Apr 9, 2020 | Politics
Better medical equipment, early testing, and younger patients are some of the explanations for Germany’s low COVID-19 death rates.
EuroNews mentions another possible factor: No post-mortem tests.
Quoting from David Courbe, “Dissecting Germany’s low coronavirus death rate” Agence France-Presse (AFP):
Another explanation cited by Italian experts, could be that Germany, unlike other countries, tends not to test those who have already died.
“We don’t consider post-mortem tests to be a decisive factor. We work on the principle that patients are tested before they die,” the [disease control agency Robert Koch Institute (RKI)] told AFP.
That means that if a person dies in quarantine at home and does not go to hospital, there is a high chance they will not be included in the statistics, as Giovanni Maga of Italy’s National Research Council pointed out in an interview with Euronews.
Apr 6, 2020 | Politics, Sci-Tech
In an excellent article in the UK Telegraph, WHO must answer serious questions before it is trusted with leading a Covid-19 inquiry (April 3, 2020), Matt Ridley shows that WHO’s actions demonstrate that WHO placed politics and cronyism above world health:
[WHO]… failed to prepare the world for a pandemic, spending the years since the Sars and ebola alarms talking more about climate change, obesity and tobacco, while others, including the Wellcome Trust and the Gates foundation, actually set up a coalition for epidemic preparedness innovation, and countries like Singapore and South Korea put in place measures to cope with an outbreak like SARS in the future.
[WHO]… once the epidemic began in China, WHO downplayed its significance, tweeting as late as January 14 that “preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel #coronavirus”, when it had already been warned by the Taiwanese health authorities among others of strong evidence for medical staff in Wuhan becoming ill. The Chinese government at this stage had known for weeks that the virus was spreading, probably person to person, yet WHO then sycophantically praised the Chinese government.
[WHO]… has failed before. When the ebola outbreak in West Africa that was to kill 11,000 people began in late 2013, on its own admission WHO hindered the fight against the virus, obsessed with not letting others find out what was happening.
Apr 3, 2020 | Politics
American’s For Tax Freedom has posted a list of over 150 suspended regulations to help the U.S. deal with the COVID-19 virus from China.
In all cases, these anti-capitalist, anti-free-market rules have been suspended because they increase the cost and decrease the efficiency and effectiveness of America’s health care system.
Which makes you wonder why such violations of individual rights (non-objective regulations) were put into place, to begin with.
Such “universal” regulations are a political virus that has weakened the U.S. health care for the past century.
They should all be repealed. — MDC
***
Some of the suspended federal regulations include:
FDA allows state leeway in virus testing
“The FDA will allow states to take responsibility for tests developed and used by laboratories within their borders. The labs will not have to pursue Emergency Use Authorization from the agency, an emergency clearance that is normally required.” – STAT News (3/16/20)
FDA loosens regulations on distribution of newly developed tests
“Under certain circumstances, the agency will not object to any manufacturers that distribute newly developed tests before the FDA grants emergency clearance, and a similar stance will be taken toward labs that use these new tests.” – STAT News (3/16/20)
FDA issues emergency authorization of anti-malaria drug for coronavirus care
“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to BARDA to allow hydroxychloroquine sulfate and chloroquine phosphate products donated to the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) to be distributed and prescribed by doctors to hospitalized teen and adult patients with COVID-19, as appropriate, when a clinical trial is not available or feasible.” – Department of Health and Human Services (3/29/20)
Allowance of licensed health care professionals to work in a different state from which they are licensed
The “requirements that physicians or other health care professionals hold licenses in the State in which they provide services, if they have an equivalent license from another State (and are not affirmatively barred from practice in that State or any State a part of which is included in the emergency area)” are being waived. – U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (3/13/20)
Physician-owned hospitals can temporarily increase the number of their licensed beds, operating rooms, and procedure rooms
“Physician-owned hospitals can temporarily increase the number of their licensed beds, operating rooms, and procedure rooms. For example, a physician-owned hospital may temporarily convert observation beds to inpatient beds to accommodate patient surge during the public health emergency.” – Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (3/30/20)
Allows non-physician practitioners (physician assistants, nurse practitioners) a wider scope of practice, like ordering tests and medications
“CMS is issuing waivers so that hospitals can use other practitioners, such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners, to the fullest extent possible, in accordance with a state’s emergency preparedness or pandemic plan. These clinicians can perform services such as order tests and medications that may have previously required a physician’s order where this is permitted under state law.” – Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (3/30/20)
American’s For Tax Freedom also lists suspended state rules and regulations. Most of these deal with licensing restrictions that:
- prevent medical professionals from working outside of the state they are licensed,
- limit the actions and care that physician assistants’ can perform,
- limit the number of medical professionals,
- limit the creation of hospitals and nursing homes via so-called “Certificates of Need.”
Visit American’s For Tax Freedom for the full (and updated) list.
Apr 3, 2020 | Sci-Tech
Nucleus medical media has created an informative video that explains how the Coronavirus reproduces in the human body.
Apr 2, 2020 | Business, Politics
Yaron Brook, in an excellent Twitter thread, makes an off the cuff outline of how he thinks a free-market would respond to the COVID-19 crisis:
In a truly capitalist society, here is how the market responds:
1. Health insurance companies monitor for health risks (they have an economic interest to do so).
2. Warn early — implement plans with hospitals, that have been developed well in advance.
3. Demand from hospitals for extra equipment, causes prices to go up quickly.
4. The market responds by bringing on new capacity quickly.
5. Groceries raise prices on high in-demand goods, thus reducing “hoarding” and assuring continued supply.
6. Hospitals (all private, and in a completely private market) activate emergency plans (which they have a profit-motive to have) for additional beds (in mothballed buildings, local hotels, or other facilities).
7. Private pharmaceutical companies and labs develop tests at the request of hospitals and clinics.
8. Private clinics start testing in mass.
9. Goverment’s job — to make sure those who are a threat to others, are isolated.
10. Private media and health experts, provide objective (non-political) advice to individuals and companies on how to deal, in the context of their own lives, with the pandemic.
11. Testing provides individuals and companies with the kind of information crucial to making rational decisions.
12. Private labs and pharma companies rush to innovate treatments and vaccines.
13. Private testing and certification organizations (“FDA” replacements) ramp up to approve test kits, treatments, and vaccines.
14. Business adjusts to peoples’ preferences for safety. Put in necessary protections and conveniences…
15. People who don’t follow the reasonable guidelines suffer social ostracism and left to suffer consequences.
16. Insurance contracts could be written in ways that say — if you want to be covered, behave…
Feel free to add — private market responses to pandemic…
You can read the original thread and the responses here.
