Today in Spanish paper El País, according to Antonio Durán Guardeño. Sevilla’s university Mathematical analysis professor the numbers are probably way off, with the positives/deaths rate now is 7% when it should be 1% or maybe less . That means 500.000 is a more acurate estimate number of infected people. That is more than 1% of the population.
Is more accurate to estimate the real number of infected people by taking into account old people positives, because they are the ones developing more serious symptoms, most young people will not show any or very mild ones.
When I read about healthcare in US I just do not believe it, 1000-1000-1500$/month for a family’s medical insurance that will not cover most treatments. I think to remember reading the covid19 ( pneumonia)treatment cost was about 18.000$ and I do not know if that covers ICU. Also how expensive meds are…
If I lived in the US I would be more worried about the hospital bill than about not working a couple of months.
A country has to choose what comes first, I am pretty sure US would be just fine with a few less aircraft carriers and nuclear weapons, maybe that could pay for the whole country healthcare.
Here all that is free, for retired people meds are also free, well, they were before. Now since 2008 crisis they have to pay 10% with a maximum of 8€ to 60€ per month depending on rent.
please don’t forget that the prices of medications in US are just too high due to the need of overrevenues for pharma companies (oh and then there are patents!). I grok it’s the same in .de, .ch, .fr
I understand that what I say next stinks of globalization, and still: most generic medications coming from giant India factories are way, way cheaper - not twice, often, but tenfold and more; their quality is decent last years, too. “My” 3rd world country - albeit small - produces decent drugs too last decade, really cheap. Salaries of drug makers aren’t EU-level yet, but they were - albeit slowly - growing during the last couple of years. This kinda shows that drugs indeed can be made cheaper, if need be; the truth, as always, lies somewhere in the middle.
I’m going back to work on Monday. I was off self isolating with shortness of breath & slight cough. Absolutely fine now & they want me back in. They’re making a mint right now with online orders. The better off seem to be stocking up on organic baby clothes rather than bog roll & pasta. My walk to work won’t bring me into much contact with people. I’ll be in a Warehouse with 5 other people. Social distancing & cleaning are a priority there so i’m not fearful of going back/into work per se, although some members of staff are travelling in via public transport. Just a bit nervous of somehow getting the virus & bringing it back to my wife & child (both Asthmatics - 1 very mild / 1 (historically severe / Brittle)
Also my contract is meant to be up at the end of May & i feel a bit irritated that i’m potentially risking my family for a job that probably won’t be extended. But my wife is the bread winner of our family (always has been) Her salary has given us a blessed existence but i think she’s about to lose upto 50% of her salary or even actual redundancy. So i need to be earning something. Oddly though she has a telephone interview today for a major (secret) company.
We’re all in the same boat (albeit not equally) so we’re both trying not to obsess over our own personal situation. In the grand scheme of things we’ll be absolutely fine. And we’re blessed to have each other, our little boy, a Garden etc) So many people having to cope on their own and all cooped up.
We were out at 8pm last night, applauding our NHS. I thought i’d be cringing doing it but it was extremely moving. I really hope this will be an amazing change/wake up call (eventually) for the whole world.
That is what they tell you, many meds are made here too, an even the meds imported from US are given free to patients needing treatment. A friend with hepatitis was given a 50.000€ treatment last year, was free and it worked.
I take MFD( Concerta) for ADHD, 30€ per 100 tablets, made in Belgium. That is a 1.300$ treatment in US
It’s not “free”, because it always takes ressources including money to run a decent medical service. It’s also a question of priority.
The difference is that in the EU we have a spirit to share the risks amongst a community and have a health insurance system for everybody to face problems … in the US it seems to be a “be successful or suffer” attitude.
I know that, I should have said a public service provided for free, just like education.
I kind of prefer how it is done here, live expectancy in spain is one of the highest in the world with way less money spent on health care per person ( real cost) than in the US 10.000$ vs 3000$, which fares pretty bad for a developed country in live expectancy list.
Anybody see the Iceland study?
They did a blanket test and found 50% showed NO signs of illness whatsoever. That is wild and really changes the conversation imo.
im working but from home. Its actually more work for less money, more stressful and difficult than going to work but im happy to have the income
I have 30 students to co ordinate and im getting emails and calls day and night from worried young people who I don’t have all the answers for. Its frustrating and I feel for them. I dream about work each night which means I can’t stop thinking about it. Hard to switch off
But im happy to have the work as I’ve lost my self emlloyed income but I’m also happy to be helping these people and making a small contribution to keeping things ticking over
I suppose so … … my response was more for Non-Europeans …
BTW: There is a principle in our health insurance system: “pay your insurance as is appropriate for your income and receive medical treatment as you need”.
Well … there are definitely cases, where this is not achieved and there is some inequity, but nevertheless this principle saved many lifes. It’s about the “stronger” supports the “weaker” and not “the winner takes it all”.
TBH I, for one, just can’t see the reason to pay US taxes (which aren’t small at all) in situations like this. This is one of the reasons I declined to relocate to USA when offered way back in the day, second one being “society”.
“The measure of a civilization is how it treats its weakest members.” Hubert Humphrey or Ghandi…(I do not no exctly whose quote it is😅)
That way US healthcare works maybe a dangerous game to play in the middle of a pandemic, becuse if the ones that can not pay treatment do not get it can get out of control…
One advantage US has ( to some extent) which I do not think has been discussed yet is that it is not so densily populated as EU, may help slow the spread in the countryside …the problem is big cities like NY
One " funny" fact; now we have what they call " the balcony police" people who are inside home and start shouting and insulting people on the street " get back home. You MFK!!!" And thinks like that…guess what…
Many of that people on the streets are health workers coming back home after a crazy day of work. And later at 8pm that same person that was insulting before comes out to aplaud.
In an interview one of this workers said " I would rather you do not insult me…"…crazy if you ask me.
This same " cop wanabes" are insulting people with kids ( you can not take kids out). This kids are the ones with special needs ( autism and such) who do need to come out and have permision to do so…
We are lucky we do not have weapons here in europe, because a cop wanabe with a weapon is someone I rather not have as a neibour right now
I was working a labouring job during the week. Site managers were pretty good about enforcing distancing and whatnot since any outbreaks would force a complete shutdown and cost alot of money. Still made me kinda nervous though. Started coming down with something and had to come home as per site rules.
Looks like I’m over whatever it was but lately I’ve been having trouble my wrists again (old work injury) so i can justify not going back - which is a huge relief.
Also, there’s alot of people desperate for work so I’m more than happy to stand aside since I’m prolly in a better position to be relying on newstart payments (and am already receiving them).
… my response was more for Non-Europeans …
