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Just talking to a friend in PA and she and I think so much alike...she's also very much into strengthening her immune system and will be 83 this year. Anyway we caught up and compared notes on how things are going in PA vs CA..I reminded her CA has 40 million population. PA about 13 million or so. BUT.
She brought up this testing frenzy and said something I have been thinking all along. What will the testing do...there are no drugs, anything for this specific CV, so I say just treat it like a flu/virus and work to get better. A person knows when they don't fell well, at that point, start the healing on ones' own. Or maybe plant the theory that one has the virus. I have not done that, but I don't believe I'll get it, mind work, And following a lot of the pointers out there on prevention and healing.
With CV you can spread infections to a multitude of people before you even know your sick. If we were testing contacts of known cases, we could get them to quarantine themselves and not make others ill.
That's just one aspect of it.
But honestly that cat has been out of the bag for weeks, have do not have the personnel resources or enough testing kits at this time to trace anything, not even the obviously ill.
It's not all about the person who may be ill, it's all the people they may infect.
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I'm not all that frantic about testing, either. They won't test someone who's asymptomatic and they're the "dangerous" ones- they can spread it to many people when they don't even know they have it, which is why we need self-isolation. And I'm practicing that myself- got home from a trip Thursday, went grocery shopping for perishables, haven't left the house since.
If, heaven forbid, I were to develop symptoms I'd deal with them at home and call 911 if I had a fever and serious trouble breathing. No way I want to be hanging around doctor's offices and ERs unless I'm really sick myself. And then I'd hope they'd treat the symptoms, which seems to be all they can do, anyway. No test needed for that.
The husband and I have decided we wouldn't bother with testing if we get sick. We would just self-quarantine and inform those we had contact with. We would only seek medical attention if the symptoms became too much to manage at home.
Besides, they don't have enough tests - my understanding is that in some states they are only testing those with the worse symptoms.
With CV you can spread infections to a multitude of people before you even know your sick. If we were testing contacts of known cases, we could get them to quarantine themselves and not make others ill.
That's just one aspect of it.
But honestly that cat has been out of the bag for weeks, have do not have the personnel resources or enough testing kits at this time to trace anything, not even the obviously ill.
It's not all about the person who may be ill, it's all the people they may infect.
You're on the right track here with this argument.
The problem is, we don't have a good grasp on how sensitive/specific the available tests are-- we only know how well they compare to the most sensitive research definition of CoV , but we don't know how sensitive that test really is. (not to mention that the way in which the sample is collected is really important- a simple swab misses 2 out of 3 cases.)
I've read that the test is ~10% accurate-- that's about the same as the accuracy of a cardiac stress test. The problem is, if you have a false negative stress test, you're the only one who will drop dead. A false negative CoV test and, as you alertly point out, you go on to infect a geometrically expanding population.
The other question is-- how long is that negative test good for? About 2 seconds if the tech who took your sample unknowingly has it and coughs on you.
A positive test is only good to know about if you're an epidemiologist. A negative test is worthless. We still need to act on assumptions, not test results of precarious value.
She brought up this testing frenzy and said something I have been thinking all along. What will the testing do...there are no drugs, anything for this specific CV, so I say just treat it like a flu/virus and work to get better. A person knows when they don't fell well, at that point, start the healing on ones' own. Or maybe plant the theory that one has the virus. I have not done that, but I don't believe I'll get it, mind work, And following a lot of the pointers out there on prevention and healing.
So "just" because there is no cure for COVID-19 there's nothing that can be done? You can't give people oxygen or IV antibiotics to combat accompanying pneumonia? They just have to lie on their deathbed and make their peace with g-d? Oh - right, just take handfuls of supplements because who needs oxygen?
Whether or not you get it, and whether or not your supps work is meaningless - others....even in their 20's are getting it and are in the hospital getting treatment...and many will live because they are.
So "just" because there is no cure for COVID-19 there's nothing that can be done? You can't give people oxygen or IV antibiotics to combat accompanying pneumonia? They just have to lie on their deathbed and make their peace with g-d? Oh - right, just take handfuls of supplements because who needs oxygen?
Whether or not you get it, and whether or not your supps work is meaningless - others....even in their 20's are getting it and are in the hospital getting treatment...and many will live because they are.
I think you missed Jamin's point: a positive test won't change your treatment- there's no specific anti-viral meds, and if you go into resp/vent failure, you'll need to be on o2 & ventilator regardless of your test status.
To clarify on protocol after testing: if it's + then you must be in strict isolation; if it's - then you should still be in strict isolation if you're sick and relative isolation (social distancing/sheltering) even if you're not sick.
I think you missed Jamin's point: a positive test won't change your treatment- there's no specific anti-viral meds, and if you go into resp/vent failure, you'll need to be on o2 & ventilator regardless of your test status.
To clarify on protocol after testing: if it's + then you must be in strict isolation; if it's - then you should still be in strict isolation if you're sick and relative isolation (social distancing/sheltering) even if you're not sick.
Okay....treatment will be the same.
And we don't want to know who and how many people test positive?
What is the source of your 10% figure? The only source I can find that mentions anything like 10% is this but it is referring to a different situation in that it sounds like many people being tested were done so with little reason - that indicates the need to use the tests based not on hypochondria but those who match the symptom profile:
While the government is touting the capacity for testing, the actual numbers are falling far short of official claims, according to a report in The Atlantic.
The report claims that only 1,895 people have been tested for the coronavirus in the U.S., and about 10% of the people tested have contracted the disease. Even with the new tests available to states and local governments, the capacity only allows for several thousand tests to be conducted — not the tens of thousands the White House has hoped for, according to the report.
Do we have so little regard for helping scientists learn about these cases and the spread that we just "keep it to ourselves"?
So "just" because there is no cure for COVID-19 there's nothing that can be done? You can't give people oxygen or IV antibiotics to combat accompanying pneumonia? They just have to lie on their deathbed and make their peace with g-d? Oh - right, just take handfuls of supplements because who needs oxygen?
If someone can't breathe on their own and needs a ventilator or develops pneumonia, you treat that. You don't really need a positive COVID-19 test result to treat the symptoms (although the patient should be treated as COVID-positive by those around them and treating them). Among the sad stories getting posted (and who knows what the actual facts are) was one about a woman in her 20s or 30s who was tested but died 4 days after her test because the results weren't back. This makes no sense and I hope that they weren't just waiting around doing nothing for her symptoms.
If someone can't breathe on their own and needs a ventilator or develops pneumonia, you treat that. You don't really need a positive COVID-19 test result to treat the symptoms (although the patient should be treated as COVID-positive by those around them and treating them). Among the sad stories getting posted (and who knows what the actual facts are) was one about a woman in her 20s or 30s who was tested but died 4 days after her test because the results weren't back. This makes no sense and I hope that they weren't just waiting around doing nothing for her symptoms.
I can't believe ethical healthcare workers would stand around doing nothing and I think it is irresponsible to suggest otherwise. Of course, I don't know if she was at home treating herself or if she presented at a doctor's office, ED, etc.
But don't we consider it important to count her as having had the virus and trying to find out her contacts and track the spread?
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