Virus hot spots in South poised for disproportionate suffering?
St. John the Baptist Parish, just southeast of Baton Rouge, La., has a population of just over 43,000 — and the highest per capita coronavirus mortality rate in the nation.
Frantic local officials instituted an overnight curfew just this week and are begging residents to stay home. But in largely rural Southern states like Louisiana — where social distancing has been spotty, widespread testing is unavailable and hospitals are poorer and farther apart — the response may be coming too late to avoid a public health crisis as bad as the one now engulfing New York.
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As of Friday, St. John the Baptist had nearly 300 confirmed cases and 22 deaths. The state health department says the region is already at 56 percent of its hospital bed capacity and 68 percent of its ICU bed capacity, with the virus’ peak not expected for at least another week and cases doubling every 2.5 days.
Local nursing homes and elder care facilities have become coronavirus clusters, with the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Home accounting for more than a third of the parish’s deaths. Area leaders are bracing for that number to continue to rise.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, access to alcohol will likely become limited due to social-distancing measures mandated by government officials.
Some of these necessary public health strategies—shelter-in-place and closing of non-essential businesses—may in turn cause people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) to find themselves in unsafe scenarios.
Forward thinking about how to reduce harms to people with AUD is critical. Untreated AUD is often managed with daily alcohol use, necessary to stave off cravings and withdrawal.
While evidence-based treatments for AUD exist, such as naltrexone and acamprosate, less than 10 percent of people with AUD in the U.S. receive these medications.
This gap in care is worsened by systemic inequality. The increasing rates of AUD among women, older adults, racial and ethnic minorities and economically disadvantaged individuals is a public health emergency.
Because so few people have access to medications for AUD, access to alcohol becomes a matter of life or death.
If alcohol is unavailable, particularly liquor, people may find alcohol from other unsafe sources, specifically non-beverage alcohol ([NBA] e.g., rubbing alcohol, mouthwash, alcohol-based hand sanitizers).
A particularly dangerous NBA is car coolant, which can lead to renal failure and require admission to the intensive care unit (ICU).
Most likely though… since the cough is coming from the local paper.
Independent news is necessary.
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If you die at home from the coronavirus, there’s a good chance you won’t be included in the official death toll, because of a discrepancy in New York City’s reporting process.
Update: After WNYC/Gothamist’s reporting, the city has reversed its position and will count probable COVID-19 deaths that occur at home.
The problem means the city’s official death count is likely far lower than the real toll taken by the virus, according to public health officials.
As of Monday afternoon, 2,738 New York City residents have died from ‘confirmed’ cases of COVID-19, according to the city Department of Health. That’s an average of 245 a day since the previous Monday.
But another 200 city residents are now dying at home each day, compared to 20 to 25 such deaths before the pandemic, said Aja Worthy-Davis, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner’s office.
And an untold number of them are unconfirmed.
✄
“While undiagnosed cases that result in at-home deaths are connected to a public health pandemic…not all suspected COVID-19 deaths are brought in for examination by OCME, nor do we provide testing in most of these natural at-home deaths,” Lanza said.
Typically, when someone dies at home, a loved one, acquaintance or neighbor calls the police or 911. First responders call in the medical examiner, who conducts a review to determine if there was foul play, then records a cause of death.
Darsan54 Premium Member over 4 years ago
Check to see if they have a fever.
Brian G Premium Member over 4 years ago
Sometimes a cough is just a cough.
braindead Premium Member over 4 years ago
Remember, “Anyone who wants a test can get a test.”
Sanspareil over 4 years ago
It means go to the bar next door and get hammered!!
RobinHood over 4 years ago
That R2D2 and C3PO were spotted in the desert outside town
Silly Season over 4 years ago
Virus hot spots in South poised for disproportionate suffering?
St. John the Baptist Parish, just southeast of Baton Rouge, La., has a population of just over 43,000 — and the highest per capita coronavirus mortality rate in the nation.
Frantic local officials instituted an overnight curfew just this week and are begging residents to stay home. But in largely rural Southern states like Louisiana — where social distancing has been spotty, widespread testing is unavailable and hospitals are poorer and farther apart — the response may be coming too late to avoid a public health crisis as bad as the one now engulfing New York.
✄
As of Friday, St. John the Baptist had nearly 300 confirmed cases and 22 deaths. The state health department says the region is already at 56 percent of its hospital bed capacity and 68 percent of its ICU bed capacity, with the virus’ peak not expected for at least another week and cases doubling every 2.5 days.
Local nursing homes and elder care facilities have become coronavirus clusters, with the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Home accounting for more than a third of the parish’s deaths. Area leaders are bracing for that number to continue to rise.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/03/coronavirus-rural-south-164225
Silly Season over 4 years ago
Maybe… Liquor Stores Are Essential Businesses?
(Observations | Opinion)
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, access to alcohol will likely become limited due to social-distancing measures mandated by government officials.
Some of these necessary public health strategies—shelter-in-place and closing of non-essential businesses—may in turn cause people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) to find themselves in unsafe scenarios.
Forward thinking about how to reduce harms to people with AUD is critical. Untreated AUD is often managed with daily alcohol use, necessary to stave off cravings and withdrawal.
While evidence-based treatments for AUD exist, such as naltrexone and acamprosate, less than 10 percent of people with AUD in the U.S. receive these medications.
This gap in care is worsened by systemic inequality. The increasing rates of AUD among women, older adults, racial and ethnic minorities and economically disadvantaged individuals is a public health emergency.
Because so few people have access to medications for AUD, access to alcohol becomes a matter of life or death.
If alcohol is unavailable, particularly liquor, people may find alcohol from other unsafe sources, specifically non-beverage alcohol ([NBA] e.g., rubbing alcohol, mouthwash, alcohol-based hand sanitizers).
A particularly dangerous NBA is car coolant, which can lead to renal failure and require admission to the intensive care unit (ICU).
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/yes-liquor-stores-are-essential-businesses/
Silly Season over 4 years ago
Most likely though… since the cough is coming from the local paper.
Independent news is necessary.
~
If you die at home from the coronavirus, there’s a good chance you won’t be included in the official death toll, because of a discrepancy in New York City’s reporting process.
Update: After WNYC/Gothamist’s reporting, the city has reversed its position and will count probable COVID-19 deaths that occur at home.
The problem means the city’s official death count is likely far lower than the real toll taken by the virus, according to public health officials.
As of Monday afternoon, 2,738 New York City residents have died from ‘confirmed’ cases of COVID-19, according to the city Department of Health. That’s an average of 245 a day since the previous Monday.
But another 200 city residents are now dying at home each day, compared to 20 to 25 such deaths before the pandemic, said Aja Worthy-Davis, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner’s office.
And an untold number of them are unconfirmed.
✄
“While undiagnosed cases that result in at-home deaths are connected to a public health pandemic…not all suspected COVID-19 deaths are brought in for examination by OCME, nor do we provide testing in most of these natural at-home deaths,” Lanza said.
Typically, when someone dies at home, a loved one, acquaintance or neighbor calls the police or 911. First responders call in the medical examiner, who conducts a review to determine if there was foul play, then records a cause of death.
https://gothamist.com/news/surge-number-new-yorkers-dying-home-officials-suspect-undercount-covid-19-related-deaths
spartans58 Premium Member over 4 years ago
“Cough one is not cough two”
wirepunchr over 4 years ago
When I saw the Cough I started looking for the turn your head bubble.