Coronavirus

I thought they wore masks to hide all the evil? That's not true?

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We are both the source of the problem and the solution, yet we do not see ourselves in this light...

So if we follow that line of thinking then mask wearing is able to corral and negate the virus within a few weeks?

Actually, maybe because they were wearing masks to begin with far less people were infected?

I don't know - just thought the stat was interesting.

Asian countries also don’t lock up their elders. Anyone else notice a correlation between the death count and how that country treats their elderly? I find it a shame that no media outlet is pushing the story that we need to dramatically rethink how we handle aging care: COVID has exposed our ineptitude of caring for the old, but no one wants to talk about it.

Let's talk about it. I'm not familiar with this aspect of the pandemic, so let's start by expanding on how we need to 'rethink how we handle aging care'

Well, I’d say that family access has to be a priority. Yes, it’s another complexity but active community is paramount for aging care. I hope to be the kinda old person that’ll talk to anyone but that doesn’t fit the typical profile. Some only light up when they get a visit from family and thousands were denied their rights to see their own family in the last moments of their life. It’s been equally tough for both sides. I’m gunna shut up now though because I’m making myself cry. 😅

Thanks. I understand it's a hard time for you right now. I hope you feel better in the coming days

That's about half our death count right there.

I noticed the same when I was in Greece.. The women had an average retirement age (back in 2009, anyway) of about 45, because they take care of their parents.

A problem in the Mediterranean - Italy, in particular, has been the opposite where 2 or 3 generations will all live together. Greece too & to some extent Spain & Portugal. It’s all very nice, but this has contributed to the spread of Covid19.

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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.

"A report by academics based at the London School of Economics found that in Italy, France, Ireland, Spain and Belgium between 42 percent and 57 percent of deaths from the virus have taken place in nursing homes."

https://www.politico.eu/article/the-...homes-elderly/

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"This is that human freedom, which all boast that they possess, and which consists solely in the fact, that men are conscious of their own desire, but are ignorant of the causes whereby that desire has been determined." -Baruch Spinoza

That still leaves a lot of deaths at home.

Well, no, we can't infer that. Yes, I am sure that a lot of deaths took place at home but it's far more likely that a good portion of the remaining deaths took place in hospitals. I shared that information because those deaths were untreated elders left to die in nursing homes and, like America, the greatest portion of deaths in those countries is coming from nursing homes. An environment that is built to spread highly communicable diseases.

I do think you’re being a tad dramatic. Are the majority of old folks “locked up” in the nursing homes? Are these old folks “left to die” there?

I don’t want to judge the families who have elders in nursing homes because, quite frankly, I don’t know what I would do in their circumstances.

We have countless reports of horror scenarios from Italy where infected bodies were left in the same room as the living. We have stories of nursing facilities essentially being abandoned at the start of the pandemic (Italy, France, Spain all had stories of this behavior).

But, more to your point, most of America shutdown patient access to outside visitors when we got serious about trying to contain COVID. Case in point: my gramps' facility has been on complete lockdown since March and it still is on lock down. So no, I am not being dramatic when I say they have been locked up in nursing homes.

The state of elderly care in the developed world is one that we should all be ashamed of because even when you have the money to pay for it you are still under cared for and God forbid you don't have the money for it. I have seen/heard some situations that just break the heart.

⬆️ You’re right. I see what you’re saying.

Stimulus talks: i just love how both sides still haven’t budged a single bit from where they were this summer.

I am not looking for another stimulus check (wouldn’t say no to it), but it is clear to anyone with a heart that the people who were hurting at the beginning of this year are probably getting desperate right about now.

It seems like both sides are stalling and thinking time is going to prove them right: Republicans saying the economy is better so we only need to spend a little, and Democrats saying it’s not so we need to spend a lot.

It’s just sad that they are both wrong and incapable of doing this stuff piecemeal. I am getting tired of massive legislation in this country because it’s just an excuse for both sides to stall on serving a legitimate need and provide an outlet to escape responsibility.

I would much rather see them pass 10 tiny bills getting work done on the things they agree. Instead, our legislation has devolved into a school yard game where the team captains are fighting because they both want the same player on their team, so no one gets to play at all.

Re economy: it’s things like women leaving the workforce at a higher rate, fallout affecting lower income families hardest, and small health practices shuttering.

One of the most accurate statements I've read on here in a long time. Let's work together people!

Yes, all of these sad stories have been reported in The NY Times.

Going off on a tangent, I predict that the Times will win a Pulitzer for its coverage.

That's not the reason. Stimulus bills have passed twice in the House, but have stalled in the GOP-held Senate--the reason is that Republicans want to indemnify corporations from Covid-related lawsuits, and Democrats don't want to do that because corporations do things like forbidding their employees from wearing masks.