Death By Policy

[jon-nyc]

Haven’t clicked the link but how do the authors tease out the difference between treatment avoidance due to fear of the virus vs treatment avoidance because of policy proscriptions?

[Copper]

Elective death doesn’t sell papers.

[jon-nyc]

I’ve now read it, they don’t tease it out at all. So ‘death by policy’ is in many - probably most - cases just ‘death by virus’.

[jon-nyc]

I delayed treatment for a chronic condition (immunosuppression) in March and delayed a PFT in April. I’m about to delay another PFT later this month. I delayed lab work by a month.

It’s conceivable these decisions could have harmed me. Or could still.

None were because of policy. None were the decisions of any physician. All were my decision trying to balance my own risks as I perceived them.

[George K]

@jon-nyc said in Death By Policy:

I’ve now read it, they don’t tease it out at all. So ‘death by policy’ is in many - probably most - cases just ‘death by virus’.

You mean death by "fear of virus." as you pointed out in your subsequent post.

[jon-nyc]

Managing the risk presented by the virus is probably the best description.

[LuFins Dad]

Risk of coming into contact with the virus, contracting the virus, and becoming COVID Symptomatic is > Risk of complications by not having these treatments?

[Copper]

@LuFins-Dad said in Death By Policy:

Risk of coming into contact with the virus, contracting the virus, and becoming COVID Symptomatic is > Risk of complications by not having these treatments?

That depends on whether you are buying or selling.

[jon-nyc]

@LuFins-Dad said in Death By Policy:

Risk of coming into contact with the virus, contracting the virus, and becoming COVID Symptomatic is > Risk of complications by not having these treatments?

Weighted by downside potential, yes.

Obviously these are not precisely defined risks, but questions of judgement.

For example, I was due a quarterly infusion of IVIg in late March. This involves a nurse coming to my home and giving me the infusion for 3+ hours. My nurse is a lovely young lady who also works in a hospital in the Bronx and lives in New Rochelle, then the national hotspot for Covid. I took a pass on that.

In late May, I had her come. The situation had changed.

[Jolly]

An alternative question: If there were no lockdown, how many deaths would be caused by a saturation of medical services?