Firstly, I think we need some perspective. Total number of deaths in the US is still around
1100 deaths. China has 3300 and they’ve flattened
out on new cases. Even with our current
level of preparedness, this is where we’re at.
We’re dwarfing those numbers with our Heart Disease and Cancer
deaths. Over 1.2 million people a year die
from Cancer and Heart Disease in the US. Worrying about future pandemics feels
like worrying about an asteroid destroying the Earth. It’s wise to do some due diligence, but you
can’t be so worried about rare issues that it’s blinding you to all the stuff that
are actually killing you now.
I do think we need to fundamentally change some things. I think the backbone of a resilient economy
is multiple producers of essential products.
The idea that we outsource everything to China, and then get nothing if
their needs trump our own is ludicrous.
We should have multiple suppliers of key medical products manufactured within the states, and at the very least we
should have companies tooled up for manufacturing them even if their volumes
are low. Ideally these suppliers would
be in different geographical regions that would make them resilient to
localized natural disasters. I think it
would be a great idea to reinvigorate the rust belt with medical manufacturing.
I think it’s time to eliminate patents for medical technologies. If things are essential, we can’t be driving
up costs and quantities by hiding things behind patents. I would pay people/companies for developing
the process for manufacturing these products and then open source them, so that
it’s as easy as possible for others to copy.
I think that one thing we absolutely need to do is to
separate hospitals into two functions.
Places for sick (contagious) people and places for everything else. The last thing we need is cancer patients
getting treatment next to people who have infectious diseases. They shouldn’t even be in the same building
or block.
Quote: @"medaille" said:
Firstly, I think we need some perspective. Total number of deaths in the US is still around
1100 deaths. China has 3300 and they’ve flattened
out on new cases. Even with our current
level of preparedness, this is where we’re at.
We’re dwarfing those numbers with our Heart Disease and Cancer
deaths. Over 1.2 million people a year die
from Cancer and Heart Disease in the US. Worrying about future pandemics feels
like worrying about an asteroid destroying the Earth. It’s wise to do some due diligence, but you
can’t be so worried about rare issues that it’s blinding you to all the stuff that
are actually killing you now.
I do think we need to fundamentally change some things. I think the backbone of a resilient economy
is multiple producers of essential products.
The idea that we outsource everything to China, and then get nothing if
their needs trump our own is ludicrous.
We should have multiple suppliers of key medical products manufactured within the states, and at the very least we
should have companies tooled up for manufacturing them even if their volumes
are low. Ideally these suppliers would
be in different geographical regions that would make them resilient to
localized natural disasters. I think it
would be a great idea to reinvigorate the rust belt with medical manufacturing.
I think it’s time to eliminate patents for medical technologies. If things are essential, we can’t be driving
up costs and quantities by hiding things behind patents. I would pay people/companies for developing
the process for manufacturing these products and then open source them, so that
it’s as easy as possible for others to copy.
I think that one thing we absolutely need to do is to
separate hospitals into two functions.
Places for sick (contagious) people and places for everything else. The last thing we need is cancer patients
getting treatment next to people who have infectious diseases. They shouldn’t even be in the same building
or block.
I just finished reading this op-ed: echo's some of your sentiments
How the world's richest country ran out of face masksFactors: The lure of low-cost overseas manufacturing, and a strategic failure in industry and government to consider the resulting vulnerabilities.
Few in the protective equipment industry are surprised by the shortages, because they’ve been predicted for years. In 2005, the George W. Bush administration called for the coordination of domestic production and stockpiling of protective gear in preparation for pandemic influenza. In 2006, Congress approved funds to add protective gear to a national strategic stockpile — among other things, the stockpile collected 52 million surgical face masks and 104 million N95 respirator masks.
But about 100 million masks in the stockpile were deployed in 2009 in the fight against the H1N1 flu pandemic and the government never bothered to replace them. This month, Alex Azar, secretary of health and human services, testified that there are only about 40 million masks in the stockpile — around 1% of the projected national need.
As the coronavirus began to spread in China early this year, a global shortage of protective equipment began to look inevitable. But by then it was too late for the U.S. government to do much about the problem. Two decades ago, most hospital protective gear was made domestically. But like much of the rest of the apparel and consumer products business, face mask manufacturing has since shifted nearly entirely overseas. “China is a producer of 80% of masks worldwide,” Laverdure said.
Hospitals began to run out of masks for the same reason that supermarkets ran out of toilet paper — because their “just-in-time” supply chains, which call for holding as little inventory as possible to meet demand, are built to optimize efficiency, not resiliency.
“You’re talking about a commodity item,” said Michael J. Alkire, president of Premier, a company that purchases medical supplies for hospitals and health systems. In the supply chain, he said, “by definition, there’s not going to be a lot of redundancy, because everyone wants the low cost.”
In January, the brittle supply chain began to crack under pressure. To deal with its own outbreak, China began to restrict exports of protective equipment. Then other countries did as well — Taiwan, Germany, France and India took steps to stop exports of medical equipment. That left American hospitals to seek more and more masks from fewer and fewer producers.
People in the industry assured me they would prepare better next time. “We are laserlike focused to ensure that our health care systems are never in this scenario again,” Alkire told me. “There will be a lot more domestic manufacturing of these products going forward.
https://www.startribune.com/how-the-worl...569132612/
Quote: @"JimmyinSD" said:
@"savannahskol" said:
6 mos ago, our "health care system" led the world in pandemic preparation. https://www.ghsindex.org/#l-section--map
Our health care system continues to lead the world.
Your OP question is a non-sequitur. 
reading that report, it is essentially saying our country was the smartest kid on the short bus. I think some are seeing that report as a pat on the back of the US for its preparedness, but at the same time when it says that globally we were very ill prepared I dont think its something to crow about. especially since I dont know how accurate of a picture can be painted by running scenarios with people who are in on the purpose of the drill.
Yeah.
Well, who TF can "control" for contingencies by Communists who let their people shop wet markets and let their people eat snake/rat/bat meat? The origin of this virus.
So, I guess letting Communist China's diet is a free pass, and puts "US" on a short bus, is the blame. WOW!
Interesting....that when an international study places the US in a superior position, you negate it.
And when anything positive about this sitch has anything positive to say about US preparedness, you relegate it 'on the short bus'.
"In on the purpose of the drill"....LMAO.
What "international community reporting" EVER came down on/in the interests of the US, gives you aid/comfort?
Quote: @"savannahskol" said:
@"JimmyinSD" said:
@"savannahskol" said:
6 mos ago, our "health care system" led the world in pandemic preparation. https://www.ghsindex.org/#l-section--map
Our health care system continues to lead the world.
Your OP question is a non-sequitur.
reading that report, it is essentially saying our country was the smartest kid on the short bus. I think some are seeing that report as a pat on the back of the US for its preparedness, but at the same time when it says that globally we were very ill prepared I dont think its something to crow about. especially since I dont know how accurate of a picture can be painted by running scenarios with people who are in on the purpose of the drill.
Yeah.
Well, who TF can "control" for contingencies by Communists who let their people shop wet markets and let their people eat snake/rat/bat meat? The origin of this virus.
So, I guess letting Communist China's diet is a free pass, and puts "US" on a short bus, is the blame. WOW!
Interesting....that when an international study places the US in a superior position, you negate it.
And when anything positive about this sitch has anything positive to say about US preparedness, you relegate it 'on the short bus'.
"In on the purpose of the drill"....LMAO.
What "international community reporting" EVER came down on/in the interests of the US, gives you aid/comfort?
man you get butt hurt over everything that isnt rah rah for Trump and the good ol USA...
t
he report said that globally, as a race of people on one planet, we were ill prepared for a pandemic (regardless of the source, do you really think we dont have dip shits here in the US that are equally as likely to trigger a catastrophic event? Yes the US was at the top of the list in terms of readiness, but it shouldnt be equated as being adequately prepared or in some way be a pat on the back. More could have been done globally, more in some places than others, but as a whole, based on the results of that study, we were ill prepared, just less ill prepared than the rest of the world.
Has anyone who's kicked over "free" healthcare in the past week thought or considered how the volume of folks lining up looking to be tested, earlier in the spread of COVID19, would have been larger or smaller?
It was a serious point of discussion in a conver-argument I had couple weeks ago (about when this took off in Italy.) I had pointed out that Essentia here in town doesn't really want people down there unless it's an emergency - that they won't test for COVID unless you have pneumonia and need a bed - that you will spread COVID or become infected by not following the hospital guidelines and procedures. I questioned that if the volume of folks still able to utilize our "broken" system is overwhelming, how is it going to work out when over double the amount of folks are down there?
... that kind of fell apart with the drive through testing facilities taking off and removing the threat of COVID festering in places with lots of idle people, but still...
I find it really hard to even entertain the question presented in the OP when we all aren't entirely on the same page with what is working, what isn't working, what steps are necessary or unnecessary. Not sure how we're supposed to discuss the end game when things just kicked off and we're not even to halftime...
I'm literally still tripping on the testing thing. I see constant articles about how we failed at "testing" while knowing with 100% certainty that our (D) Mayor explicitly told residents here to expect to not be tested even with symptoms. There is a GIGANTIC disconnect between what our real medical leaders are saying, what politicians are saying and what media experts are saying is "the way" to deal with this.
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