Health and Sanity category archive
The Epidemiologist Quacks Up 0
E. J. Montini warns us to get medical advice from persons who know what they are talking about.
A Tune for the Times 0
Warning: Some language.
The Art of the Con, Going Viral Dept. 0
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on the epidemic of scams designed to feed on the fear of COVID-19. Here’s a bit about one of them; follow the link for the lengthy litany.
“It will seem legitimate to people who have heard in the news that those distributions might be coming,” said Jonathan Sasse, marketing executive at First Orion, an Arkansas company that builds scam protections for mobile-phone users. “And often times, where scammers are very successful is if they’re dealing with a too-good-to-be-true thing like an offer of funds in times of desperate financial conditions.”
As the saying goes, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.
Crisis Response, Florida Man Style 0
Brendan Kuty is–er–somewhat taken aback at the doings in the Florida Man state.
Crisis Response 0
At The American Scholar, Philip Alcabes argues that the coronavirus presents us with a crisis, but not as it is being portrayed. He suggests that actual crisis is manifest in three ways. Here’s one; follow the link for the other two.
Second, we face a crisis of leadership. The playbook for a public health approach to contagion is clear and well known, and it has been practiced often: test widely for infection, trace contacts of the infected to locate further cases, isolate cases so they don’t infect others, refer the sick for treatment. But that has not happened yet in the United States. It should have, but it didn’t.
(snip)
Why this kind of stewardship didn’t happen is hard to know. Perhaps there’s no hope for such stewardship in an administration that has not so much created a vacuum of leadership as actively attacked it. For instance, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has often tried to take on the role of communicator, only to be undermined by the president. We are left with the present siege situation.
Epidemiology, Opening the Door Dept. 0
At the Portland Press-Herald, Herb Janick, makes the case that the Republican Party paved the way for the coronavirus through its failure to consider and protect the common good. He gives three examples of how it did so; follow the link for his discussion of each one:
First, rather than recognize that the federal government has a critical role, the Republican Party has spent years denigrating and demonizing the government and its important role in society.
Second, the Republican Party has sought to diminish the role of experts and science and replace them with ideology.
Third, the Republican Party has supported a president who manifestly is not fit to lead.
Contagion, Reprise 0
Speaking of said less than competent response, here’s a view from the trenches.
Uncoordinated 0
An interstate trucker draws on her own experience to talk with Thom about the need for a coordinated national response to COVID-19.
Bait and Switch 0
What happens if you are ill and get unknowingly referred to an “out of network” health care provider?
Why, you get to shake the fee hand of the market.
A Trumpled Emergency 0
A Poem, Not by Henry Gibson:
Thank heavens for governors with guts,
Though they hardly make up for President Putz.
Lies and Lying Liars, Going Viral Dept. 0
At azcentral.com, E. J. Montini reviews news of the coronavirus and rounds up the flock of falsehoods flooding the foreground, foremost among them those fomented by our Liar-in-Chief.
Facebook Frolics, Going Viral Dept. 0
At Science 2.0, Hank Campbell warns us that Facebook is not a good place to study epidemiology.
Follow the link for his evidence.
Epidemiology, Claim Denied Dept. 0
Farron discusses an article by a doctor arguing that “Medicare for All” is the best option for providing decent healthcare to Americans, as opposed to our current predatory for profit system.
Transcript here.
Aside:
We went to the symphony yesterday. When the conductor came on stage, instead of shaking hands with the first violinist/concert master, as is the custom, the two of them bumped elbows.
The guest soloist did the same with the first violinist and the conductor.