My husband's coworker's wife is a hospital nurse. She has 5 patients with full on COVID-19 symptoms, but they aren't allowed to report them as potential cases and the government is slow rolling the testing process, so they have no idea when they will get the results.
@EdgyEdgar the DC metro area, so I imagine their information suppression campaign is tighter here than other places. Lotta high ranking govy where I live.
@H3athers I see makes sense to me
How are they slow-rolling the testing process? Is it a situation where there aren't enough tests or facilities, or are they actively slowing it down in some manner?
I am curious to know, because I was explicitly told by my pediatrician that he did not have tests available. Wondering if this is an availability thing or a government fudging the numbers deliberately thing.
Could be either I guess. Yay.
@janallmac they don't have the tests AND they are refusing testing for people with symptoms and/or who have possibly been exposed, but also apparently, the testing process itself is slow.
Well. It sounds complex, but suppressing information seems like a good way to get a lot of extra people sick to me.
@H3athers
And who is not allowing them to report? The hospital administrators, or some government agency? Sorry, I am trying to understand this better!
Do you think the government is really deliberately trying to keep the numbers down? I know that's what Trump would like, but... really?
@janallmac This is via guidance from the government, but I imagine hospitals have reasons to suppress this info too.
@H3athers
Dystopian.
What hell for her to work in. She's being exposed daily and her patients are not getting the right support treatment, and other patients are being exposed.
I hope she is journaling this.
@AirRation We don't seem to be able to learn from other countries' mistakes. Information suppression worked out so well for China, eh? I've read that they are now producing 1M tests per week. We'll be lucky if we get 1M tests this year at the rate they are going.
@H3athers Sometimes I think this not simply gross incompetence, but intentional.
Likewise, UK PM said people should just take it on the chin and instead of taking 'drastic measures' the government needs to 'strike a balance'.
People will die and these politicians have a lot to answer for.
As for the rest: We don't even know the long term effects for those who recover. Damage to CNS, heart, lungs, liver, all suspected.
There are 7 strains of human coronavirus.
(1. and 2. are the common cold)
@AirRation
It is people like her, the nurses and teachers and people actively putting themselves at risk, who I worry about. They'll likely be the hardest hit, them and their families.
@H3athers
@H3athers how many people is the orange idiot going to kill?
@H3athers wow. Where is this, the US?