Over Six Hundred DOCTORS Send Letter To Trump Demanding Economy Be Reopened

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Pavel Mosko

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It's a short video by Vlogger / Journalist Tim pool. 11 minutes plus or so. A group of around Six Hundred doctors wrote a letter to president Trump to reopen the economy that they saw many health / mental health problems occurring because of the shelter in place orders in many states.



 
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Tanj

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Wow. A whole 600??

You understand there's like 1 million doctors in the USA, right?

Total doctors of medicine U.S. 1949-2015 | Statista


So that's 0.06% of them. You think the USA should make decisions affecting the entire country based on the opinion of 0.06% of one profession? If I could show that 0.06% of car mechanics supported communism, would you support that?
 
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pitabread

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The problem with the argument that economic harm is going to lead to widespread causalities is this runs contrary to the actual evidence on the effect of the economy on mortality rates.

I started digging into this and was surprised to learn that upswings in the economy are correlated with increases to mortality rates (e.g. more deaths), whereas downturns in the economy are the opposite. Even during the Great Depression, people actually lived longer than previously.

I talk about it in this thread: An upcoming recession might actually save, not cost lives

Now, it's true that there are specific negative impacts; greater rates of suicide for example. And the point about people not seeking medical checkups during the pandemic is an issue. But there are solutions to these that don't necessarily entail trying to prematurely open things up and potentially exposing many more people to COVID-19.

This claim from the letter reads like hyperbolic fear-mongering and not necessarily anything based on fact:

The millions of casualties of a continued shutdown will be hiding in plain sight,but they will be called alcoholism, homelessness, suicide, heart attack, stroke, or kidney failure. In youths it will be called financial instability, unemployment, despair, drug addiction, unplanned pregnancies, poverty, and abuse.
 
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Ophiolite

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This claim from the letter seems mostly fear-mongering and not necessarily anything based on fact:

The millions of casualties of a continued shutdown will be hiding in plain sight,but they will be called alcoholism, homelessness, suicide, heart attack, stroke, or kidney failure. In youths it will be called financial instability, unemployment, despair, drug addiction, unplanned pregnancies, poverty, and abuse.
Just to be clear, this is meant to be a description of what is projected to happen (by the 600 doctors), not a summary of where the USA stands at the moment? /irony
 
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At some point we have to open back up. We cannot keep gong like this yes people will get it and yes sadly some will even die, but we have to open back up. People say we should prevent as many deaths as possible think of all the ways people die that are lifestyle related, yet I do not see many people calling for a ban on cigarettes, in most areas the PACKAGE stores stayed open pretty sure booze is not a NEEDED thing. People ( in general do not support mandated portion controls) People drive cars every day, people use fossil fuels ( do you know how much shorter the lifespan of those minders are? I can promise you that many 1000s of deaths could be prevented by those things, yet very few people are up in arms about most of that. Moreover, people are starting to die or come close to it because they are AFRAID to seek non- virus related care. We need to open back up and let people make their own decisions about what they feel is best for them whether than staying shut down and waiting for this to stop.
 
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cow451

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I have worked with doctors of all sorts for 40 years. The vast majority are wise as well as smart. Sooooo..... one should not consider 600 as a big number.
 
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Desk trauma

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This needs a response like was given to creationists producing lists of scientist, notably not biologist, who support their ideas. Someone organized an effort to find an equal number of scientists who accept evolution and were named Kevin, or something to that effect. I prepose finding 600, or more, medical doctors named James who disagree with this nonsense.
 
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This needs a response like was given to creationists producing lists of scientist, notably not biologist, who support their ideas. Someone organized an effort to find an equal number of scientists who accept evolution and were named Kevin, or something to that effect. I prepose finding 600, or more, medical doctors named James who disagree with this nonsense.
Steve. And yes, these 600 were undoubtedly recruited.
 
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At some point we have to open back up. We cannot keep gong like this yes people will get it and yes sadly some will even die, but we have to open back up. People say we should prevent as many deaths as possible think of all the ways people die that are lifestyle related, yet I do not see many people calling for a ban on cigarettes, in most areas the PACKAGE stores stayed open pretty sure booze is not a NEEDED thing. People ( in general do not support mandated portion controls) People drive cars every day, people use fossil fuels ( do you know how much shorter the lifespan of those minders are? I can promise you that many 1000s of deaths could be prevented by those things, yet very few people are up in arms about most of that. Moreover, people are starting to die or come close to it because they are AFRAID to seek non- virus related care. We need to open back up and let people make their own decisions about what they feel is best for them whether than staying shut down and waiting for this to stop.

Ridiculous argument...!

Booze, smokes, cars....are all a matter of individual choice! They aren’t the responsibility of governments, in terms of who uses them or who doesn’t...

However, the primary concern of governments is to protect their citizens from those things which threaten their safety and security........like pandemic diseases...!
 
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KCfromNC

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At some point we have to open back up. We cannot keep gong like this yes people will get it and yes sadly some will even die, but we have to open back up.
Have you decided which of your friends and family you're OK with condemning to die by a hasty reopening, or do you want it to be a surprise?
 
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Pavel Mosko

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Now, it's true that there are specific negative impacts; greater rates of suicide for example. And the point about people not seeking medical checkups during the pandemic is an issue. But there are solutions to these that don't necessarily entail trying to prematurely open things up and potentially exposing many more people to COVID-19.

It's not that hyperbolic. During the height of the shutdown, all medical treatment that wasn't either Covid related or Emergency room urgent was put off. That means that for 4-6 weeks people who were scheduled for serious stuff like cancer treatment, e.g. tumors removed, chemo therapy, and other serious issues like needing knee surgery to be able to walk because of extreme pain etc. ; those people were stuck, furthermore all medical personnel around those services were also unemployed along with the rest of the populace. And the governors of many states were dragging their feet on having those services restored....

I think the fear of blame has largely shaped public policy on these issues, and not any genuine cost benefit analysis that goes into any legitimate public policy decisions.
 
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pitabread

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Open it all up. Everywhere. Now.

Not a good idea.

Opening everything back up like the pandemic isn't there is just going to result in a spike in infections. It would undo all the effort that went into containing the spread in the first place.
 
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Tigger45

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Once again Trump can’t muster up the popular vote especially within the medical community. Also I’d wager to guess this group of 600 has an exceedingly high percentage of those who also voted for Trump conveniently matching his own inclinations.
 
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pitabread

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It's not that hyperbolic. During the height of the shutdown, all medical treatment that wasn't either Covid related or Emergency room urgent was put off. That means that for 4-6 weeks people who were scheduled for serious stuff like cancer treatment, e.g. tumors removed, chemo therapy, and other serious issues like needing knee surgery to be able to walk because of extreme pain etc. ; those people were stuck, furthermore all medical personnel around those services were also unemployed along with the rest of the populace. And the governors of many states were dragging their feet on having those services restored....

I think the fear of blame has largely shaped public policy on these issues, and not any genuine cost benefit analysis that goes into any legitimate public policy decisions.

As I said in my post, I agree that the putting off of medical care is an issue. That is something that could/should have been managed better.

However, most of what is in that list is hyperbolic and not in line with real data on economic downturns. They seem to fear that a down economy will increase deaths, when history shows the exact opposite.
 
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Pavel Mosko

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However, most of what is in that list is hyperbolic and not in line with real data on economic downturns. They seem to fear that a down economy will increase deaths, when history shows the exact opposite.

I'm not sure how much in politics can be done without some drama. It's like sales and marketing you usually have to over sell it because of only some of what you say sticks.

Have you done the Myers Briggs Personality Inventory test? You strike me as a NT maybe a INTP (I'm an INTJ). Anyway NTs don't like that sort of thing but unfortunately about 84% or more does seem to be motivated by it, and well even us NTs can be affected by such appeals if something touches our pet peeves and other concerns.
 
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Aryeh Jay

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In other news...

Advertisement-20-679-physicians-say-LUCKIES-are-less-irritating.jpg
 
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