
Statement by a quarantined nurse from a northern California Kaiser facility [pdf] - claudeganon
https://act.nationalnursesunited.org/page/-/files/graphics/NU-Quarantine-RN-press-conf-statement.pdf
======
dusted
If the world had taken this seriously a month ago we wouldn't be in this
situation.

If the world took it seriously today, we wouldn't be as fucked as we're going
to be a month from now.

Front-line personnel must always be first priority, because they deserve that,
and because everyone else needs them.

~~~
dekhn
If we took it seriously, what would we have done differently? Do you think
there are specific actions that we could have done, and what would the
different outcome be?

~~~
WarOnPrivacy
"The CDC shunned WHO test guidelines used by other countries and set out to
create a more complicated test of its own that could identify a range of
similar viruses. But when it was sent to labs across the country in the first
week of February, it didn’t work as expected."
[https://www.propublica.org/article/cdc-coronavirus-
covid-19-...](https://www.propublica.org/article/cdc-coronavirus-
covid-19-test)

The CDC could have adoopted the WHO guidelines for testing at the start. It's
reasonable to assume that if they had, the US would now have a much greater
testing capacity.

~~~
dekhn
What, specifically, do you think more testing will do? Think through the
implications, for example, if we test an enormous number of people and they
are positive, do we quarantine them? We don't actually have the health
infrastructure to do that (nor the political will to run large-scale
quarantines).

(personally, I think the CDC is a lot wiser than WHO about what to do in the
US, and making decisions during a rapidly expanding epidemiological situation
isn't just trivial "test more people").

~~~
WarOnPrivacy
>What, specifically, do you think more testing will do?

The CDC & other testing authorities have been systematically denying requests
by doctors and other health professionals, to test people who are at
meaningful risk of Covid-19 infection. Indications are this is due to a lack
of testing capacity.

There are numerous news reports of CDC refusing testing. It seems odd that
anyone is missing them.

Here are some examples of what I'm referring to
[https://act.nationalnursesunited.org/page/-/files/graphics/N...](https://act.nationalnursesunited.org/page/-/files/graphics/NU-
Quarantine-RN-press-conf-statement.pdf)

[https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-man-denied-
coronavi...](https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-man-denied-coronavirus-
test-japan-trip-fever-cough-2020-3)

[https://news.yahoo.com/us-patient-coronavirus-unknown-
origin...](https://news.yahoo.com/us-patient-coronavirus-unknown-origin-
denied-test-days-223535154.html)

Here's a case where doctors kept pushing back against CDC refusals. Eventually
the woman tested positive. [https://www.ajc.com/news/breaking-news/breaking-
floyd-county...](https://www.ajc.com/news/breaking-news/breaking-floyd-county-
hospital-reports-preliminary-case-coronavirus/jdJ51FpSCJGJk4gibQEg6M/amp.html)

If these aren't enough examples of CDC's ongoing testing problems, there are
plenty of others - all there for the searching.

~~~
dekhn
Do you believe that more testing will limit the spread of disease? Please,
explain in detail why, while also considering the risks associatd with large-
scale testing.

(I'm an ex-biologist with a fair amount of experience in this area; I think
most people who are demanding tests assume that having a bunch of tests will
limit the spread. it's entirely unclear that's the case)

~~~
WarOnPrivacy
>Do you believe that more testing will limit the spread of disease?

While the US is looking forward to an explosion in cases, South Korea is
looking forward to containment. One factor is that SK tests at 700 times the
rate of the US. re: [https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-testing-
covid-19...](https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-testing-
covid-19-tests-per-capita-chart-us-behind-2020-3)

> Please, explain in detail why, while also considering the risks associatd
> with large-scale testing.

No.

------
claudeganon
Video version here:

[https://mobile.twitter.com/NNUBonnie/status/1235663306246860...](https://mobile.twitter.com/NNUBonnie/status/1235663306246860800)

------
eucryphia
Health professionals are subject to triage just like ordinary patients? In a
pandemic most people will be a long way out on the tail.

------
ebcode
The CDC needs to clean house.

------
tomohawk
Waiting in line. Priority subject to unaccountable officials. Yup, sounds like
government run healthcare.

~~~
ajurna
you're right! lets just let the free market decide! /s

in reality though these are private institutions run with private money. how
can you blame the government when it seems they have little interest in
acknowledging there is a problem in the first case.

~~~
tomohawk
I didn't realize that the county and state health officials, as well as the
CDC were private institutions. My bad.

