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So less overflowing ICUs??


shootingstar

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in the U.S. because the hospitals can handle surges in covid, etc.?  So says this article:  Why Canada is shutting down during Omicron while the U.S. stays open: their health care systems | National Post

I wouldn't say all hospitals are shut down. But right now, is not the right time to visit ER for  minor cut..or at least book with family doctor elsewhere if possible.  Methinks there have been gaps in both Canada and U.S.  (Airwick's untimely discharge from ER is 1 example). And thousands of surgeries postponed.

Another question:  would someone living in U.S. avoid calling 911 for ambulance support because they are afraid/don't have funds to pay/don't have insurance?

The limits on hospital capacity include intensive care units. The U.S. has one staffed ICU bed per 4,100 people, based on data from thousands of hospitals reporting to the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. Ontario has one ICU bed for about every 6,000 residents, based on provincial government figures and the latest population estimates.

Of course, hospital capacity is only one way to measure the success of a health system. Overall, Canadians have better access to health care, live longer than Americans and rarely go bankrupt because of medical bills. Canada’s mortality rate from COVID-19 is a third of the U.S. rate, a reflection of Canada’s more widespread use of health restrictions and its collectivist approach to health care.

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The headline story on the news this evening was about ICU's at capacity and that many are closed to non emergency surgery.  An even larger problem is that covid is infecting the staff at rates leaving the hospitals with insufficient people to run what they have.  It looks like covid will cost non covid patients their lives before this is over.  We are approaching the record number of hospitalizations from the dark days and although not as many are dying compared to the number of cases we still are killing 1500 per day.

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We will be reaching peak as forecasted by infectious diseases doctors..but still we're full in ICU's. In various provinces, there is significant problem of lack of nurses, burnt  out or simply leaving because there are patients who don't appreciate their work at  all. Yes, some sick staff.

What the Canadian public may not know is that some  hospitals have imposed restrictions on staff taking lengthy vacation time that they've earned due to tight staffing. ie. my hospital pharmacist sister had 8 wks. of vacation of which she could only take some days  .ie. 2-3 days here and there. Not 2-4 wks. of vacation away from hospital.  The rest of 2021 vacation days she will have to be paid out.  No wonder burn out is occurring, among other causes.

Our vax rates so far:

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13 hours ago, maddmaxx said:

It looks like covid will cost non covid patients their lives before this is over. 

It already has. A 1% mortality rate for non-Covid deaths has been linked to hospital system over crowding during the pandemic. Can’t get an ICU bed, can’t get dialysis… some can’t even get an EMT crew to their house in a timely fashion. 
 

And Omicron hospital admissions and deaths have started to rise.

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We were supposed to see a family that we know, yesterday.  I asked if anyone is feeling strange to let me know.  She cancelled and told me that she is not responsible for my health.  It was a heated conversation.  I asked a question, because I was concerned about breakthrough covid.  Her argument is that vax can carry too, and that the people that are dying are people with co-morbities.  

I guess, screw those people with co-morbitites.  We aren't going to work together as a society.  There is distrust in the medical system. Here we are.

This person told me that Omicron is not killing people.  This person also told me that Pfizer is only out for money. Moderna doesn't work.  

Here we are.

 

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15 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

We were supposed to see a family that we know, yesterday.  I asked if anyone is feeling strange to let me know.  She cancelled and told me that she is not responsible for my health.  It was a heated conversation.  I asked a question, because I was concerned about breakthrough covid.  Her argument is that vax can carry too, and that the people that are dying are people with co-morbities.  

I guess, screw those people with co-morbitites.  We aren't going to work together as a society.  There is distrust in the medical system. Here we are.

This person told me that Omicron is not killing people.  This person also told me that Pfizer is only out for money. Moderna doesn't work.  

Here we are.

more misunderstanding info. about omicron seriously affecting those never vaxed.

It wasn't that long ago, babies were given several different vaccination shots over a few years...for several different protections.

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46 minutes ago, shootingstar said:

more misunderstanding info. about omicron seriously affecting those never vaxed.

It wasn't that long ago, babies were given several different vaccination shots over a few years...for several different protections.

Those vaccines were effective in controlling symptoms and spread.  Covid vaccines do not to the same degree.  When doubt enters the realm of efficacy, it gets difficult to defend the value, especially when highly politicized.  

I just read that Mayo Clinic let 700 un-vaxxed nurses go in Minnesota.  Many of them have natural immunity having contracted Covid over the past 2 years.  There are many reasons for staffing shortages, almost all of them political. 

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59 minutes ago, Wilbur said:

Those vaccines were effective in controlling symptoms and spread.  Covid vaccines do not to the same degree.  When doubt enters the realm of efficacy, it gets difficult to defend the value, especially when highly politicized.  

I just read that Mayo Clinic let 700 un-vaxxed nurses go in Minnesota.  Many of them have natural immunity having contracted Covid over the past 2 years.  There are many reasons for staffing shortages, almost all of them political. 

The exhaustion for those working full-time in directly patient care, can be quite real.  Political reasons for nursing staff shortages in Can. vs. U.S. might be a bit different, for sure. But nurses worldwide...are the same for dealing with sick people who aren't conscious of what exactly is required of nursing care or  are incapable to properly thank a nurse or  who are just simply rude / violent. 

Alberta's govn't tactic to CUT/reduce nurses was just sick/short-sighted, so they retracted that ..temporarily. It's incredible insult and stupidity when our population in the 2 big cities continues to expand, even if slowly during pandemic.  Once the pandemic fades alot..our population ...will BOOM.  Because our real estate is alot cheaper than Toronto or Vancouver..for both residential and for companies to lease whether for  office or industrial. There are jobs right now in various sectors now.

We will still need those nurses due backlog of thousands of surgeries, of which some aren't day surgeries.

In my own family, I get their stories ...directly. Because all 4 different sibs work in 4 different hospitals.

I must listen and support them.  Examples:

1. My  hospital pharmacist sister at St. Michael's Hosptital (for forumites: a busy downtown research and teaching hospital that also is located near both rich and poor/homeless population) earned 8 wks. of vacation last yr. because she's been there for several decades.  Hospital policy at start of covid in Mar. 2020, decreed that staff could not take several consecutive wks. of vacation due to patient demand (it's not just covid even during periods of decrease, it's surgeries, etc. that must be done). Only 2-3 consecutive vacation days here and there throughout the year.  This  applies to nursing staff too.

So she's going to be paid out remainder of banked vacation. She is the primary breadwinner, her hubby is retired. They have 2 children still to support part of their university education.  

2. Another sister must take transit bus then subway, everyday along with every rider hopefully masked to work patient care intake for pediatric cancer floor  when she  meets parents and child(ren). Some of those buses are crowded. This sister doesn't drive and in lives in a different area of city.  So no car-sharing.

Then there's the doctor-sister who has her own challenges. Her hubby is a  CAnada Post delivery guy..and so he has to protect. CAnada Post has gotten smarter with their staff and procedures in 2020.  But then there's the public..

 

It's complicated in my family. Unlike other families during this pandemic, who are visiting each othere, when there are several health care workers in a family, there's far greater awareness and vigilance..

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4 hours ago, Wilbur said:

I just read that Mayo Clinic let 700 un-vaxxed nurses go in Minnesota.  Many of them have natural immunity having contracted Covid over the past 2 years.  There are many reasons for staffing shortages, almost all of them political. 

"Many" is a pretty vague term. Likewise, "past 2 years" is a LONG time frame to claim natural immunity, isn't it - especially when we've moved on to double vaxxed AND boosted as the norm & with places like Israel thinking double vaxxed and double boosted for their health professionals is the best path forward?  I'm fairly sure the Mayo Clinic is in a little better position to evaluate the cost/benefit of keeping or firing those folks, and ALL were given an opportunity to provide a valid reason they should not need a vaccination in their line of work.  Or maybe all the hospital systems in the US are just a bunch of political amateurs? :dontknow:  

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