Thanks Joshua for your response regarding 2020 lockdowns at the very beginning of the pandemic. I just got through reading it this morning and it was very insightful.
The Economist estimates that 1% of the Bulgarian population has perished during the Covid=19 pandemic. Bulgaria becomes the country most affected on a per capita basis.
Thank you also, Joshua. I agree and much of what you explained was on my mind also. Frankly, if we’d taken other common sense steps that some other countries took and closed schools for one or two weeks after winter break 2021, we may have saved many lives also. As it was, tens of thousands school children tested positive. There were just under 100,000 school positives in the first two weeks after vacation
Sweden as you know was misreported in many cases by our media and used politically. With family of a friend living in Sweden, I was shocked at our approach.
No way would schools have closed beyond winter break with the 180-day rule. Of course that’s another subject…
Joshua, since you brought it up above, what percentage of the U.S. population perished so far during this pandemic?
She seems to have a lot of common sense approaches
Those N95 masks look difficult to breathe in and a pain to put on/remove. I say no thanks. The current surgical ones suffice. No doctors at my healthcare facility (BWH) wears them that I have noticed.
I’m not Joshua but I highly doubt those N95 masks are a game changer. Passengers and operators on the T hardly wear any type of masks anymore. I still do once it’s half crowded.
The N95 definitely are better than surgical? I’m shocked no one at Brigham Boston wears them. Brigham and Dana satellites wear N95.
I had a lot of trouble adjusting to them so understand what you mean. The reason the surgical is easier to breathe in is because it lets in more outside air. I worked hard at the nose band and wore them around the house to practice. I got them to the point that they didn’t fog my glasses which is a definite plus. But it took a lot of manipulation and getting used to them
Have lost respect for Dr. Jha since he joined the government. He now says that it’s time for the government to no longer pay for tests, vaccines, and treatments, and that these need to be commercialized. First of all, Americans need to stop thinking that because the government was purchasing tests, vaccines, and treatments they were somehow not commercialized. They were. Government is a legitimate purchaser of these items. It’s a free market, in which the government can step in, achieve large discounts as a bulk purchaser and buy as much of the items as it sees fit. That’s very much a commercial transaction. Private companies have earned tens of billions of dollars in the market, selling to the government. Second, by shifting the cost burden onto insurers and patients the market gets fragmented into many pieces. No more large discounts. Prices will rise. Insurers will establish cost control measures. Patients will suffer. It’s an American `solution’ that’s not a solution. Surely, while there are still >40,000 hospitalized, >100,000 daily cases, and 485 deaths a day, we shouldn’t be unnecessarily burdening patients. As a taxpayer I’m more than happy to support continued government purchases until the pandemic is over. I do NOT want patients to be saddled with costs that will create barriers to care. https://twitter.com/thrasherxy/status/1560629971894341632
One of the tweets I read is precisely what’s going to happen: “Throwing the uninsured, underinsured, vulnerable poor and working class Americans to the wolves.”
One of the prerequisites of public health is that vaccines are made available to all who need them, which means government is the guarantor. Without this, you’re left with gaping holes.
I am all for the private sector in most parts of our lives, even in healthcare to a certain extent. But, a lot of healthcare requires a helping hand from government and stringent regulations. Otherwise, you don’t have a public health system.
You know what, folks, however much I think this is a great country it’s clear we do not give a damn about public health. Pretty much all politicians are in the same boat. They don’t care. Full stop.
The tweet I posted above said the Biden admin announced no more coverage of cost. Is he the one influencing the decisions.
No. I don’t think Jha is. But he is carrying them out, or at least messaging them.
I think this is a budgetary issue. But, it’s penny wise and pound foolish.
Who/what is jha.
The WH announced it would no longer pay for Covid tests and vaccines. See tweet above if you missed it
Just bought pumpkin spice Oreo cookies.
Yuck!
Are they manufactured in Texas? 🙂
C-19
8-20
ready
Comments are closed.
Your no-hype southeastern New England weather blog!
Thanks TK.
Thanks Joshua for your response regarding 2020 lockdowns at the very beginning of the pandemic. I just got through reading it this morning and it was very insightful.
The Economist estimates that 1% of the Bulgarian population has perished during the Covid=19 pandemic. Bulgaria becomes the country most affected on a per capita basis.
Thank you also, Joshua. I agree and much of what you explained was on my mind also. Frankly, if we’d taken other common sense steps that some other countries took and closed schools for one or two weeks after winter break 2021, we may have saved many lives also. As it was, tens of thousands school children tested positive. There were just under 100,000 school positives in the first two weeks after vacation
Sweden as you know was misreported in many cases by our media and used politically. With family of a friend living in Sweden, I was shocked at our approach.
No way would schools have closed beyond winter break with the 180-day rule. Of course that’s another subject…
Joshua, since you brought it up above, what percentage of the U.S. population perished so far during this pandemic?
She seems to have a lot of common sense approaches
https://twitter.com/denise_dewald/status/1560419061128904704?s=21&t=Uj7eyDB_MNr7x-xaVt77XQ
Those N95 masks look difficult to breathe in and a pain to put on/remove. I say no thanks. The current surgical ones suffice. No doctors at my healthcare facility (BWH) wears them that I have noticed.
I’m not Joshua but I highly doubt those N95 masks are a game changer. Passengers and operators on the T hardly wear any type of masks anymore. I still do once it’s half crowded.
The N95 definitely are better than surgical? I’m shocked no one at Brigham Boston wears them. Brigham and Dana satellites wear N95.
I had a lot of trouble adjusting to them so understand what you mean. The reason the surgical is easier to breathe in is because it lets in more outside air. I worked hard at the nose band and wore them around the house to practice. I got them to the point that they didn’t fog my glasses which is a definite plus. But it took a lot of manipulation and getting used to them
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-mask/art-20485449
Does anyone know where the US is on approval of the updated vaccine discussed here?
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-62548336
I enjoyed reading this because, for some reason, the use of the word “jab” in this context always makes me smile.
I heard on the tv news this week that the CDC and FDA are expected to approve the updated vaccine for the fall season in a few weeks.
For me personally, I am due very soon for another booster as my last was back in February.
I’m hearing the same as Philip. I found this. I do hope we have figured out how to roll these things out.
I cringe at the use of the word jab. I have no idea why it bothers me …..kind of like calling the disease the Vid. Just silly on my part
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/covid-bivalent-vaccine-expected-us-fall/story?id=88441908
In the U.S. the percentage (of the total population) of folks who’ve died is probably around 0.30 – 0.33%.
Thanks Joshua. That’s a lot but at least it’s less than 0.5%.
What in heavens name possesses this man
https://twitter.com/erictopol/status/1560679675516502016?s=21&t=Uj7eyDB_MNr7x-xaVt77XQ
Have lost respect for Dr. Jha since he joined the government. He now says that it’s time for the government to no longer pay for tests, vaccines, and treatments, and that these need to be commercialized. First of all, Americans need to stop thinking that because the government was purchasing tests, vaccines, and treatments they were somehow not commercialized. They were. Government is a legitimate purchaser of these items. It’s a free market, in which the government can step in, achieve large discounts as a bulk purchaser and buy as much of the items as it sees fit. That’s very much a commercial transaction. Private companies have earned tens of billions of dollars in the market, selling to the government. Second, by shifting the cost burden onto insurers and patients the market gets fragmented into many pieces. No more large discounts. Prices will rise. Insurers will establish cost control measures. Patients will suffer. It’s an American `solution’ that’s not a solution. Surely, while there are still >40,000 hospitalized, >100,000 daily cases, and 485 deaths a day, we shouldn’t be unnecessarily burdening patients. As a taxpayer I’m more than happy to support continued government purchases until the pandemic is over. I do NOT want patients to be saddled with costs that will create barriers to care. https://twitter.com/thrasherxy/status/1560629971894341632
One of the tweets I read is precisely what’s going to happen: “Throwing the uninsured, underinsured, vulnerable poor and working class Americans to the wolves.”
One of the prerequisites of public health is that vaccines are made available to all who need them, which means government is the guarantor. Without this, you’re left with gaping holes.
I am all for the private sector in most parts of our lives, even in healthcare to a certain extent. But, a lot of healthcare requires a helping hand from government and stringent regulations. Otherwise, you don’t have a public health system.
You know what, folks, however much I think this is a great country it’s clear we do not give a damn about public health. Pretty much all politicians are in the same boat. They don’t care. Full stop.
The tweet I posted above said the Biden admin announced no more coverage of cost. Is he the one influencing the decisions.
No. I don’t think Jha is. But he is carrying them out, or at least messaging them.
I think this is a budgetary issue. But, it’s penny wise and pound foolish.
Who/what is jha.
The WH announced it would no longer pay for Covid tests and vaccines. See tweet above if you missed it
Just bought pumpkin spice Oreo cookies.
Yuck!
Are they manufactured in Texas? 🙂
C-19
8-20
ready