ACE Not Accepting New COVID-19 Patients

My point was that PPE is generally used do non-COVID-19 surgeries, so poking at do they or don't they have the necessary gear. Not having the necessary equipment certainly complicates the question. Every job come with some assumed risk, some more than others. You tell me.

 

I'm pretty sure they do not have the necessary gear.
From what I read this morning 17 health care workers have died from the virus.
That 17 out of 87 (?) total deaths, almost 20% infection and death for Nurses and Doctors. Very dismal.

 

I would say the more relevant statistic is of the infected nurses and doctors who are dying as a percentage of nurses and doctors who have been infected, not comparing two different populations. It's sad to see so many dying, but not surprising that nurses and doctors have a higher incidence of infection than the general populace. This goes back to the risk of the occupation. I suspect they have a lower incidence of death than the general populace for multiple reasons.

Here is what Italy is seeing from a much larger sample size. It supports healthcare workers are more at risk, which comes as no surprise.

From https://www.thedailybeast.com/covid-19-is-killing-italys-doctors-the-us-could-be-next
At least 2,629 health care workers—roughly 8.3 percent of all cases in Italy—have contracted COVID-19 from working with inadequate equipment or being exposed to asymptomatic carriers, according to the latest results from the Ministry of Health.

In the province of Bergamo alone, another of the most hard-hit regions, 50 doctors have been infected and one has died. Giulio Gallera, the head of the Lombardy Health and Welfare administration, where Bergamo is located, said that the number of infected health workers is 12 percent of all cases in the second most hard hit northern region near where the outbreak began. “If we continue in this way we risk not only that there will not be enough doctors to assist everyone, but also that the same health professionals will become, despite themselves, a vehicle for infection,” Gallera said.

 

What you say is true it's not really possible to make a valid comparison when the available statistics are so scarce. The available numbers are also skewed as they have mostly tested people that are sick. If there were test of a bunch of RANDOM people any conclusions would be more meaningful. The only numbers that are reliable are how many people are dead.

There are symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers, both groups can spread the virus. Health care workers get exposed to both. (assumption) Health care workers get exposed a lot more often than the general population. (I read about humidity somewhere)Humid environments keep the nasal passages and esophagus moist so all the little hairs can eliminate debris (virus) are able to do their job. Air conditioned places have low humidity such as hospitals.
If those few facts and the one assumption are true (I believe they are). Stay away from sick people in air conditioned places. Also the more you are exposed the more likely you will catch the virus. In a country of 100 million people there have been around 100 known deaths. With the lack of quality health care, The Philippines seems to be somewhat of an anomaly to what the rest of the world is experiencing.

There is just not enough data to draw accurate conclusions. Limiting exposure does seem to a factor and something we can control. I'm doing what little I can which is STAY HOME.

I can probably dig up the article about humidity if anyone cares.

 

I'm with you. Seeing how quickly the numbers are increasing in the US, it surprises me that overcrowded densely populated slums in Manila haven't seen a huge explosion. Most are likely dying in their own beds based on my experience with the public hospital situation in the Philippines. I wonder if it's much worse than advertised or if maybe the Filipino people have some level of natural immunity due to their exposure to organisms from their living situation.

 

Good questions

 

I would really like to see the number of deaths per month before this virus came on to the scene. I have a funny feeling that the numbers may be similar to what has been published. Also how many died in the last month from pneumonia and cardio pulmonary disease which are the main killers in the country in my opinion. The numbers seem badly misinterpreted, with the US having 3,000 dead in a country with 300 million inhabitants against the Philippines with 100 dead out of 100 million people with a very poor health care system seems a lot more than coincidence to me.. IMHO..

 

IF we can trust numbers (unlikely) then we should not be totally surprised that the Philippines is lower per head of population than the US - the Philippines has been able to isolate sets of population on islands, it took a hard stance fairly soon, it is hot (virus particles have a lipid envelope and I guess in general they dry out and become inactive more quickly on exposed surfaces in hot climates).