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Lest someone think this is a US thing, this is true in India as well which has a fairly different medical system. Hospitals are struggling to stay afloat and ma
by distant_hat 6y ago
Lest someone think this is a US thing, this is true in India as well which has a fairly different medical system. Hospitals are struggling to stay afloat and many nurses and ancillary staff have been laid off. Doctors in India are typically independent contractors and not employed by hospitals.
Not only are no non-essential activities happening, many essential ones are also being pushed back and people are dying as a result. There are multiple stories of people not being able to go for dialysis because hospitals insist on a negative COViD test to admit you and authorities don't allow you to get tested if you are not showing COViD symptoms. It is a catch-22 that can be resolved only if you are well-connected or rich.
Also, in knock-on effects, immunization programs are severely impacted, and many infectious diseases are likely to make a huge comeback with the monsoon season since typical mitigating measures for those were put on hold. The non-COViD death toll will be massively above typical years.
- geekybiz 6y agoAm from India & agree on this. Lockdowns helped slow the spread but aren't the perpetual answer. And the side-effects of lock-down (like essential services being pushed back) are taking lives. When evaluating lock-down's pros & cons, it always isn't life vs economy. It often also is Covid fatalities vs other fatalities. Atleast in India, that's happening.
- Spooky23 6y agoAgreed. People on the prudent/cautious camp are missing that lockdowns are really last-resort, expensive controls at the bottom of the pyramid, used when better controls fail. We can't just netflix and chill for the next two years. But we can't just pretend nothing is wrong either!