An Open Letter to Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan on Covid-19 Testing

August 10, 2020

An Open Letter to Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan 

Posted on Responsible Community

Dear Governor Whitmer,

The covid-19 testing infrastructure in the County of Oakland, the State of Michigan, across the nation and by private organizations is deplorable.  High level people and organizations can get test results in a few hours.  But, the rest of us the results take 3 to ten days.  

Yes, ten days.  Little good that does.  I could just wait out the time to see if any of the symptoms present themselves.  Or be dead before test results come back.

I am writing to express my deep frustration at the covid-19 testing problems with common people living in Oakland County, the State of Michigan, and the United States.

To start, there is a pandemic of the convid-19 virus in the country.  There is no doubt in my mind.  Everyone who knows science and medicine has said there is a pandemic.  My personal doctor, county health officials, state health officials and national health officials all agree.  People with the virus at the very least, miss work and experience great discomfort.  But, for every person that experience light symptoms there are hundreds that are hospitalized, are left with debilitating physical conditions after recovery and there are thousands that die.  

Prevention, testing, isolation, and contact tracing is the process to stem the growth and ultimately the collapse of the covid-19 pandemic.  Each step must be followed by everyone and they should all work together.  If testing is near useless, the other tools must work harder to solve this pandemic.

Governor, I am impressed with the way that you are handling the pandemic in the state.  Your Executive Orders and Declaration of Emergency are the reason we are not in the crisis that states like Florida and Texas are experiencing.  All the actions that you have taken from the Executive Orders are helping to prevent the virus from spreading faster.  Please continue your brave actions.  

Additionally, I know testing is not entirely the problem of the county or the state.  This issue should be coordinated by the Federal Government.  But, sadly for those that have died, those that have contracted the virus and are suffering debilitating issues, those that have lost time from family and those have missed work, the Federal Government, the Trump Administration, has done little to nothing.

Testing is also a personal issue to me and is very important.  First, I am a “frontline” worker.  I have been employed the entire time at a hardware store.  At least 30% of the people that come to the hardware store are in the at-risk category.  They are primarily people over 60 years of age.  It would be terrible if I were the reason someone caught the virus.

Second, my family and close relations are immune compromised.  This places them in a very vulnerable class for the adverse effects from the virus.

Finally, I am a 68-year-old man with some health issues that could heighten the effects of the virus.

Over the last month I have had at least 6 covid-19 tests done at the Oakland County Health Department and by Rite Aid testing program.  While there was twice when the results came back very quickly, in just two days, all other times it was in some cases a ten day wait before results were reported.  This is much too long for the testing to have any value.  Even two days is too long when I am working everyday with people that I could unwittingly pass on the virus.  

The testing must come back in just a few hours just like it does for politicians and corporate people.  There is no reason that “important people” are any more important than everyday people that the “important people” are supposed to be protecting.  

We are having a difficult time with the pandemic and with the political atmosphere in the country.  There are plenty of issues on the list that need the attention of leadership.  But, the way to stem the increase in the number of people with the virus is to test and get quick results so that the other steps of isolation and contact tracing can be effective.   

I am asking for your help for all of us.

Sincerely,

Morris Hagerman

Democratic Precinct Delegate, Royal Oak 21st

1847 Chester # 12

Royal Oak, Michigan 48073-1944

248-854-8440

morrishagermanhome@gmail.com

c.c. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Senator Gary Peters, Representative Andy Levin, State Senator Mallory McMorrow, State Representative Jim Ellison, Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter, Oakland County Commissioner Dave Woodward

Taking an "All Hands on Deck" Approach to the Pandemic, Just Like a Hurricane Response

Governor Greg Abbot of Texas is holding a press conference to discuss the preparations for the approaching hurricane Hanna. There will be deaths and plenty of property damage. I do wish the residents of Texas well during this trying time.

The governor is calling out the national guard, has prepared his request for federal aid, ordering people to leave the path of the hurricane, and asking them to seek cover to protect themselves. The police, the national guard and other officials will do everything they can to help people avoid death, injury, and property damage. The president is watching the situation to send all the help needed, or at least should be. The governor is taking an “all hands-on deck” approach.

Well, not to discount the number of people that will die, be homeless and suffer through months of frustration, if not years, because of the hurricane, but Covid-19 will cause more deaths, more injuries that will last a life time and more damage to the economy than the hurricane. And, if nothing is done it will be like a hurricane that has stalled over a populated area.

The all hands-on deck approach to the pandemic is what my own Governor Whitmer of Michigan and what Governor Cuomo of New York did to protect the residents of their states.  While nether state is through the pandemic, we get an "A" rating for the response.  The residents of Michigan and New York are on their way out of the trouble if everyone stays focused.

States that did not take an all hands-on deck approach are still suffering. Most, if not all the states in the south, are suffering the worse right now. All because they did not take the pandemic seriously.

If all states had taken the same kind of approach that the Governor of Texas is taking for the approaching hurricane, the death, the injuries, and the damage to the economy would have been minimal.

Wake up people. Take this thing seriously.

How can a disease with 1% mortality shut down the United States?

How can a disease with 1% mortality shut down the United States?

By Franklin Veaux

Updated July 13, 2020

Professional Writer

There are two problems with this question.

It neglects the law of large numbers; and

It assumes that one of two things happen: you die or you’re 100% fine.

The US has a population of 328,200,000. If one percent of the population dies, that’s 3,282,000 people dead.

Three million people dead would monkey wrench the economy no matter what. That more than doubles the number of annual deaths all at once.

The second bit is people keep talking about deaths. Deaths, deaths, deaths. Only one percent die! Just one percent! One is a small number! No big deal, right?

What about the people who survive?

For every one person who dies:

19 more require hospitalization.

18 of those will have permanent heart damage for the rest of their lives.

10 will have permanent lung damage.

3 will have strokes.

2 will have neurological damage that leads to chronic weakness and loss of coordination.

2 will have neurological damage that leads to loss of cognitive function.

So now all of a sudden, that “but it’s only 1% fatal!” becomes:

3,282,000 people dead.

62,358,000 hospitalized.

59,076,000 people with permanent heart damage.

32,820,000 people with permanent lung damage.

9,846,000 people with strokes.

6,564,000 people with muscle weakness.

6,564,000 people with loss of cognitive function.

That's the thing that the folks who keep going on about “only 1% dead, what’s the big deal?” don’t get.

The choice is not “ruin the economy to save 1%.” If we reopen the economy, it will be destroyed anyway. The US economy cannot survive everyone getting COVID-19.

______________________________________________

Edited to add:

Wow, this answer has really blown up. Many people are asking about the sources, so here’s the basic rundown:

This model assumes that the question’s hypothetical is correct and the fatality rate is 1%. It also assumes for the sake of argument 100% infection. (In reality, of course, neither of these is a perfect match to reality. The infection rate will never hit 100%, but the fatality rate in a widespread infection is likely to be greater than 1%, because health care services will be overwhelmed.)

The statistics I used in this answer were compiled from a number of different sources. I spent quite a bit of time writing the answer. Unfortunately, I don’t have my search history in front of me, so I’ll attempt to re-compile them.

Some of the sources include:

What we know (so far) about the long-term health effects of Covid-19

Physicians have also reported an increase in inflammation of and damage to the heart muscle in Covid-19 patients. One study published in March found that out of 416 hospitalized Covid-19 patients, 19% showed signs of heart damage.

Another study from Wuhan published in January found 12% of Covid-19 patients showed signs of cardiovascular damage. Other studies have since found evidence of myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle that can cause scarring, and heart failure in Covid-19 patients.

Now, physicians warn that Covid-19 survivors may experience long-lasting cardiac damage and cardiovascular problems, which could increase their risk for heart attack and stroke. Doctors also warn Covid-19 could worsen existing heart problems.

What We Know About the Long-Term Effects of COVID-19

“Some of the data that we’re getting now from the China studies, one study that was just published in JAMA Neurology showed that 36.4 percent of patients had neurologic issues,” said Dr. Sheri Dewan, neurosurgeon at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Illinois. “One of the review articles that came out at the end of February discussed the possibility of virus traveling into the olfactory neurons, through the olfactory bulb, and into the brain.”

Lifelong Lung Damage: A Serious COVID-19 Complication?

“Holes in the lung likely refers to an entity that has been dubbed ‘post-COVID fibrosis,’ otherwise known as post-ARDS [acute respiratory distress syndrome] fibrosis,” said Dr. Lori Shah, transplant pulmonologist at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

ARDS occurs when fluid builds up in tiny air sacs in the lungs called alveoli. This reduces oxygen in the bloodstream and deprives the organs of oxygen which can lead to organ failure.

Post-COVID fibrosis, according to Shah, is defined as lung damage that’s irreversible and can result in severe functional limitations from patients, such as cough, shortness of breath, and need for oxygen. […]

According to The Lancet, in a piece titled, “Pulmonary fibrosis secondary to COVID-19: A call to arms?,” the first series of hospitalized patients in Wuhan, China showed that 26 percent required intensive care and 61 percent of that subset developed ARDS.

What we know (so far) about the long-term health effects of Covid-19

Physicians report that patients hospitalized for Covid-19 are experiencing high rates of blood clots that can cause strokes, heart attacks, lung blockages, and other complications, Parshley reports.

For instance, physicians are seeing an uptick in strokes among young patients with Covid-19.

The blood clots also can travel to other organs, leading to ongoing health problems. For instance, pulmonary embolisms, which occur when the clots block circulation to the lungs, can cause ongoing "functional limitations," like fatigue, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and discomfort when performing physical activity, Parshley reports. Similarly, blood clots in the kidneys can cause renal failure, which can cause life-long complications.

Heart damage

Physicians have also reported an increase in inflammation of and damage to the heart muscle in Covid-19 patients. One study published in March found that out of 416 hospitalized Covid-19 patients, 19% showed signs of heart damage.

Another study from Wuhan published in January found 12% of Covid-19 patients showed signs of cardiovascular damage. Other studies have since found evidence of myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle that can cause scarring, and heart failure in Covid-19 patients.

Now, physicians warn that Covid-19 survivors may experience long-lasting cardiac damage and cardiovascular problems, which could increase their risk for heart attack and stroke. Doctors also warn Covid-19 could worsen existing heart problems.

The numbers in this answer were made from extrapolations about percentages of COVID-19 long-term effects reported in a range of studies on Google Scholar, assuming a hypothetical 100% US infection rate and a 1% fatality rate. Of course, in reality, a high infection rate would cause the mortality and comorbidity rates to skyrocket, so if anything, these numbers are conservative.

Wear your damn masks, people.

Egalitarian Governments

Egalitarian Governments

An egalitarian country has a government that treats all people equal.

The examination of a country’s commitment to egalitarianism must go beyond a review of the documents of the country and go beyond the messages sent from the highest levels.  It must be examined at the street level.

This includes, yes, the police of the local community, but also the fire department, the tax assessments, the voting rights, personal protection of citizens, the relationship between the local government and all of its citizens, the courts of the local government, contact with financial institutions and more.

Every contact between two or more individuals, between individuals and government, individuals and businesses and membership to social groups and more in the locale must be examined to ensure that all at treated with equality and respect.

Examples of this is in the voting process and in the criminal justice system.

In the voting process, if one precinct has one machine for 400 people and another has a voting machine for 4,000 people, that is inequity.  If one precinct has a voting machine set within the precinct and another has combined precincts with a limited number of machines, that is inequity.

In criminal justice, if a black person receives a harsher punishment for the same crime as a white person, all things equal, that is inequity.

There does not need to be abstract mathematical models to bring light to the issue.  There does not need to be more beautifully written documents protesting inequity brought down to the local level. 

There needs to be action by the local governments that does not just sit around waiting for a problem to arise.  The local governments need to be in the community door to door informing people about the issues and that they must be solved.

While 100% equity may never be accomplished, anything less than 100% means that we are closer to the other end of the scale then we should be, closer to fascism. 

 

Say No to Goya

Recently, the CEO of Goya Foods announced he supported President Trump at a press conference. (1)

This caught my attention.

It also caught the attention of those that do not support Trump with calls for a boycott of all Goya products.

On Facebook, I posted “Say No to Goya.”

Some people posted in support, but a friend asked why we should boycott a company that is a good company?

I did not answer my friend on the post.  He is a good friend and we have done business together. (2)  

So, here is my answer.

I do not know if boycotts really work.

In the short run, I do not believe they do because companies just need to wait out the energy in the market for the boycott.

Most of the time, the companies do not have to wait long.

This is partly due to the energy running out for support of the boycott, as expected.  Also, because those that agree with the company’s position will, in some cases, increase their purchases. (3)

Only boycotts that manage to keep the attention on the issue alive over a long period of time achieve their goal. (4)

For me, it is more of a personal choice.

If a company does not take sides in the political arena, or at least one that I am aware of, the company’s political position is only marginally important to me. 

But it the company attempts to use their position and power to forward a political agenda or candidate and I become aware of it; I now am given a choice. 

The question I ask is, “Should I do business with a company that works against my political agenda, thereby making my goal harder to attain, or do I do business with someone that is at the very least neutral as far as politics are concerned?”

I do support every person, and I mean a living, talking, thinking, real honest to goodness person… not a company, the right to speak their minds and support whoever they want. I do not support free speech for a company. (5) (6)

My position on free speech also applies to me.  I have the right to free speech.    

When I exercise that right, it can be spoken, written or in action. 

In conclusion, I exercise my right of free speech by not doing business with a company that supports goals that are not aligned with mine.

The CEO of Goya Foods expressed a political position that is held by the corporation and is not in sync with my political position. (7)

Therefore, when I am making purchases for products that Goya makes, I will choose another product, or I will do without.

(1) The press conference was for another reason other than expressing support for the President, so I also do not think it was appropriate for the CEO of Goya Foods to express his support at the event.

(2) Besides being sensitive to my friend in public, Facebook is a bad place to express thoughts that take more than 4 words.

(3)  https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-boycotts-history-20180228-htmlstory.html

(4) https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/ethicalcampaigns/boycotts/history-successful-boycotts

(5) The term “free speech” here is used in a common usage of the word.  This is not be confused with the Constitutional meaning of “Free Speech” which prohibits the Government from restricting personal expression.

(6) Company here is used as an incorporated entity.  As a fabricated entity of law, they are not a person.

(7) According to Goods Unite Us, Goya Foods donate exclusively to the Republican Party.

Covid-19 Steps to Protect People

What the Federal, State and Local governments should do to protect people from the Covid-19 virus.

Wear Face masks

Social distance at least 6 feet

Stay away from crowed places

Test everyone, over and over

Isolate those that test positive

     Pay the wages for those isolated

     Pay the health insurance of those isolated

     House those that do not stay isolated

Contact trace using interviews and technology

Close establishments that do not protect their employees

Provide protective gear to all employees

     Interview about symptoms

     Mandatory periodic testing for all employees

Make establishments responsible to protect the public

     Limit capacity

    Provide for social distancing

    Mandatory masks for all customers

Close establishments that do not take the protective measures

These suggestions are a work in progress.

I Support Governor Whitmer (Michigan) in Fighting the Covid-19 Breakout

Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan,

I want you to know that I strongly support your actions to protect all of us from the covid-19 outbreak.

There will likely be a second and maybe even a third wave to this pandemic.  We can reduce the likelihood of a second and third wave by keeping in place your executive orders until we are past the apex and have medical measures in place that will quickly identify outbreaks.

This will be a long road to recovery for ourselves and our state, but with you on at the helm, I feel we are in good hands.