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News And Information On Medicare, Social Security And Medicaid
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3/18/20
How To Get More Ventilators And What To Do If We Can’t
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/coronavirus-ventilators-supply-manufacture_n_5e6dc4f7c5b6747ef11e8134
"The consequences of a shortage would be dire. Doctors would have to make harrowing decisions about who gets the ventilators and who doesn’t, decisions that doctors in coronavirus-ravaged China, Iran and Italy say they are making already."
"The consequences of a shortage would be dire. Doctors would have to make harrowing decisions about who gets the ventilators and who doesn’t, decisions that doctors in coronavirus-ravaged China, Iran and Italy say they are making already."
How To Support People In Health Care Working During Coronavirus
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-to-support-health-care-workers-coronavirus_l_5e6f840ac5b6747ef121c749
"Natasha Bhuyan, a practicing family physician in Phoenix, said you can help by heeding expert and government-issued advice. This includes washing your hands and practicing social distancing. “And don’t stockpile medical masks or hand sanitizer in mass amounts so front-line health care providers and patients in need are able to access them,” she said." People who work in medicine are being stretched beyond the limit in this COVID-19 outbreak. Take care of them."
"Natasha Bhuyan, a practicing family physician in Phoenix, said you can help by heeding expert and government-issued advice. This includes washing your hands and practicing social distancing. “And don’t stockpile medical masks or hand sanitizer in mass amounts so front-line health care providers and patients in need are able to access them,” she said." People who work in medicine are being stretched beyond the limit in this COVID-19 outbreak. Take care of them."
Trump’s damage is already done
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/17/trumps-damage-is-already-done/
"President Trump’s delay in preparing for the coronavirus might be the costliest presidential bungle in history, one that will likely increase the number of deaths and damage the long-term well-being of Americans. (The pathetic attempt to rewrite history to keep the Trumpian myth intact will not protect his reputation nor that of his enablers, including those who voted for acquittal in his Senate impeachment trial.) He has also poisoned the well of public opinion."
"President Trump’s delay in preparing for the coronavirus might be the costliest presidential bungle in history, one that will likely increase the number of deaths and damage the long-term well-being of Americans. (The pathetic attempt to rewrite history to keep the Trumpian myth intact will not protect his reputation nor that of his enablers, including those who voted for acquittal in his Senate impeachment trial.) He has also poisoned the well of public opinion."
3/17/20
US hospitals are struggling to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/3/17/21183263/coronavirus-us-hospitals-elective-surgeries-icu-masks
"The coronavirus surge is coming, America’s hospitals are struggling to prepare, and the eventual demand for intensive care unit beds for Covid-19 cases could far exceed what US hospitals will be able to provide. Researchers at the Imperial College London wrote in a devastating new analysis that even stringent mitigation measures of case isolation, home quarantine, and social distancing “would still result in an 8-fold higher peak demand on critical care beds over and above the available surge capacity in ... the US.” America’s hospitals do not appear ready. Tom Frieden, former CDC director under President Barack Obama, told me that in “any place there is community transmission,” hospitals should cancel elective surgeries so they can make more beds available to Covid-19 patients. Surgeon General Jerome Adams has made a similar plea."
"The coronavirus surge is coming, America’s hospitals are struggling to prepare, and the eventual demand for intensive care unit beds for Covid-19 cases could far exceed what US hospitals will be able to provide. Researchers at the Imperial College London wrote in a devastating new analysis that even stringent mitigation measures of case isolation, home quarantine, and social distancing “would still result in an 8-fold higher peak demand on critical care beds over and above the available surge capacity in ... the US.” America’s hospitals do not appear ready. Tom Frieden, former CDC director under President Barack Obama, told me that in “any place there is community transmission,” hospitals should cancel elective surgeries so they can make more beds available to Covid-19 patients. Surgeon General Jerome Adams has made a similar plea."
Team Trump received pandemic warning - in January 2017
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/team-trump-received-pandemic-warning-january-2017-n1161811
"Trump recently said that one can "never really think" something like this is "going to happen." Evidently, his team was warned that something extremely similar to this might very well happen, but the Republican's operation didn't much care."
"Trump recently said that one can "never really think" something like this is "going to happen." Evidently, his team was warned that something extremely similar to this might very well happen, but the Republican's operation didn't much care."
3/15/20
CDC Suggests Ban On Groups Of 50 People Or More As U.S. Moves Closer To Shutdown
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/coronavirus-national-shutdown_n_5e6eb670c5b6bd8156f9f468
"Restaurants, bars and schools have been shuttered, and the top infectious diseases expert said he’d like to see a 14-day national shutdown imposed."
"Restaurants, bars and schools have been shuttered, and the top infectious diseases expert said he’d like to see a 14-day national shutdown imposed."
Top U.S. Health Official: Americans Should ‘Hunker Down Significantly More’
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/anthony-fauci-coronavirus-shutdown_n_5e6e26e8c5b6bd8156f936bb
"Anthony Fauci, one of the top U.S. health officials leading the country’s response to the coronavirus, urged Americans on Sunday to “hunker down significantly more” as the virus continues to spread across the country."
"Anthony Fauci, one of the top U.S. health officials leading the country’s response to the coronavirus, urged Americans on Sunday to “hunker down significantly more” as the virus continues to spread across the country."
Lying, Tweeting And Wishing A Pandemic Away Doesn’t Work, It Turns Out
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-pandemic-response_n_5e6d412ec5b6747ef11e4072
"What happens when the president of the United States tries to lie, wish and tweet a pandemic away? As it turns out, it puts a government response four to six weeks behind schedule, possibly resulting in thousands — or even tens or hundreds of thousands — more Americans getting seriously ill and dying."
"What happens when the president of the United States tries to lie, wish and tweet a pandemic away? As it turns out, it puts a government response four to six weeks behind schedule, possibly resulting in thousands — or even tens or hundreds of thousands — more Americans getting seriously ill and dying."
3/14/20
Watch Katie Porter Relentlessly Grill CDC Chief Into Saying ‘Yes’ to Free COVID-19 Tests
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/watch-katie-porter-grill-cdc-director-coronavirus-966572/
"Using a whiteboard and a deep breadth of knowledge regarding the costs of testing for the coronavirus, Representative Katie Porter peppered Trump administration officials into submission, finally causing them to cry uncle and commit to free testing for Americans “regardless of insurance"."
"Using a whiteboard and a deep breadth of knowledge regarding the costs of testing for the coronavirus, Representative Katie Porter peppered Trump administration officials into submission, finally causing them to cry uncle and commit to free testing for Americans “regardless of insurance"."
Who could have predicted Trump would be such a bad crisis manager? Everyone, actually.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/12/who-could-have-predicted-trump-would-be-such-bad-crisis-manager-everyone-actually/
"Who could have predicted that Trump would be such an incompetent crisis manager? Pretty much everyone, actually. Yet nearly 63 million Americans voted for him anyway — and the Republican-controlled Senate refused to convict and remove him in January for his impeachable conduct. The entire country is now paying for those colossally irresponsible decisions as we face the worst crisis since 9/11 under the bungling leadership of the worst president in modern times."
"Who could have predicted that Trump would be such an incompetent crisis manager? Pretty much everyone, actually. Yet nearly 63 million Americans voted for him anyway — and the Republican-controlled Senate refused to convict and remove him in January for his impeachable conduct. The entire country is now paying for those colossally irresponsible decisions as we face the worst crisis since 9/11 under the bungling leadership of the worst president in modern times."
Please, Listen to Experts About the Coronavirus. Then Step Up.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/opinion/coronavirus-expert-advice.html
"On Tuesday, a Harvard epidemiologist, Marc Lipsitch, shared his recent research into the coronavirus epidemics in Wuhan and Guangzhou, China, comparing their I.C.U. and hospital bed use with the capacity here in the United States. His conclusion was blunt: “We need to stop feeling sheepish about it and just realize that some places (Italy, Iran) are in crisis, and some are very likely in the days before crisis, a crisis that will be less bad if we slow down the virus. #flattenthecurve to reduce peak demand on health care.” Trevor Bedford, a researcher at Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, has been posting findings of genome sequencing of the virus to estimate spread. His research suggests an outbreak in the Seattle area that’s still not reflective of testing. Like other experts, Dr. Bedford offers links to public health officials with information about the effectiveness of social distancing, like Caitlin Rivers, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security studying outbreak science and epidemiology. Caitlin Rivers, PhD Community interventions like event closures have an important role in limiting covid transmission, but individual behavior changes are even more important. 1/ Caitlin Rivers, PhD Community interventions are temporary and socially and economically costly. Individual actions are humble but powerful and permanent. 2/ Unlike government officials offering vague advice, many experts seem clear that difficult measures must be put in place. In a 35-tweet thread on Monday, Tom Inglesby, director of the Center for Health Security of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, laid out the case for social distancing in American cities. At a basic level, social distancing means keeping sick people home and out of contact with healthy as well as vulnerable people. It also means that healthy people distance themselves by avoiding crowded or public places, canceling plans and not traveling."
"On Tuesday, a Harvard epidemiologist, Marc Lipsitch, shared his recent research into the coronavirus epidemics in Wuhan and Guangzhou, China, comparing their I.C.U. and hospital bed use with the capacity here in the United States. His conclusion was blunt: “We need to stop feeling sheepish about it and just realize that some places (Italy, Iran) are in crisis, and some are very likely in the days before crisis, a crisis that will be less bad if we slow down the virus. #flattenthecurve to reduce peak demand on health care.” Trevor Bedford, a researcher at Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, has been posting findings of genome sequencing of the virus to estimate spread. His research suggests an outbreak in the Seattle area that’s still not reflective of testing. Like other experts, Dr. Bedford offers links to public health officials with information about the effectiveness of social distancing, like Caitlin Rivers, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security studying outbreak science and epidemiology. Caitlin Rivers, PhD Community interventions like event closures have an important role in limiting covid transmission, but individual behavior changes are even more important. 1/ Caitlin Rivers, PhD Community interventions are temporary and socially and economically costly. Individual actions are humble but powerful and permanent. 2/ Unlike government officials offering vague advice, many experts seem clear that difficult measures must be put in place. In a 35-tweet thread on Monday, Tom Inglesby, director of the Center for Health Security of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, laid out the case for social distancing in American cities. At a basic level, social distancing means keeping sick people home and out of contact with healthy as well as vulnerable people. It also means that healthy people distance themselves by avoiding crowded or public places, canceling plans and not traveling."
12 Steps to Tackle the Coronavirus
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/opinion/coronavirus-united-states.html
"At least Emperor Nero supposedly only fiddled while Rome burned; he didn’t tell the Romans that the fire was no big deal. President Trump squandered two precious months trying to downplay the new coronavirus while attempting to talk up the stock market. We still have no idea how many Americans are infected, because the administration bungled diagnostics. As of a few days ago, South Korea had conducted up to 700 times more tests per capita than the United States. Trump’s passivity will cost lives, but we can still make preparations before hospitals risk becoming overwhelmed by a pandemic that is both more contagious than the seasonal flu and apparently many times more lethal. Dr. Tom Frieden, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warns that in a plausible worst-case scenario, this virus could kill more than one million Americans. After speaking to epidemiologists and public health specialists, I have a list of a dozen practical steps that the president and other officials should take immediately, while there is time. 1. Invest in a huge rollout of free testing so that we know who is sick. The University of Washington set up a drive-through system so that certain people can be tested without contaminating a clinic; South Korea did the same. We urgently need “rapid tests” — offering results in minutes — and before long we will also desperately need tests to determine who has had the virus and now has immunity. 2. Cancel large gatherings in parts of the country where community transmission is occurring, as Gov. Jay Inslee has done in Washington State. Employers should encourage people to work from home where possible. Even with social distancing, more than one-third of Americans may eventually be infected (a worst case is that 70 percent become infected, as Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany has cautioned for her country). But lives will be saved by flattening the curve so that infections grow more slowly."
"At least Emperor Nero supposedly only fiddled while Rome burned; he didn’t tell the Romans that the fire was no big deal. President Trump squandered two precious months trying to downplay the new coronavirus while attempting to talk up the stock market. We still have no idea how many Americans are infected, because the administration bungled diagnostics. As of a few days ago, South Korea had conducted up to 700 times more tests per capita than the United States. Trump’s passivity will cost lives, but we can still make preparations before hospitals risk becoming overwhelmed by a pandemic that is both more contagious than the seasonal flu and apparently many times more lethal. Dr. Tom Frieden, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warns that in a plausible worst-case scenario, this virus could kill more than one million Americans. After speaking to epidemiologists and public health specialists, I have a list of a dozen practical steps that the president and other officials should take immediately, while there is time. 1. Invest in a huge rollout of free testing so that we know who is sick. The University of Washington set up a drive-through system so that certain people can be tested without contaminating a clinic; South Korea did the same. We urgently need “rapid tests” — offering results in minutes — and before long we will also desperately need tests to determine who has had the virus and now has immunity. 2. Cancel large gatherings in parts of the country where community transmission is occurring, as Gov. Jay Inslee has done in Washington State. Employers should encourage people to work from home where possible. Even with social distancing, more than one-third of Americans may eventually be infected (a worst case is that 70 percent become infected, as Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany has cautioned for her country). But lives will be saved by flattening the curve so that infections grow more slowly."
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