‘It’s Going to End in Death’: Doctors Say U.K. Ill-prepared for Coronavirus

NY Times ^ | 03-05-2020 | Benjamin Mueller

[NRx]

Ventilators in short supply. Intensive care beds already overflowing. Some health workers buying their own face masks or hoods. And if cases of the deadly coronavirus surge in anything like the numbers some experts have predicted, doctors say they would have to consider denying lifesaving care to the frailest patients to prioritize those with better chances of surviving.

“If we haven’t got ventilatory support to offer them, it’s going to end in death,” said Dr. George Priestley, an intensive care doctor and anesthesiologist in Yorkshire in northern England. “I don’t want to be alarmist. I just want someone to pay attention.”

...“We’re already at maximum capacity and clearing out beds as best we can,” said Dr. Nick Scriven, a specialist in urgent conditions in Halifax, a town in northern England, and the former president of The Society for Acute Medicine.

Britain has shed roughly 160,000 hospital beds since the late 1980s as doctors shortened recovery times and tried to reduce reliance on hospital care, mirroring efforts across Europe. But Britain now has the second-fewest hospital beds per capita in Europe, according to the European Union. And a 2011 study suggested that it had one-seventh the number of intensive care beds per person that the United States did.

[NRx]

Snip...

[NRx]

The joys of socialized medicine.

[EagleUSA]

The greatness of socialized medicine...

[EagleUSA]

How’s that for hitting it at the same time? Great minds think alike :-)

[griswold3]

See Ezekiel Emmanuel’s “Complete Lives System “.
The elderly and infirmed go last. Save Resources for those who can be productive

[LucyT]

.

PING

[grey_whiskers]

How old is Zeke now? And Rahm?

[Crim]

Dont cough on me comrade...lol

[SpaceBar]

“If we haven’t got ventilatory support to offer them, it’s going to end in death...”

As long as Mohammed and his wife in a bag aren't inconvenienced, it's all good.

[griswold3]

They’re at the elite level, like R B Ginsburg, rules do not apply to them.

[txrefugee]

Why not the “immigrants” living on welfare go last?

[null and void]

“If we haven’t got ventilatory support to offer them, it’s going to end in death,”

This is one reason we must quarantine. Even if we can't stop the spread, just slowing it down means fewer critically ill patients at any given time, and spreading the spread, if you will, means that the hospitals don't have a high peak number of patients to overwhelm the system.

Bring Out Your Dead

Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.

The purpose of the “Bring Out Your Dead” ping list (formerly the “Ebola” ping list) is very early warning of emerging pandemics, as such it has a high false positive rate.

So far the false positive rate is 100%.

At some point we may well have a high mortality pandemic, and likely as not the “Bring Out Your Dead” threads will miss the beginning entirely.

*sigh* Such is life, and death...

If a quarantine saves just one child's life, it's worth it.

[Leaning Right]

As you probably know, Ezekiel Emmanuel was one of the architects of Obamacare. It didn’t get wide report (naturally) but Emmanuel said that anyone over 75 should be denied medical care.

But I wonder. Would that rule also cover the ruling elite - like senators and judges - over 75? I don’t believe Ezekiel ever got around to addressing that.

[griswold3]

#1 Rule of Socialism- Socialism is for the Little People. Ruling Elite are exempt for all rules

[DoughtyOne]

All flu winds up in some deaths.

Who knew?

[ProtectOurFreedom]

"one-seventh the number of intensive care beds per person that the United States"

Wow. It's not that they have 90% of the per-capita beds of the U.S. Not that they have 50%. Noooo...they 14% of the per-capita beds as we do.

"You won't mind if six other people join you in your bed, do you?"

[DannyTN]

This is what the guy on the Peak Prosperity video said about the UK. Only 28 beds available in the whole country for severe respiratory disease, and have of those were occupied.

And that’s before they had hardly any cases.

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

(From the article):“If we haven’t got ventilatory support to offer them, it’s going to end in death,” said Dr. George Priestley..
“I don’t want to be alarmist. I just want someone to pay attention.” From the article): "

Remember all that socialized medicine that OBungler promised through OBunglercare ?
Did you already cash that $2200 check that was going to come to us under single-payer state sponsored healthcare ?
Remember how effective and cheap all that socialized medicine in Canada was offered as evidence of single-payer success ?
Then why are Canadians flocking across the border in Michigan and Buffalo for healthcare, ..and paying cash ?!
Now Bernie is offering the socialist medicine care as a pillar of his platform, without telling you how how will finance it.
Under socialized medicine, you'll have to wait for 4 months for that respirator, even if its available.

[TheTimeOfMan]

We have more beds in the US but if this breaks out hard it will take no time at all to fill them all. Everyone else will have to go home and deal with it as best they can.

Now is the time to start limiting your social interactions. No is the time to make measured preparations.

That is not ‘panic’. It is just common sense. Stay calm. Stay rational. Deal with the problem.

[DouglasKC]

..“We’re already at maximum capacity and clearing out beds as best we can,” said Dr. Nick Scriven, a specialist in urgent conditions in Halifax, a town in northern England, and the former president of The Society for Acute Medicine.

This is happening in every country regardless of their health care systems. 15% or so WILL require hospitalization. There is not that much capacity in the US. Not even close.