxygen, if that virus hits me I will probably die, or have a very hard time overcoming it, so I am not going out to try to meet it.
Very true.
Worst of all is the way people die. Suffering, far from family, feeling of beling alone in last moments must be insane. Knowing that there won't be proper funeral and their bodies will be most likely stored in the fridge at the back of the truck, with many other dead bodies ...
That's the hardest part I think. Something most people do not seem to think about.
Yours, Piotr
They don't test for covid19. Just for coronavirus antibodies. And many previous flues were caused by different corona strains.
And where's the regular flue and colds went this winter?
The number of deads is lower than on average year.
Just some food for thoughts.
It's just a money grab.
Whether whichever version is true, I want out of my house now. :)
You're good to go, just put the tin foil onto your head, hehe. And a mask maybe.
It will be embarrassing when we'll look back in a couple of years.
Stay safe and healthy down there.
NZ today had 3 reported cases and 2 more deaths - both older people
NZ & Ireland have similar populations yet Ireland have 12,000 dead and we have had just 16 die
you should move to NZ :)