"Most at Risk"?

Florida @GovRonDeSantis: "If we first protect the vulnerable, we'll be able to get through this patch.... We're not going back, closing things.... We have a track record now. We understand who's most at risk."

— Patricia Mazzei (@PatriciaMazzei) June 30, 2020

I'm a little confused by what "most at risk" means here.  I don't know about cases in Florida, or in Texas in general.  I do know the majority of cases in Houston are in the 20-40 age brackets.  If you mean "most at risk" for dying, yes, I'll agree, those over 60 (hello!) are more likely to die (they also have the fewest cases, here in Houston).

But this disease destroys lungs, leaves people debilitated, may have consequences we don't see yet.  My mother-in-law lost hearing in one ear to measles (IIRC; it was some "childhood" disease we don't blink at now).  She didn't die, so was she ever "at risk"?  I know people crippled for life from polio.  I don't think the death count was all that high, ever, but does that mean they were not "at risk" before the vaccines came along?

This is a stupid way to guage risk.  By death count?  What kind of monsters do we have running our states?  Does DeSantis imagine he's George Patton telling a soldier in the medical tent to get back into battle, he didn't have a serious wound?  Does he think he's General Turgid:  "I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed!  But I am saying ten to twenty million killed, tops!"  Adjusting that for Florida's population, of course.  So what are acceptable losses to the Governor, and what is acceptable damage to survivors?

When did we all volunteer to become sacrifices for the great green god of the marketplace?  Why are we even still having this conversation?

Actually, he was speaking of the most vulnerable in nursing homes. They are at higher risk. About 40% of deaths came from there. And about 40% of nursing home deaths came from 5 states. pic.twitter.com/Ugf7CeAHTV

— ChangeTheWorld (@KimAnnTR) June 30, 2020

We know who is most at risk?

Regarding “Houston ICU capacity could soon be exceeded as COVID-19 hospitalizations worsen, TMC projects,” (June 24): First, the explosion will happen. Calls for intubation will sound. Every few minutes, physicians rushing to someone whose oxygen saturation is 70 percent. Then you run out of ICU beds. You’ll have nowhere to put patients. You will invent new ICUs, perhaps in the operating room or on random floors. You might see a patient one hour and the next they will be dead. Some will be saturating well at 9 a.m., then intubated by dinner.

You’ll try a number of things and wonder if anything works. Steroids, IL6 inhibitors, remdesivir, plasma. You will have young patients. A normal 30-year-old who maybe had high blood pressure. You are intubating him. A week later you hear he died. Don’t try to find out how anyone you cared for did. They probably died. Medications, machines and staff will dwindle. Pray for relief. Everyone will need dialysis. You may run out of machines.

A week or two after the initial explosion, many will die, drop like flies. Code after code after code. You will see so much COVID you’ll wonder if anyone has any other illness. Your colleagues will get sick. Some will die. And for what?

This was New York City, where I worked in a hospital treating COVID, beginning in March.

I do not know what will happen to you, my colleagues, where there is no lockdown, people don’t wear masks and your leaders can’t make the key decisions that will save thousands.

One thing is clear: This is your real first wave.
Shaoli Chauduri, M.D., New York City

As I was saying....