quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by MattW:
Just got word that all manufacturers of PPE are now directed to only sell to the government. I'm looking for confirmation still...

Personal Protection Equipment, perchance?

Precisely

PPE = Personal Protective Equipment

a possible additional contributing factor to Italy's problems

https://www.redstate.com/eliza...-by-the-wuhan-virus/

Bucking the advice of the EU and the US, Italy’s prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, signed onto China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This strategy was adopted by China in 2013 for the purpose of increasing their geopolitical power. It involved partnering with a particular country to develop an infrastructure project within their borders. The participating countries are forced to finance the work through Chinese banks, use Chinese construction companies who send Chinese workers and materials to complete the project.

The Federalist’s Helen Raleigh, herself from China, explains that for Beijing, the BRI “provides new markets and consistent demand for China’s goods and services, creates employment opportunities for Chinese workers, and gives China access to strategically important locations and natural resources. Beijing’s real objective is to leverage its newly gained financial power to greatly expand its geopolitical influence as well as its economic and military footing from Asia to Europe and Africa.”

Although BRI has been profitable for China, it’s been far less beneficial for the participating countries. Raleigh writes that at least eight of their “partner” nations “are so indebted to the Chinese that they had to hand over their strategic assets to China to offset their debt.” I’m sure that was China’s hope. Yet, in 2019, the governments of both Italy and Iran, both struggling with weak economies, agreed to take part.

As part of the deal, Italy opened an array of sectors to Chinese investment, from infrastructure to transportation, including letting Chinese state-owned companies hold a stake in four major Italian ports. The deal gave communist China a foothold in the heart of Europe, but Conte downplayed it as “no big deal at all.”

Lombardy and Tuscany are the two regions that saw the most Chinese investment. Nearly a year later, the first Wuhan coronavirus infection case in Italy was reported in the Lombardy region on Feb. 21. Today, Italy is experiencing the worst coronavirus outbreak outside China, and Lombardy is the hardest-hit region in the country. As of March 14, Italy reported 24,747 cases and 1,809 deaths. Now the entire country is in lockdown until at least April 3. Its economy is expected to contract 7.5 percent in the first quarter, opposite what Conte had hoped.

quote:

Originally posted by TXLe:
@DocH

Is this a legitimate source?

CROI Webcast

It is indeed - Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections; just finished their annual conference (virtually) last week. A significant venue for cutting-edge researchers to submit abstracts, present, share and discuss their research - and an important source of continuing medical education for physicians and other healthcare providers. Originally set up in 1993 as a result of HIV research, but obviously now expanded.

Italy Italy Italy!

quote:

Originally posted by MattW:
Just got word that all manufacturers of PPE are now directed to only sell to the government. I'm looking for confirmation still...

quote:

Originally posted by Krazeehorse:

quote:

Originally posted by smithnsig:
As far as Italy goes according to a Doctor friend of mine at UAB.

Johns Hopkins ranked nations healthcare systems on patient care and protection of health care workers. Italy was 59th, USA #1.

Italians have the one of the highest median age of the populations.

The median age of deaths in Italy is 79.5.

Smoking is still popular in Italy. Almost 30% smoke. USA 14%. This seems to be a big deal with Covid-19. We will see.


The Lombardy region had a large influx of infected people from the Wuhan province probably returners from Chinese New Year. Very large Chinese contingent travel back and forth on business.

There were approx. 10,000 quarantined in Lombardi that basically ignored it and went home throughout Italy.

Italians as a whole ignored directions to socially distance and carried on until the deaths started to accumulate.


He is still really nervous about this in the USA and it’s going to be a matter of months instead of weeks.

Another thing from someone who has communicated with Italian health care people is that they ran out of beds so they basically used those for younger people that had the best chances of surviving. The elderly were on there own and therefore the high mortality rate. (Obviously I can't document this but it seems very plausible to me)

I posted an article a few dozen pages ago with an interview with an Italian doctor talking about that being the case.

It's something that medical experts are concerned may happen here, hence all the talk about "flattening the curve" (slowing down the rate of infection so that cases are spread out over more time and hospitals are less overwhelmed).

[QUOTE
The media never misses an opportunity to exaggerate and sensationalize any problems. They are causing almost all of the problem and knee jerk over-reactions with their doomsday reporting. I have really come to hate and despise all media organizations for their lies and distortions of facts.[/QUOTE]

Trump agrees. He's really dumping on the media during his current press conference. He's taken his gloves off and pounding the shit out of them.

Jim

quote:

Originally posted by Krazeehorse:
Another thing from someone who has communicated with Italian health care people is that they ran out of beds so they basically used those for younger people that had the best chances of surviving. The elderly were on there own and therefore the high mortality rate. (Obviously I can't document this but it seems very plausible to me)

That was addressed indirectly in the WSJ article I posted on page 165. A couple of quotations with emphasis added:

“Most are headed to the Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital, a large, modern medical facility in a prosperous Italian city that has been overwhelmed by the coronavirus disease. There aren’t enough ventilators to intubate all patients with Covid-19 who have severe breathing trouble. The intensive- care unit is taking almost no patients older than 70.”

“The hospital had planned to send severe cases to Bergamo. ‘But we got indications that, if patients are over 65 or 70, they won’t get intubated,’ said Davide Grataroli, one of the hospital doctors. ‘So, we’ve chosen to manage them here as best we can.’”

So all that’s good news for the young whippersnappers here: If you’re young, you’re less likely to develop a life-threatening condition; if you do, you’re more likely to be deemed worthy of being kept alive; and—bonus!—the Social Security and other retirement rolls are likely to be pruned back a little sooner than otherwise.

Really glad that Trump is giving it to those despicable "reporters."

quote:

Originally posted by Keystoner:
Really glad that Trump is giving it to those despicable "reporters."

No kidding and he's naming names. I love it.

Jim

I've been openly critical of how Trump handles the media in many cases, but have never been more proud than when he nailed the media for being more concerned with sensationalism than accurate reporting. The media is making this way worse than it has to be, and are doing everything they can to undermine efforts and spread panic.

Go TRUMP!

Maladat and Sigfreud, I deleted.

sister in law just got tested. woke up with 101 fever and sore throat.

She has recently been in Orlando and Texas. About 2 weeks ago.

quote:

Originally posted by Krazeehorse:
Maladat and Sigfreud, I deleted.

I can't speak for Sigfreund, but I wasn't complaining that you posted a subject that has already been talked about, I was confirming that it's more than just a "heard from a friend who heard from a friend" thing.

quote:

Originally posted by Krazeehorse:
Maladat and Sigfreud, I deleted.

I apologize if my post came across as criticism of yours; that was not my intent. I was just emphasizing that point about how Italy is handling things, and which is an example of why I keep monitoring this thread despite the innumerable ad nauseam posts that provide nothing new and which make it somewhat difficult to follow the important stuff. Like maladat, I wanted to point out that your post wasn’t just Internet rumor.

Italy is the model against which the U.S. is being compared these days, and it’s important that we understand how valid that comparison may be.

As for my last comment about the young whippersnappers, that was merely a feeble attempt at a little sarcastic humor.

Maladat and Sigfreud, we're cool. I just thought I'd clean up an already long ambitious thread. There is so much here, probably why I forgot it had been posted. Not because I skipped it.