There’s a New Potential Risk Group for Spreading the Coronavirus. It’s not old folks or millennials.

[Cimorene]

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/03/polls-republicans-coronavirus-spread.html

In every outbreak, some people are more susceptible than others. The current coronavirus pandemic preys on the elderly, for instance, and on people with underlying ailments. But in the United States, poll after poll shows the virus has found a population that’s particularly likely, through nonchalance and neglect, to help it spread. That population is Republicans.

Republicans don’t deserve collective blame. But in an epidemic, it’s important to confront the most efficient routes of transmission. In this case, the attitudes and behaviors likely to spread the virus are more prevalent in the GOP, and they need to be addressed by politicians and media organizations with conservative audiences.

Republicans, much more than Democrats, have been willing to entertain the idea that the virus is a hoax. Last week, in an Economist/YouGov survey, 16 percent of Republicans, compared with 10 percent of Democrats, said it was definitely or probably a hoax. Those numbers and the gap between them are fairly small. But when you factor in all the additional people who said it could be a hoax, the gap gets a lot bigger. Seventy-three percent of Democrats said the virus definitely wasn’t a hoax. Only 54 percent of Republicans agreed.

Given their relative skepticism and disinterest, Republicans have been far less likely than Democrats to take steps to prevent transmission of the virus. In a Civiqs/Daily Kos poll taken last week, only 23 percent of Republicans, compared with 46 percent of Democrats, said they were “taking precautions” or had “changed some of my day-to-day habits” to deal with the virus. In a Yahoo News/YouGov survey, only 55 percent of Republicans, versus 67 percent of Democrats, said they were washing their hands more often. Only 29 percent of Republicans, compared with 44 percent of Democrats, said they were avoiding “crowded public places.”

An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, taken from Wednesday to Friday, found that 61 percent of Democrats had stopped or were planning to stop “attending large public gatherings like movies, concerts or sporting events.” Only 30 percent of Republicans said the same. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll, taken from Wednesday to Sunday, found a similar partisan split. So did the NPR/Marist survey. In the Marist poll, 60 percent of Democrats, but only 36 percent of Republicans, said they had “decided to eat at home more often.” In the NBC survey, only 12 percent of Republicans, compared with 36 percent of Democrats, said they had stopped or were planning to stop eating at restaurants.

Even though we're young & even though we may not be Republicans ourselves there's probably older ppl we love who are Boomers. Even outside of the US where there's not the Republican party like in rural areas of Alberta, Canada Boomers parroted the flippancy of Trump & his rhetoric. I'm just grateful my own grandparents have been really sensible & methodical in planning. I still worry though.

 

[JohnAshton]

The boomers are not responsible for Trump's mistakes.

 

[Cimorene]

The boomers are not responsible for Trump's mistakes.

I'm not saying they are. I'm saying the Boomers are mistakingly basing unwise decisions on Trump's mistakes. I like the Boomers. I want them to be OK.

 

[Silmarien]

I'm not saying they are. I'm saying the Boomers are mistakingly basing unwise decisions on Trump's mistakes. I like the Boomers. I want them to be OK.

But not all Boomers are even Republicans. Has the word been redefined to mean an older Trump supporter or something? I'm kind of confused.

 

[JohnAshton]

Some boomers indeed are making unwise decisions, as are genxrs, millennials, zoomers, etc.

I wish it was a 100% vote against Trump, but . . . it won't.

The huge bailout legislation is gutting the far right's socialist arguments.

 

[dzheremi]

A friend of mine just sent me a link to a story (which I will not post here, given how it could be taken as anti-Gen Z) about the young college students who are still flocking to south Florida for spring break vacation despite the coronavirus situation. Some very ignorant views are expressed therein, and I couldn't help but shake my head thinking about these kids being vectors for transmission of the virus in a place like Florida, which is known for its large elderly population.

Unfortunately there is no age limit or political boundary on being a dangerous fool, going in either direction.

 

[Cimorene]

But not all Boomers are even Republicans. Has the word been redefined to mean an older Trump supporter or something? I'm kind of confused.

Oh I know!!! My grandparents are all Boomers & they're totally not Republican. Idk any Boomers who are Republican IRL. It just seems from the article that a lot of the ppl who are being super stubborn about not heeding the guidelines ARE Republicans. For the younger ppl doing this that's not as risky to their own health but it's posing a risk to the older ones. And there are a lot of Boomers who are Republicans. I don't want anybody getting sick.

 

[Zoii]

There’s a New Potential Risk Group for Spreading the Coronavirus
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/03/polls-republicans-coronavirus-spread.html







Even though we're young & even though we may not be Republicans ourselves there's probably older ppl we love who are Boomers. Even outside of the US where there's not the Republican party like in rural areas of Alberta, Canada Boomers parroted the flippancy of Trump & his rhetoric. I'm just grateful my own grandparents have been really sensible & methodical in planning. I still worry though.

I thoroughly support the view. You can see a microcosm of it on CF.
There is a thread Do you believe this Covid-19 is real?

Which suggests that a conservative Christian cohort, Republican politically, believe this virus to be a hoax - a conspiracy. Some of the posts are concerning, as they spread misinformation. They are an absolute liability as they are unlikely to conform to quarantine requirements should they contract the virus.

In Australia we have an ex-conservative party minister sprouting on National television that this was the creation of the Chinese, whose objective is to lower the elderly population and damage the stock market so that can exert greater international fiscal control over countries - A play for power. Never mind their is no evidence base to such comments.
I've already lodged a complaint to CF admin re allowing such comments to flourish here.

 

[dzheremi]

In Australia we have an ex-conservative party minister sprouting on National television that this was the creation of the Chinese

Ugh...you guys too? Watching Trump's press conference the other day where he referred to it as the "Chinese virus" was a bit much to take...I'm sorry this sort of thing is found in other modern, industrialized, supposed-to-be-smarter-than-this countries as well.

 

[Zoii]

Ugh...you guys too? Watching Trump's press conference the other day where he referred to it as the "Chinese virus" was a bit much to take...I'm sorry this sort of thing is found in other modern, industrialized, supposed-to-be-smarter-than-this countries as well.

Well fortunately is an EX politician - Not a current leader that suposed to be coordinating a national pandemic response

 

[Zoii]

Is testing for Covid-19 Virus free in USA. If you are unwell with the virus. Will you be able to be cared for in hospital if you are not insured?

 

[dzheremi]

Is testing for Covid-19 Virus free in USA. If you are unwell with the virus. Will you be able to be cared for in hospital if you are not insured?

I don't know about the costs of testing (I have heard conflicting information about this and am not sure who to believe), but in the United States no one who is admitted to an emergency room (where the worst cases of COVID-19 will be going) can be turned away or not treated due to lack of ability to pay.

 

[Zoii]

I don't know about the costs of testing (I have heard conflicting information about this and am not sure who to believe), but in the United States no one who is admitted to an emergency room (where the worst cases of COVID-19 will be going) can be turned away or not treated due to lack of ability to pay.

They go to an Emergency Department. No way really? Thats not good at all. We ensure that all Covid cases are separated from Emergency Departments with special Covid clinics, free assessment and testing, and free treatment if its required.

 

[hedrick]

They go to an Emergency Department. No way really? Thats not good at all. We ensure that all Covid cases are separated from Emergency Departments with special Covid clinics, free assessment and testing, and free treatment if its required.

You're supposed to call first, so they can make provisions. But even if it's physically separate it would still be considered "emergency room."

Zoli's point is that under US law emergency rooms are required to treat anyone, whether they can pay or not. However there are two concerns: (1) once they've done it, they'll try to recover the costs; that could end up bankrupting you, (2) it only includes short-term treatment needed to deal with the emergency. In this case, it may imply treating the whole course of the disease. I'm not sure how it's being handled. But in other contexts it includes neither preventative care nor followup treatment that isn't an emergency but is still necessary to preserve your life.

 

[Zoii]

Why Australia is dismayed at the US handling of the Covid-19
Forget the healthcare system. There's two other reasons Americans aren't getting tested for coronavirus

 

[Cimorene]

Is testing for Covid-19 Virus free in USA. If you are unwell with the virus. Will you be able to be cared for in hospital if you are not insured?

I wrote a post a while ago about a man who'd been to China, came home to the US, then started having symptoms of covid-19. So he was responsible & went to the hospital wanting a flu test. Instead of giving him that they gave him the test for covid-19. Turns out he did just have the flu. The first bill (the hospital told him for sure more would be coming) was $3400 & his insurance would only pay a portion of it but even then only if he showed 3 yrs of medical records to prove having the flu wasn't a preexisting condition.

In 2018 Trump made changes to insurance. So it allowed for "junk policies" that still cost several hundred dollars a month but cover pretty much nada bc they can exclude anything that is a preexisting condition & they consider pretty much anything to be one.

The man is 55, has a solid job, good salary. But his job doesn't provide insurance so he bought the policy. Obv. it's not really called a junk bond that's just what it is bc it's junk. Ppl buy it for catastrophic care like if something major happens they'll be covered, but in actuality it doesn't provide much protection at all.

There's been a major shortage of tests in the US. MAJOR.

@Stanfordella can write about this more if she has time she has finals this week. So students at Stanford invented their own test that has proven to be effective & faster. The uni itself made a test & now gives it at drive thru but you have to 1st see a dr & be referred. Seeing a dr costs money & time so it's all a mess.

 

[Zoii]

I wrote a post a while ago about a man who'd been to China, came home to the US, then started having symptoms of covid-19. So he was responsible & went to the hospital wanting a flu test. Instead of giving him that they gave him the test for covid-19. Turns out he did just have the flu. The first bill (the hospital told him for sure more would be coming) was $3400 & his insurance would only pay a portion of it but even then only if he showed 3 yrs of medical records to prove having the flu wasn't a preexisting condition.

In 2018 Trump made changes to insurance. So it allowed for "junk policies" that still cost several hundred dollars a month but cover pretty much nada bc they can exclude anything that is a preexisting condition & they consider pretty much anything to be one.

The man is 55, has a solid job, good salary. But his job doesn't provide insurance so he bought the policy. Obv. it's not really called a junk bond that's just what it is bc it's junk. Ppl buy it for catastrophic care like if something major happens they'll be covered, but in actuality it doesn't provide much protection at all.

There's been a major shortage of tests in the US. MAJOR.

@Stanfordella can write about this more if she has time she has finals this week. So students at Stanford invented their own test that has proven to be effective & faster. The uni itself made a test & now gives it at drive thru but you have to 1st see a dr & be referred. Seeing a dr costs money & time so it's all a mess.

This is the failure of a profit-based medical industry. In Australia your test is free. if you need medical attention its free. If you need hospitalisation including intensive care, its free. You medications are free.....This means if you truly have symptoms, you WILL go and be tested because its not an issue of whether you can afford it or not.

I dont understand though - I would have thought in a disaster such as a pandemic, all that payment nonsense would be suspended in the USA in favour of getting the pandemic under control.

 

[Cimorene]

This is the failure of a profit-based medical industry. In Australia your test is free. if you need medical attention its free. If you need hospitalisation including intensive care, its free. You medications are free.....This means if you truly have symptoms, you WILL go and be tested because its not an issue of whether you can afford it or not.

I dont understand though - I would have thought in a disaster such as a pandemic, all that payment nonsense would be suspended in the USA in favour of getting the pandemic under control.

The incompetency & corruption of American healthcare is a main reason, along w school shootings, that my family emigrated from America to Canada. If Australia wasn't so far away it would have been cool to move there but I do love Canada. Excellent & sane healthcare.

 

[Here Kitty Kitty]

I've been very cautious since the beginning, but I have heard a lot of friends say they aren't worried because COVID-19 won't affect them due to their age. That's incredibly scary to hear because yes it can affect us just as it affects older people. It also hurts because it makes them sound as if they don't care about their parents and grandparents who are in those higher-risk categories. There's no guarantee you'll get a milder case anyway, but even if there was, why endanger your loved ones and the elders in the community? I was really saddened to see those pictures of people partying on the beaches and having Spring Break in the States, too. They need to take it seriously because it can kill younger people too. Also, I think many people have pre-existing conditions they don't know about which can make them more vulnerable. You might think you're healthy but find out you aren't. Think about all the little kids with cancer. They are at so much risk lots of families are having to separate in order to keep the children quarantined from parents and siblings who work outside the house!