Rants and WTF are you talking about and Coronavirus!

[Delta Indigo]

I doubt that differences in death rates amongst developed nations can be explained to any great degree by differences in the quality of care. Infection rates and their control are arguably the greatest source of differences.

Higher population density in Western European cities facilitated a faster spread of the virus that frequently overwhelmed health infrastructure. The US has comparative advantages because of geography / population density, but where it doesn't you have similar problems to what we've witnessed in Italy, Spain etc. New York city is the textbook example, where around one third of the national death toll is generated by 2. 5% of the population.

Some of the developed nations that have to date fared best, such as Australian and New Zealand, have greatly benefitted from low population densities and their lack of neighbours. Certain Southeast Asian countries have been much better at controlling the spread of the virus from an early stage because their testing, tracking and isolating programs have been superior.

I agree, there are many quotes here saying that this or that is proof of the quality of certain health care systems. The prime determinants of a countries mortality rate per population, not per infection, is its underlying population density and the stage of the pandemic it is in.

Lower population densities certainly help, it is no wonder that New York is the worst afflicted area of the US. However the only way to assess a health care system is the mortality rate per those who are seriously afflicted with the disease, we don't really have such general statistics, but we can assess mortality rates per known infection.

And in that respect certain countries are doing quite poorly despite the futile assertions to the contrary here and from the numbers I have just seen on CNN, the US is not doing particularly badly but it is in an earlier phase of the pandemic, given the lag between infection time and death, the mortality rate will increase in the US.

There aren't really any effective treatments for this as far as I know, so it is really up to your immune system. The reason people are touting arguments like our health care system is much better, we will therefore handle it better or we are just better people is that they are deadly scared and nervous and hoping this is the case against a careful reading of the evidence.

Lower population densities coupled with a sensible lockdown are a definitive advantage, certainly Australia is far less vulnerable than India would be given its far lower density, but in this respect the US outside of its relatively dense urban areas, of which there are relatively few, would have a slower rate of progression than many European regions. Unless there is an effective treatment, no countries health care system will make much of a difference.

[Mursenary]

Without a doubt population density majorly determines infection rates which in turn plays a heavy hand in determining mortality rates (deaths within a total population). What the density angle doesn't really explain is the case fatality rate, CFR (deaths once you have the disease). In the case of the US, ours is sitting at 3. 7%. Even in densely populated NYC as you explain, that rate is at 6.3%. Compare those numbers to the entire countries of France, Spain, Belgium, UK, and the Netherlands whose CFR are all over 10%. The city of NYC alone, despite its density, is keeping people alive at a greater rate than entire western European countries even when you dilute their infection rates with the countryside. So despite overloading the healthcare system in our most densely populated city, we are still producing better results than entire developed countries.

As for quality of care, while the science of medicine is somewhat universal, the logistics of delivering that care is not. The US has the most number of critical care beds and ventilators per capita than any nation in the world. In addition to doctors, we utilize a system of mid-level providers such as Nurse practitioners (NPs) and Physicians Assistants (PAs). In addition, our nurses are more likely to be university educated than those in Europe. Despite our problems with poor general health and a population suffering from chronic illnesses, the numbers do show that we are superior in responding to an acute medical crisis than most of our developed nation peers.

At any rate, my point was to correct several statements that portrayed a picture of American carnage responding to Covid-19 and other criticisms of American healthcare when the data show that we are doing a better job than most of these western European nations. And I'll reiterate the need to pay attention to the data rather than the sensational images on your screens. That's what smart men do, use the data.

I doubt that differences in death rates amongst developed nations can be explained to any great degree by differences in the quality of care. Infection rates and their control are arguably the greatest source of differences.

Higher population density in Western European cities facilitated a faster spread of the virus that frequently overwhelmed health infrastructure. The US has comparative advantages because of geography / population density, but where it doesn't you have similar problems to what we've witnessed in Italy, Spain etc. New York city is the textbook example, where around one third of the national death toll is generated by 2. 5% of the population.

Some of the developed nations that have to date fared best, such as Australian and New Zealand, have greatly benefitted from low population densities and their lack of neighbours. Certain Southeast Asian countries have been much better at controlling the spread of the virus from an early stage because their testing, tracking and isolating programs have been superior.

[DasBooty]

More testing means more of the infected people will be confirmed to have the virus.

Yes, which means that the death rate will be more accurate compared to when less testing takes place e. G. Sweden. Unfortunately some people here fail to understand that and basically draw conclusions from data which they do not understand.

[Sirioja]

You are right. Let get back to sex topic after today then LOL.

I much prefer to talk about mongering than virus, which I can do with my private life, where as mongering, I cannot discuss in my private life.

You don't tell to your relatives, or neighbors, or at work, where you spend your holidays? When I tell about my holidays, ski free riding or bicycle climbing, people say: You are so passionate, when You tell You have stars in eyes, like when I see a beauty, but they are rare.

[Admin]

Thread Starter.