Coronavirus - International stories and thoughts

Brazil tops 1 million Covid-19 cases. It may pass the US next, becoming the worst-hit country on the planet - CNN

54,000 cases today

 

I was wrong. I admit it. I still think shutting down the whole economy was an overreaction. Where I live in volusia county there have been about 50 deaths. Over 30 from one nursing home. It seems to be deadly to the old and the infirm and like the flu to everyone else.

 

Well I agree with you but I can't find any numbers on this. It seems to be all anecdotal. My brother is a respiratory therapist he told me this week that the overuse of respirators caused most of the damage. That it took a while but people are figuring out how to treat it. This conversation with my brother is anecdotal as well. If I was you I would give it little credence.

 

Paging @dingyibvs

 

I read where the use of ventilators increases the risk of thrombosis by increasing lung pressure and helping the virus get into the circulatory system. Paging @dingyibvs

 

Aren’t respirators used only after oxygen isn’t even enough and the actual blood-oxygen levels start dropping?

I think they are already a bit of a last resort - no? With the numbers being what they are, doctors may try even harder to try and avoid the respirator, but it’s not like they would be taking that lightly in the first place.

 

You mean ventilators but your point is correct I believe. Avoid them except as an absolute last resort.

 

Maybe the issue is the pressure settings were/are too high?

I think you can set them to desired pressures?

 

Yeah I don't think so. Injuries that can only be attributed to ventilators are actually fairly rare. There are things such as ventilator associated pneumonia which is more common, but they happen when ventilators used for many days. Patients who need that, even if erroneously/unnecessarily are the "progressesors" who are at high risk of developing a secondary pneumonia regardless.

It's absolutely true that death isn't the only possible bad outcome. In fact, most inpatient doctors spend a good amount of time convincing patients and families that this is the case, and I'm not talking just about COVID. Most of my colleagues are quite healthy, many are young, but we're all afraid of catching this. The flu is an annoyance, but this is much more serious. Nobody comes out of a prolonged admission without some permanent damage, and there's an alarming number of otherwise young and healthy folks who get very sick from this requiring prolonged hospitalization.

I do agree that we've gotten better at treating this and preparing for this, I think death rate will be lower, but not THAT much better. If this current uptick continues, rest assured that we'll be seeing daily deaths in the thousands again.

 

Thank you as always for your insight. I truly hope some of the holdouts on here will actually read this words and consider being more cautious.

 

Oops. Spoke too soon.

Germany's coronavirus reproduction rate jumps to 1.79: RKI

The reproduction rate was 1.06 before the recent outbreak.

 

The link notes that the RO rate is lower than 179 controlling for outbreaks in meat plants etc. But, not a nationwide outbreak. Regional.

Germany will shut down areas where these breakouts happen. It is the reason for testing and contact tracing. When the RO rate is too high in an area, Germany will quarantine and localized shutdowns.

Then reopen. That is how dealing with this will work.

 

I had read the high peak pressures needed to ventilate(due to the loss of lung compliance) was causing microbarotrauma thus damaging lung tissue and worsening the hypoxia. Now they are using less invasive methods of ventilations with high FiO2's (sometimes non rebreathers)