Re:Current estimates about the Covid-19 fatality rate may be...
by pessimizer on Wednesday March 25, 2020 @06:41PM
(#22689155)
At the very least the fatality rate for non-coronavirus emergencies goes vastly up if the beds are filled with coronavirus sufferers.
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Re:Current estimates about the Covid-19 fatality rate may be...
by downerending on Wednesday March 25, 2020 @07:15PM
(#22689332)
It's complicated. I vaguely recall a study that indicated that fatalities for some condition that might normally indicate surgery fell when the doctors needed were out of town for their annual conference. Don't recall the details.
And also, we should hope that proper triage will mean that the non-coronavirus emergencies that matter will indeed be allocated a bed, etc.
I have little doubt that this will be awful, but the counterfactual scenarios are difficult to evaluate.
Re:Current estimates about the Covid-19 fatality rate may be...
by anonsubmit2671 on Wednesday March 25, 2020 @10:43PM
(#22690408)
That's true of all ICU beds. That's why some hospitals were completely converted to COVID only. The point is to separate them from regular ICU cases because COVID requires BSL3, which is significantly more work than regular patients. In China, this separation was often done well. Italian hospitals may not have had the preparation or resources to properly protect medical staff and other patients.