Yeah, we have been having the same issue next door here in Maine. The area with the highest case rate right now is Androscoggin County. Mostly Lewiston/Auburn.
Exactly. In the last month two people that I personally knew have died from COVID, one was a friend's mother who contracted it from a person who delivered their groceries, was only in the house long enough to put them away and was coughing. It infected both my friend and his mom, the mother didn't survive it unfortunately, both unvaccinated.
Vaccine efficacy is waning for those who got it first and there's concerns boosters aren't being rolled out fast enough here in GB. We're now seeing infection rates higher than at any point since the very peak of the second wave (as bad as it got so far) and hospitals are creeping up from bad winter levels of pressure back towards critical. Deaths are still thankfully lower than in previous waves currently.
I read there is a new variant in the UK discovered in July (AY.4.2), that has slowly been increasing its share of cases, now at 8%. Based on its growing prevalence, it's estimated to have a 10% transmissibility advantage over the original Delta.
As far as I’m aware it’s still Delta/ Delta plus behind the current surge, and the major driver is that virtually all restrictions are now voluntary and very lax in enforcement, we’re 90% back to pre COVID normal… but the COVID vaccines that were keeping things at bay are now waning in effectiveness. It’s like we’re slipping back to square one but no one is willing to take responsibility for themselves and use masks, or keep 1m+ apart etc unless the government steps in and jumps up and down on them to. Honestly it’s quite maddening, people know the drill by now and can see what’s going on but seem to be past caring.
www.3newsnow.com
For the first time, Nebraska Medicine (The medical association that links all of Nebraska's public and private hospitals) have had to turn away patients. Not all of it is totally due to COVID; lack of staffing is a contributing factor. But they also are running out of beds in the ICUs as well. This is not boding well going into the winter seasons here.
Nebraska Medicine turning away transfers from other hospitals is 'gut punch'
Nebraska Medicine's Chief Operating Officer Cory Shaw calls it a "gut punch" to have to turn transfers away.
BL.
There are limits to the free part of the service, it has to be said. It literally stops at the border. A few years ago, I needed a range of injections and tablets for a project in India. Because this was an overseas trip, I had to make an appointment at my local hospital (my GP could not help) and secure a private prescription for the necessary meds. I had to pay £20 for a private prescription note alone. The jabs were given for free as they fell within the range of vaccinations/innoculations routinely performed by the NHS, however, malaria tablets cost me an additional £100.
But look at the difference in taxes. I am originally from Canada where they also have a government funded health care system. A couple of years ago I compared my US taxes with a friend who was in Canada, and even though they were only making about 2/3 of my salary, they were paying 2x in taxes which was much more than what I was paying for my health insurance. Both the same family situation (both single at the time). And try to compare the availability of services in the US vs most other countries. I know when Covid first started I looked up how many ICU beds US had vs other countries and I think for UK it was like 10x more in the US.
It really doesn't. Studies have shown that even the richest Americans have somewhat worse outcomes from the health system than average Europeans. (Example.)
Obesity in Europe has almost caught up with us. Americans also exercise more than Europeans. The studies are more sophisticated than that anyway -- they adjust for such factors.
