3 ms·

So you’ve completely forgotten the disaster in NYC, where hospitals were so overwhelmed they couldn’t take more patients, and corpses were stacked like cordwood

So you’ve completely forgotten the disaster in NYC, where hospitals were so overwhelmed they couldn’t take more patients, and corpses were stacked like cordwood in refrigerated trucks. If the “fuck it we can’t control this“ attitude had prevailed, every city would have seen the same. And for that matter, the US did have much more of a “fuck it” attitude than many other countries and consequently killed a much higher proportion of its population than those countries. Plus it’s now seeing its economy go to shit, while countries like Australia which took prevention efforts seriously are doing much, much better.

FooBarBizBazz 4y ago
I don't honestly think the economic differences have much to do with differences in COVID policy. The US has "the" Tech sector, which at first did great, but which now is getting walloped by the rate hikes. Australia, by contrast, has a resource economy. And what with the Russian war in Ukraine (plus the earlier money printing), commodity prices are way up. So Australia's strong economy is not due to good public health policy, really, but rather to the fact that it gets its wealth by digging giant gouges in the earth.
musicale 4y ago
> killed a much higher proportion of its population than those countries The covid death rate has varied somewhat across the US: https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/05/15/chart-how-many-americans-would-have-died-from-covid-if-the-country-had-your-states-death-rate/ https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/05/15/chart-how-many-americ...
edmcnulty101 4y ago
With an uncontrollable virus the same amount of people are going to die, it's whether you peel the band aid off quickly or delay it. Its a sad fact. One view of why the economy's going to shit because it was shut down due to Covid and tons of stimulus money was given out contributing to inflation. NYC did not have as disastrous impact. Most of their overflow hospitals were never used. The corpses in refrigerator trucks was media sensationalism.That wasn't common or widespread.
- moistly 4y ago
  The pre-Omicron variants are far more deadly. Pre-vaccine, the variants were more deadly. Delaying infection saves lives. Gives time for people to get vaccinated. Gives time for the virus to evolve. Australia shut down a lot harder than the US. Their economy bounced back much faster, because the shut-downs were shorter. The shut-downs were shorter because they were much, much more strict. As for “media sensationalism”, COVID is the #3 leading cause of death in the USA. More than a third of nurses and a fifth of doctors are quitting their jobs. They aren’t doing that because the pandemic was bullshit. Media sensationalism my hairy ass.
  - tinus_hn 4y ago
    This idea contrasts nicely with the lockdown fantasy of preventing the very mutations this delay supposedly is for. The new variants were the fault of those dirty antivaxxers (even as it’s become clear that vaccinations do not prevent spread), just until the mutations turned out to actually save the day.
  - edmcnulty101 4y ago
    Steven Colbert calls your type of thinking 'truthiness'. Truthiness: the quality of seeming or being felt to be true, even if not necessarily true. > The pre-Omicron variants are far more deadly. Not true. One of the biggest death curves was post Omicron. Look at February of this year on the death graph in the U.S. > Their economy bounced back much faster, because the shut-downs were shorter. Pure speculation. Another argument is that the U.S. govt gave massive stimulus and created inflation. But it clearly FEELS true to you. > COVID is the #3 leading cause of death in the USA. Oddly in the under 55 demographic still had less or near the same number of yearly deaths as car accidents in 2019.
    - moistly 4y ago
      >> The pre-Omicron variants are far more deadly. > Not true. One of the biggest death curves was post Omicron. Look at February of this year on the death graph in the U.S. Sigh. No. Omicron death rate is lower. > The risk of death involving COVID-19 was estimated to be 67% lower (hazard ratio: 0.33, 95% confidence interval: 0.24 to 0.45) following Omicron infection relative to Delta. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthan https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthan... > Despite Omicron seeing the highest reported numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations during the pandemic, disease severity indicators, including length of stay, ICU admission, and death, were lower than during previous pandemic peaks. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7104e4.htm?s_cid=mm https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7104e4.htm?s_cid=mm... Omicron is infecting a heck of a lot more people, so the absolute number of deaths is higher, but the risk of death is much lower at an individual level.

FooBarBizBazz 4y ago

I don't honestly think the economic differences have much to do with differences in COVID policy. The US has "the" Tech sector, which at first did great, but which now is getting walloped by the rate hikes. Australia, by contrast, has a resource economy. And what with the Russian war in Ukraine (plus the earlier money printing), commodity prices are way up. So Australia's strong economy is not due to good public health policy, really, but rather to the fact that it gets its wealth by digging giant gouges in the earth.

musicale 4y ago

> killed a much higher proportion of its population than those countries The covid death rate has varied somewhat across the US: https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/05/15/chart-how-many-americans-would-have-died-from-covid-if-the-country-had-your-states-death-rate/ https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/05/15/chart-how-many-americ...

edmcnulty101 4y ago

With an uncontrollable virus the same amount of people are going to die, it's whether you peel the band aid off quickly or delay it. Its a sad fact. One view of why the economy's going to shit because it was shut down due to Covid and tons of stimulus money was given out contributing to inflation. NYC did not have as disastrous impact. Most of their overflow hospitals were never used. The corpses in refrigerator trucks was media sensationalism.That wasn't common or widespread.

moistly 4y ago
The pre-Omicron variants are far more deadly. Pre-vaccine, the variants were more deadly. Delaying infection saves lives. Gives time for people to get vaccinated. Gives time for the virus to evolve. Australia shut down a lot harder than the US. Their economy bounced back much faster, because the shut-downs were shorter. The shut-downs were shorter because they were much, much more strict. As for “media sensationalism”, COVID is the #3 leading cause of death in the USA. More than a third of nurses and a fifth of doctors are quitting their jobs. They aren’t doing that because the pandemic was bullshit. Media sensationalism my hairy ass.
- tinus_hn 4y ago
  This idea contrasts nicely with the lockdown fantasy of preventing the very mutations this delay supposedly is for. The new variants were the fault of those dirty antivaxxers (even as it’s become clear that vaccinations do not prevent spread), just until the mutations turned out to actually save the day.
- edmcnulty101 4y ago
  Steven Colbert calls your type of thinking 'truthiness'. Truthiness: the quality of seeming or being felt to be true, even if not necessarily true. > The pre-Omicron variants are far more deadly. Not true. One of the biggest death curves was post Omicron. Look at February of this year on the death graph in the U.S. > Their economy bounced back much faster, because the shut-downs were shorter. Pure speculation. Another argument is that the U.S. govt gave massive stimulus and created inflation. But it clearly FEELS true to you. > COVID is the #3 leading cause of death in the USA. Oddly in the under 55 demographic still had less or near the same number of yearly deaths as car accidents in 2019.
  - moistly 4y ago
    >> The pre-Omicron variants are far more deadly. > Not true. One of the biggest death curves was post Omicron. Look at February of this year on the death graph in the U.S. Sigh. No. Omicron death rate is lower. > The risk of death involving COVID-19 was estimated to be 67% lower (hazard ratio: 0.33, 95% confidence interval: 0.24 to 0.45) following Omicron infection relative to Delta. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthan https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthan... > Despite Omicron seeing the highest reported numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations during the pandemic, disease severity indicators, including length of stay, ICU admission, and death, were lower than during previous pandemic peaks. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7104e4.htm?s_cid=mm https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7104e4.htm?s_cid=mm... Omicron is infecting a heck of a lot more people, so the absolute number of deaths is higher, but the risk of death is much lower at an individual level.