In Liberia, a Good or Very Bad Sign: Empty Hospital Beds

New York Times ^ | 10/29/2014 | Sheri Fink

[SeekAndFind]

SUAKOKO, Liberia — For days this month, the ambulances from this Ebola treatment unit went out in search of patients, only to return with just one or two suspected cases. And many times, those people ended up testing negative for the disease.

“Where are the patients?” an aid worker wondered aloud as colleagues puzzled over the empty beds at the International Medical Corps treatment unit here in Bong County, Liberia, which opened in mid-September.

Around the country, treatment centers, laboratory workers who test for Ebola, and international and national health officials trying to track the epidemic have noticed an unexpected pattern: There are far fewer people being treated for Ebola than anticipated.

As of Sunday, fewer than half of the 649 treatment beds across the country were occupied, a surprising change in a nation where patients had long been turned away from Ebola units for lack of space.

Now, new admissions to treatment centers are dropping or flatlining, the number of samples being submitted to Ebola laboratories has fallen significantly, and the percentage of people testing positive for the disease has dropped as well.

“The numbers are decreasing, but we don’t know why,” said Malin Lager, a spokeswoman at a Doctors Without Borders treatment center just outside Monrovia, the capital. Its vast campus of white tents, which has a capacity for 253 patients, had only 90 on Sunday.

“It’s too early to celebrate,” Ms. Lager said.

[Jedidah]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3211273/posts

Post 5.

7.491 reported cases on Oct. 1. On Oct. 4, scouter projected 14,598 by today, Oct. 29.

CDC reports 13,703 known cases as of today.

That’s darn impressive, scouter.

Changing the subject, because I’m annoyed: The idjit-in-chief just called Dr. Brantly “Keith” on live TV. Is there anyone in America who doesn’t, by now, know the good doctor’s name is Kent?

[Covenantor]

Thanks for the link. Reading my own history on a Blackberry clogs it up after two or three pages.

As far as the meat puppet, it only reads what the tele-prompter puts in front of him.

[Paladin2]

Maybe the National Enquirer could investigate (so we’d be more likely to get the unvarnished truth).

[Paladin2]

Is that in darkest Colorado?

[Paladin2]

"Found it! "

Please post a stronger hint/link....

[Paladin2]

Honkie names all sound alike.....

[Paladin2]

Nevermind.....

[Jedidah]

Look four posts up, #21.

[null and void]

Bring out your dead! The Dark Man cometh! Bring out your dead! The Dark Man cometh! Bring out your......

(Since all records of obama's past were lost in a tragic boating accident and fire, no one can be certain that the guy in the red circle isn't him...)

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...

[Jedidah]

;-)

[elpadre]

“..“Where are the patients?” an aid worker wondered aloud as colleagues puzzled over the empty beds...”

Could it be that the patients are on the way to the USA as the DOJ has unofficially stated?

[scouter]

Thanks, Jedidah.

But just to clarify, the numbers reported today were as of October 24 for Liberia, and October 27 for Guinea and Sierra Leone.

[NonValueAdded]

It’s all relative. They’d stay at the best there is to offer.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!