Some have suggested that using that delay to increase life support capacity (i.e. sourcing mechanical ventilators) in hospital intensive care units could help. Sadly, preliminary (and limited) data suggests that up to 90 percent of COVID-19 patients who go on life support will die. So ‘more ventilators’ does not seem like the game-changer we seek. As a life support specialist, myself, I am greatly chagrined to admit this. Snip Germany currently has identified 31,554 active COVID-19 cases, and has had 149 deaths. While in South Korea around 120 of its 9,000 COVID-19 cases have so far ended in death, leading to a crude mortality rate of 1.3 percent. This downward trajectory of the COVID-19 mortality rate has caused the prominent scientist, Dr John Ioannidis of Stanford University, to speculate that it may end up being as low as 0.05 percent. Snip I am glad that extreme social distancing has been enforced. I do not think that either the young or the old would have taken the pandemic seriously until they saw schools and offices close. But once these measures have proven their effect, and the virus is demonstrably suppressed, public health authorities could consider ratcheting restrictions down in a way that respects demographic vulnerability. Perhaps two weeks from now, healthy people under 40 could return to work provided that they have no vulnerable people in their household. Perhaps a week after that, healthy people aged 40 to 50 could join them, and nurseries could reopen. End quote
If you've ever been innervated and placed on a ventilator you will understand that recovery just from that is very hard. I could not talk well for 3 weeks. It felt like I had a knot on my throat.
A friend had so much damage just from the tube his vocal cords got infected and they had to do a tracheostomy. He lost his vocal cords and still breaths thru the stoma, 5 years later.
Retired, US ARMY 1973-1994 ASE mechanic, Electrical 1994-1997 Retired GTE/VERIZON/FRONTIER 1997-2015
Posting cheap tech help (CRAP) here since Nov 97, 1000's of posts, some may be good.
03 Suzuki Burgman 650(Burger King) Scooter 65 Formula S Cuda 78 Little Red Express Truck 98 Buick Regal (wifes car)
