Monday, April 13, 2020

When did I realize something was very wrong? When Ohio began posting stats

April 12 COVID-19 snapshot for Ohio:
Data provided by ODH as of 2 p.m. April 12

Confirmed cases in Ohio: 6,518
Number hospitalized in Ohio: 1,948
Number of deaths in Ohio: 248
Number of cases in Franklin County: 943

My husband was in Riverside Hospital in Columbus (the largest) from Thursday evening  through Saturday noon—taken by squad after minor testing at our house (squad wouldn’t come in—he had to go outside). He got excellent care, and every test known for cardiac problems. He also said the hospital was virtually empty and staff had little to do. I’m sure they pounced on him as a paying customer. In some states hospitals are closing, medical staff are being fired or furloughed. So a problem created by the fear that some hospitals in major cities might be swamped has created another problem. A small medical practice close to our family will receive $183 in “government stimulus” thanks to the wrangling of the Democrats who are grabbing every imaginable piece of pork in sight, and also a rather strange regulation that if a doctor doesn’t take Medicaid patients, they don’t get the goodies. Small offices can’t afford Medicaid patients because the reimbursement is so paltry.

Look at those numbers. Ohio has many major cities all over the state (not confined to one like Illinois and Indiana). Cleveland, Youngstown, Akron, Toledo, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, but only 248 deaths. We probably get that many shootings on a week-end, or falls by the elderly. Or opioid deaths (we were the epicenter of that a few years ago due to the pipeline from Mexico which covers several states using Ohio). Most of these 248 are elderly, with heart problems, diabetes, pulmonary, etc. conditions. By the time my husband got to Riverside to be tested his LV function was at 35, and over 55 is “normal.” Another day and it might have been over—and some media investigative reporter probably would have claimed Upper Arlington architect dies of Covid19.

We are cowering in our homes afraid to even talk to neighbors. “Essential” businesses like Home Depot and Wal-Mart are up and running in Ohio, but the churches were closed for Easter. It’s ridiculous.

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