There are some … unique … aspects to the US that make the risks of coronavirus getting out of hand higher than places in Europe. They’re tough to quantify, but hear me out. 1 / n
First, people in the US tend to avoid seeking medical care due to the cost. So, a lot of people who get sick won’t get tested because they can’t afford a $ 1, 823 medical bill for getting tested and seeking treatment. 2 / n businessinsider.com/miami-man-does…
Next, people in the US aren’t guaranteed sick leave or days off. Employers routinely tell people “come in, or you’re fired.” Particularly in low wage jobs where people handle food … So they’ll come in sick and … boom. 3 / n
Worth noting that coronavirus doesn’t generally completely incapacitate people, so a lot of workers will believe they can tough it out through a day of work. 4 / n
Then there’s kids. Because of the lack of sick time off for parents, and the prohibitive cost of health care, if their kid gets sick they’re less likely to try to stay home with their them, or take them in for medical treatment. 5 / n
In home child care is prohibitively expensive as well for single moms and lower income families where both parents work. So, they’re much more likely to send their child to school, and hope they can tough it out. 6 / n
This is very likely to happen early in the symptomatic period where people are ambulatory and functional. Parents will find excuses like, it’s not that bad, it’s Friday, they can recover over the weekend, we’ll see how it goes, etc … 7 / n
Also, the US health care system is built for maximum profit. There has long been a drive to eliminate excess bed capacity at hospitals. As a result, the US ranks 50 nd out of 70 in hospital beds per people among OECD countries. 8 / n
If coronavirus gets rolling in the US, we will “break” the system very quickly as occupancy passes – 94%. 9 / n nj.gov/health/rhc/doc…
I’m not saying this WILL happen, but are risks worth considering, because all of them are systemic failures within the US to provide medical care via single payer, sick leave, child care availability. The for-profit nature of US health care is a risk. / n
UPDATE: Trump has put Pence in charge of the response, and people have brought up a few additional points.
Trump admin does not want to disrupt the economy or consumer confidence, because his re-election depends on it. / n
Also, data is emerging showing % of coronavirus deaths occur in people over 50. A pandemic would disproportionately affect Trump’s base. CDC saying – % of US could become infected. Inside the WH, I suspect there’s a sense of urgency. / n
Someone else on this thread pointed out that without sick leave, parents will be tempted to leave sick kids with their grandparents. Given the statistic above … that would be bad. / n
Also, the CDC’s initial test for coronavirus has proved ineffective. Things could already be worse than we know. This is a known unknown. / n
washingtonpost.com/health/01575879 / …
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