Are we about to become the #1 hotspot in the U.S.? (Houston: tax, budget)

[As Above So Below...]

Originally Posted by houston-nomad

Right, Dr. Peter Hotez, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. But it's "just his opinion."

People in Houston are just now like, “Gee, maybe everyone should really be wearing a mask! Let’s do that, and then everything will be okay, and we can still go out and have fun.” Dr. Hotez is waving his arms and shouting, “It’s not enough! It’s too late! Shut things down” and people are like, “Well that's extreme. It's his opinion and that's fine, but I'm going to disregard it, put my little mask on and head out.”

And here is the head of the NIH:

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/23/coro...auci-says.html

Like I said, HIS OPINION. Some immunologists share it and some dont.

Bottom line is this: a true shut down wont happen. Its just not going to. So you stay at home and eat the grass growing in your back yard if you get hungry and Ill put on my mask and try to regain some sense of life. Im not going to go the ICU and make out with patients, but yes I will spend time with friends, I will spend time outdoors, and (so long as they take masks and social distancing protocols properly) I will go to restaurants.

[houston-nomad]

Originally Posted by As Above So Below...

And here is the head of the NIH:

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/23/coro...auci-says.html

Like I said, HIS OPINION. Im sure some immunologists share it and some dont.

Bottom line is this: a true shut down wont happen. Its just not going to. So you stay at home and eat the grass growing in your back yard if you get hungry and Ill put on my mask and try to regain some sense of life.

You just argued against yourself. Neither man is saying shut everything down. They're advising rolling back. For example, if bars and gyms are the problem, roll that back. Go back to 25% at restaurants.

Is nobody capable of nuanced thinking anymore????

[Pine to Vine]

Originally Posted by As Above So Below...

Thats too sweeping. The Sunbelt spans a great distance full of places that had completely different approaches to opening up, yet we all ended up the same way.

Sounds sunbelt to me:

” Seven states are reporting new highs for current coronavirus hospitalizations, according to data tracked by The Washington Post — Arizona, Arkansas, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...ve-updates-us/.

Notice Louisiana, one sunbelt state that took serious steps to stop the spread, is not among these states. And note none (zilch, nada) are from the northeast or industrial Midwest.

We obviously disagree on this aspect of Houston’s covid crisis. I’ve outlined my views on this matter, so I’d risk repeating myself with further posts. If you’d like to have the final word between us, please be my guest.

My final word is that I hope you guys get this under control soon.

[Aliana926]

97 percent of ICU beds at Texas Medical Center now occupied as COVID-19 cases reach record highs


https://www.khou.com/article/news/he...f-87f9c7956680

[Texas Ag 93]

Originally Posted by Aliana926

97 percent of ICU beds at Texas Medical Center now occupied as COVID-19 cases reach record highs


https://www.khou.com/article/news/he...f-87f9c7956680

Just to clarify, the 97% filled is based on regular ICU capacity, there are significant number of additional beds available based on surge plans. And, as the article pointed out, normal occupancy rates are close to 80% most of the time anyway. Looks like as of today, 26% of those ICU beds are Covid patients. Not trying to discount the importance here, because we shouldn't be thinking "well, there's plenty of surge capacity, so we'll be okay."

The goal should be to never get to surge capacity. They'll probably try to cut ICU census by reimplementing the moratoriums and limits on elective and non emergent surgical cases and procedures, something that greatly reduces hospital revenue and was the impetus for cost cutting measures including layoffs and salary reductions in many hospitals across the country.

[houston-nomad]

Originally Posted by Texas Ag 93

Just to clarify, the 97% filled is based on regular ICU capacity, there are significant number of additional beds available based on surge plans. And, as the article pointed out, normal occupancy rates are close to 80% most of the time anyway. Looks like as of today, 26% of those ICU beds are Covid patients. Not trying to discount the importance here, because we shouldn't be thinking "well, there's plenty of surge capacity, so we'll be okay."

The goal should be to never get to surge capacity. They'll probably try to cut ICU census by reimplementing the moratoriums and limits on elective and non emergent surgical cases and procedures, something that greatly reduces hospital revenue and was the impetus for cost cutting measures including layoffs and salary reductions in many hospitals across the country.

True-- my sister is a doctor in Texas, and sat home baking bread and making no money for two months because her area of work was disallowed during the first shutdown. It's so weird. But she understood the reasoning.

[txbullsfan]

Houston is making international headlines - from the Guardian news:

Texas Covid-19 cases hit all time daily high as Houston hospitals near capacity
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...ston-hospitals

To cope with the surge, some adult ICU patients are being treated at Texas Children’s hospital in Houston, the country’s fourth-largest city.

“Just like that – in Houston we, the pediatricians at Texas Children’s Hospital, will now start seeing adult patients,” tweeted pediatrician Shuhada Hooli. “I’m up for the challenge, but please help us out. #WearAMask and stay home. I guess its time to retire my giraffe reflex hammer…”

"In response to the hospital admitting adults, its endowed chair in tropical pediatrics, Dr Peter Hotez, tweeted: “We knew this day would come, I thought perhaps later this summer or fall, but the exponential rise came a bit early.”

"Houston’s Texas medical center, often referred to as the largest medical center in the world, showed its ICU beds were at 97% capacity."

"The surge in cases in Texas and increase in hospitalizations has been accompanied by a higher rate of positive tests. These are indicators cases are not increasing just because more people are being tested."

"The head of the Houston Methodist hospital system, Dr Marc Boom, wrote in an email to employees on Friday: “We appear to be nearing the tipping point.”

Boom continued: “Should the number of new cases grow too rapidly, it will eventually challenge our ability to treat both Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 patients.”

Texas was one of the first states to reopen, prompting Donald Trump to praise Abbott’s leadership of the state during the pandemic. At a meeting in the White House in May, the president said of Abbott: “I rely on his judgement.”

In the face of criticism that Texas was reopening too quickly, Abbott had insisted the state could contain any new outbreaks. But the skyrocketing number of cases have prompted him to reverse course.

- end article excerpts

[txbullsfan]

It is a shame really. We were on day 5 or 6 of a 7 day prescription (wear a mask, socially distance, stay shut down with non essential businesses and stay home) and we started to feel a little better and see a light at the end of the tunnel so we discontinued our prescription and flushed it down the toliet. Freedom is the US's greatest strength but its greatest weakness.

This could have all been avoided. Just look at other countries who have more dense populations then ours where the virus burnt out that did avoid large hospitalization rates and a resurgent virus because they did follow the prescription in its entirety. We opened too early and people were both too selfish and too stubborn to listen to the damn prescription.

[Redlionjr]

Originally Posted by txbullsfan

Houston is making international headlines - from the Guardian news:

Texas Covid-19 cases hit all time daily high as Houston hospitals near capacity
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...ston-hospitals

To cope with the surge, some adult ICU patients are being treated at Texas Children’s hospital in Houston, the country’s fourth-largest city.

“Just like that – in Houston we, the pediatricians at Texas Children’s Hospital, will now start seeing adult patients,” tweeted pediatrician Shuhada Hooli. “I’m up for the challenge, but please help us out. #WearAMask and stay home. I guess its time to retire my giraffe reflex hammer…”

"In response to the hospital admitting adults, its endowed chair in tropical pediatrics, Dr Peter Hotez, tweeted: “We knew this day would come, I thought perhaps later this summer or fall, but the exponential rise came a bit early.”

"Houston’s Texas medical center, often referred to as the largest medical center in the world, showed its ICU beds were at 97% capacity."

"The surge in cases in Texas and increase in hospitalizations has been accompanied by a higher rate of positive tests. These are indicators cases are not increasing just because more people are being tested."

"The head of the Houston Methodist hospital system, Dr Marc Boom, wrote in an email to employees on Friday: “We appear to be nearing the tipping point.”

Boom continued: “Should the number of new cases grow too rapidly, it will eventually challenge our ability to treat both Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 patients.”

Texas was one of the first states to reopen, prompting Donald Trump to praise Abbott’s leadership of the state during the pandemic. At a meeting in the White House in May, the president said of Abbott: “I rely on his judgement.”

In the face of criticism that Texas was reopening too quickly, Abbott had insisted the state could contain any new outbreaks. But the skyrocketing number of cases have prompted him to reverse course.

- end article excerpts

Even though I think it’s some political undertones to all the national press pouncing on Texas and other Red states rights now because of the spikes it’s all well deserving.

Just to hear the vulnerability in some of these “leaders” voices after opening too soon is comical to me.

[bu2]

Well you would never hear the MSM make this link, but the increase in hospitalizations occurred 6 days after tens of thousands demonstrated for Floyd.

As for Texas being a hotbed (whether Houston is remains to be seen, but seems unlikely given TX low numbers) that is total nonsense by people who actually believe the MSM talking points. From June 9th to 24th, Texas deaths per million increased by 15.8 That placed Texas 38th. By contrast, Rhode Island lead with 132, followed by Delaware with 120 and New Jersey with 117.

And the jurisdictions below Texas were pretty much all small states that have had low death totals all along-Utah, Kansas, North Dakota, Oregon, Oklahoma, Wyoming, West Virginia, Maine, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Vermont and Hawaii.
The overall Texas death rate is 78.8 per million, placing Texas 41st. New York is 1,611 and New Jersey 1,478.