6 ms·

If the world had taken this seriously a month ago we wouldn't be in this situation. If the world took it seriously today, we wouldn't be as fucked as we're goi

by dusted 7y ago

If the world had taken this seriously a month ago we wouldn't be in this situation. If the world took it seriously today, we wouldn't be as fucked as we're going to be a month from now. Front-line personnel must always be first priority, because they deserve that, and because everyone else needs them.

dekhn 7y ago
If we took it seriously, what would we have done differently? Do you think there are specific actions that we could have done, and what would the different outcome be?
- WarOnPrivacy 7y ago
  "The CDC shunned WHO test guidelines used by other countries and set out to create a more complicated test of its own that could identify a range of similar viruses. But when it was sent to labs across the country in the first week of February, it didn’t work as expected." https://www.propublica.org/article/cdc-coronavirus-covid-19-test https://www.propublica.org/article/cdc-coronavirus-covid-19-... The CDC could have adoopted the WHO guidelines for testing at the start. It's reasonable to assume that if they had, the US would now have a much greater testing capacity.
  - dekhn 7y ago
    What, specifically, do you think more testing will do? Think through the implications, for example, if we test an enormous number of people and they are positive, do we quarantine them? We don't actually have the health infrastructure to do that (nor the political will to run large-scale quarantines). (personally, I think the CDC is a lot wiser than WHO about what to do in the US, and making decisions during a rapidly expanding epidemiological situation isn't just trivial "test more people").
    - WarOnPrivacy 7y ago
      >What, specifically, do you think more testing will do? The CDC & other testing authorities have been systematically denying requests by doctors and other health professionals, to test people who are at meaningful risk of Covid-19 infection. Indications are this is due to a lack of testing capacity. There are numerous news reports of CDC refusing testing. It seems odd that anyone is missing them. Here are some examples of what I'm referring to https://act.nationalnursesunited.org/page/-/files/graphics/NU-Quarantine-RN-press-conf-statement.pdf https://act.nationalnursesunited.org/page/-/files/graphics/N... https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-man-denied-coronavirus-test-japan-trip-fever-cough-2020-3 https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-man-denied-coronavi... https://news.yahoo.com/us-patient-coronavirus-unknown-origin-denied-test-days-223535154.html https://news.yahoo.com/us-patient-coronavirus-unknown-origin... Here's a case where doctors kept pushing back against CDC refusals. Eventually the woman tested positive. https://www.ajc.com/news/breaking-news/breaking-floyd-county-hospital-reports-preliminary-case-coronavirus/jdJ51FpSCJGJk4gibQEg6M/amp.html https://www.ajc.com/news/breaking-news/breaking-floyd-county... If these aren't enough examples of CDC's ongoing testing problems, there are plenty of others - all there for the searching.
      - dekhn 7y ago
        Do you believe that more testing will limit the spread of disease? Please, explain in detail why, while also considering the risks associatd with large-scale testing. (I'm an ex-biologist with a fair amount of experience in this area; I think most people who are demanding tests assume that having a bunch of tests will limit the spread. it's entirely unclear that's the case)
        WarOnPrivacy 7y ago
        >Do you believe that more testing will limit the spread of disease? While the US is looking forward to an explosion in cases, South Korea is looking forward to containment. One factor is that SK tests at 700 times the rate of the US. re: https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-testing-covid-19-tests-per-capita-chart-us-behind-2020-3 https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-testing-covid-19... > Please, explain in detail why, while also considering the risks associatd with large-scale testing. No.

by dusted 7y ago

dekhn 7y ago

If we took it seriously, what would we have done differently? Do you think there are specific actions that we could have done, and what would the different outcome be?

WarOnPrivacy 7y ago
"The CDC shunned WHO test guidelines used by other countries and set out to create a more complicated test of its own that could identify a range of similar viruses. But when it was sent to labs across the country in the first week of February, it didn’t work as expected." https://www.propublica.org/article/cdc-coronavirus-covid-19-test https://www.propublica.org/article/cdc-coronavirus-covid-19-... The CDC could have adoopted the WHO guidelines for testing at the start. It's reasonable to assume that if they had, the US would now have a much greater testing capacity.
- dekhn 7y ago
  What, specifically, do you think more testing will do? Think through the implications, for example, if we test an enormous number of people and they are positive, do we quarantine them? We don't actually have the health infrastructure to do that (nor the political will to run large-scale quarantines). (personally, I think the CDC is a lot wiser than WHO about what to do in the US, and making decisions during a rapidly expanding epidemiological situation isn't just trivial "test more people").
  - WarOnPrivacy 7y ago
    >What, specifically, do you think more testing will do? The CDC & other testing authorities have been systematically denying requests by doctors and other health professionals, to test people who are at meaningful risk of Covid-19 infection. Indications are this is due to a lack of testing capacity. There are numerous news reports of CDC refusing testing. It seems odd that anyone is missing them. Here are some examples of what I'm referring to https://act.nationalnursesunited.org/page/-/files/graphics/NU-Quarantine-RN-press-conf-statement.pdf https://act.nationalnursesunited.org/page/-/files/graphics/N... https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-man-denied-coronavirus-test-japan-trip-fever-cough-2020-3 https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-man-denied-coronavi... https://news.yahoo.com/us-patient-coronavirus-unknown-origin-denied-test-days-223535154.html https://news.yahoo.com/us-patient-coronavirus-unknown-origin... Here's a case where doctors kept pushing back against CDC refusals. Eventually the woman tested positive. https://www.ajc.com/news/breaking-news/breaking-floyd-county-hospital-reports-preliminary-case-coronavirus/jdJ51FpSCJGJk4gibQEg6M/amp.html https://www.ajc.com/news/breaking-news/breaking-floyd-county... If these aren't enough examples of CDC's ongoing testing problems, there are plenty of others - all there for the searching.
    - dekhn 7y ago
      Do you believe that more testing will limit the spread of disease? Please, explain in detail why, while also considering the risks associatd with large-scale testing. (I'm an ex-biologist with a fair amount of experience in this area; I think most people who are demanding tests assume that having a bunch of tests will limit the spread. it's entirely unclear that's the case)
      - WarOnPrivacy 7y ago
        >Do you believe that more testing will limit the spread of disease? While the US is looking forward to an explosion in cases, South Korea is looking forward to containment. One factor is that SK tests at 700 times the rate of the US. re: https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-testing-covid-19-tests-per-capita-chart-us-behind-2020-3 https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-testing-covid-19... > Please, explain in detail why, while also considering the risks associatd with large-scale testing. No.