Italian doctor at heart of illness shares chilling coronavirus thoughts

New York Post ^ | March 10, 2020 | 8:02am | Yaron Steinbuch

[JoSixChip]

Ya, we’re all gonna die. We’ve never seen a flue like this, well not since last year anyway.

[ncpatriot]

I’m living in a different world. Where I live, the paper is not reporting anything about a virus, or any virus. It’s the deer tick that they are reporting. The birds where I live are happy happy happy! Sun is shining after days of overcast. Stores are doing fine. No one is talking about the virus.

Oh well. I really do live in a different world.

But I am also prepared....just in case.

[LouieFisk]

“We’ve never seen a flue”
—
Apparently never seen the inside of a schoolroom, either - but, carry on!

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Quote from Daily Mail article, one of few to tell the truth:

Experts have warned Italy has a higher death rate than expected because its population is older than average.

[Black Agnes]

Misspellings like this make me wonder at the nationality of the poster.

Not every flu bro is American.

[bkopto]

It all goes back to our difficulty in experiencing exponential functions in real life.

cases=a*b^t, b>1.

[bkopto]

LOL!

[Vermont Lt]

The cases are more severe and require longer and more invasive treatment than the flu. The normal ICU load (probably around 90% to start) was overwhelmed the first day.

He is not talking about ICU beds. He is talking about any bed.

Not saying it’s going to happen everywhere. But it coming to a big city hospital near you soon. It is unavoidable.

But yeah, It’s the flu Bro.

[Vermont Lt]

Have you ever been in a hospital during flu season? Or are you basing your comments on what you’ve read here on FR.

Because there are USUALLY 30 people waiting for beds in a mid sized city hospital during flu season. Toss a couple of these into the mix and it’s nuts.

But yeah, just the flu.

[Zhang Fei]

[He is not talking about ICU beds. He is talking about any bed.]

---

The postings I’ve seen elsewhere indicate they have plenty of beds. 10,000 isn’t a huge number of patients. ICU beds are a special category because of the additional equipment and specialized staffing required.

[Vermont Lt]

I worked in hospitals for years. Trust me, their ICU beds were gone on day 2.

Do you think any of those 10,000 beds were filled? Or did they move everyone out to make room for these guys?

As Joe Biden says, “Come on man....think”

This stuff is happening while the rest of the hospitals business goes on. You guys think this is happening in a vacuum. Babies are born. Heart stents are put in. Kidneys are transplanted. Stuff cannot wait.

Do you think they have EXTRA rooms for that stuff?

[arthurus]

never seen a flue Stick your head in a fireplace and look up.

[Hot Tabasco]

Imagine how our own hospitals would look if everyone who entered our emergency rooms with respiratory issues was automatically hospitalized.......

According to one medical website, COVID-19 symptoms range from mild to severe. It takes 2-14 days after exposure for symptoms to develop. Symptoms may include:

fever

cough

shortness of breath

Gee, what do those symptoms sound like and have been experienced by tens of thousands of people across this country for the past few months who recovered without any testing, hospitalization and before this Coronavirus was given a name?

I'm starting to feel the symptoms of something which include tiredness, coughing and sneezing. What do I do? Run to the ER?

I'm going to gut it out at home so if you don't see any postings by me for a few days, then I'm likely dead. Make sure you wear a hazmat suit when you come to drag me out and do it before my hungry cat eats me.........Thanks

[PIF]

Basic difference:
The flu is upper respiratory.
Wusan is lower respiratory - pneumonia-like

[Zhang Fei]

[Imagine how our own hospitals would look if everyone who entered our emergency rooms with respiratory issues was automatically hospitalized.......]

---

My impression is that they’re using a fair amount of triage. And some of the patients being turned away from the ICU are dying. No chance of hypochondriac getting a bed in the hospital, or even getting a look from a doctor. If you’re not on the verge of collapse, they don’t want to look at you, let alone give you a bed.

Bottom line is they are swamped. Seriously injured from a car crash and just had a stroke? They’re either not treating you or diverting you to some other hospital:

[ Jason Van Schoor
@jasonvanschoor

From a well respected friend and intensivist/A&E consultant who is currently in northern Italy:

1/ ‘I feel the pressure to give you a quick personal update about what is happening in Italy, and also give some quick direct advice about what you should do.

2/ First, Lumbardy is the most developed region in Italy and it has a extraordinary good healthcare, I have worked in Italy, UK and Aus and don’t make the mistake to think that what is happening is happening in a 3rd world country.

3/ The current situation is difficult to imagine and numbers do not explain things at all. Our hospitals are overwhelmed by Covid-19, they are running 200% capacity

4/ We’ve stopped all routine, all ORs have been converted to ITUs and they are now diverting or not treating all other emergencies like trauma or strokes. There are hundreds of pts with severe resp failure and many of them do not have access to anything above a reservoir mask.

5/ Patients above 65 or younger with comorbidities are not even assessed by ITU, I am not saying not tubed, I’m saying not assessed and no ITU staff attends when they arrest. Staff are working as much as they can but they are starting to get sick and are emotionally overwhelmed.

6/ My friends call me in tears because they see people dying in front of them and they con only offer some oxygen. Ortho and pathologists are being given a leaflet and sent to see patients on NIV. PLEASE STOP, READ THIS AGAIN AND THINK.

7/ We have seen the same pattern in different areas a week apart, and there is no reason that in a few weeks it won’t be the same everywhere, this is the pattern: 8/ 1)A few positive cases, first mild measures, people are told to avoid ED but still hang out in groups, everyone says not to panick

2)Some moderate resp failures and a few severe ones that need tube, but regular access to ED is significantly reduced so everything looks great

9/ 3)Tons of patients with moderate resp failure, that overtime deteriorate to saturate ICUs first, then NIVs, then CPAP hoods, then even O2.

4)Staff gets sick so it gets difficult to cover for shifts, mortality spikes also from all other causes that can’t be treated properly.]

[AndyJackson]

Stay away from sneezing, coughing people with snot on their hands

Those are not the symptoms of COVID

[wtd]

• 

• 

[Boogieman]

“We get it. Stay away from sneezing, coughing people with snot on their hands.”

If they are sneezing and coughing, it’s too late, they have already been contagious for weeks.

[Hot Tabasco]

Wusan is lower respiratory - pneumonia-like

Then who is to say that the Coronavirus hasn't been around for much longer than recently but only just blossomed? And who is to say that those diagnosed with pneumonia over the past few months and were never tested actually had the coronoavirus?

[Zhang Fei]

Very useful chart. Thanks.