Category Archives: Health Care

China Covid Update January 29, 2021 (Reported via Waijiao)

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Chinese mainland reports 52 new COVID-19 cases (Jan 29, 2021)

TheWaijiao Today

The Chinese mainland on Thursday reported 52 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 36 locally transmitted and 16 arriving from outside the mainland, the National Health Commission said Friday.

Of the locally transmitted cases, 21 were reported in Heilongjiang, 13 in Jilin, and one each in Beijing and Hebei, the commission said in its daily report.

Two suspected cases were reported, with one each in Shanghai and Beijing.

No deaths related to the disease were reported on Thursday, said the commission.

By the end of Thursday, the mainland had reported 4,673 imported COVID-19 cases in total. Among them, 4,373 had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, and 300 remained hospitalized. No deaths had been reported among the imported cases.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland reached 89,378 by Thursday, including 1,802 patients still receiving treatment, of whom 99 were in severe conditions.

A total of 82,940 patients had been discharged from hospitals following recovery on the mainland, and 4,636 had died of the disease, according to the commission.

There were two suspected COVID-19 cases on the mainland on Thursday, and 38,876 close contacts remained under medical observation.

Thursday saw 42 asymptomatic cases newly reported on the mainland, of which 19 arrived from outside the mainland. On the same day, 12 asymptomatic cases were re-categorized as confirmed cases.

There were 996 asymptomatic cases still under medical observation, of which 293 arrived from outside the mainland.

By the end of Thursday, 10,321 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 177 deaths, had been reported in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 47 cases in Macao SAR, and 895 cases, including seven deaths, in Taiwan.

A total of 9,239 COVID-19 patients in Hong Kong SAR had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, 46 in Macao SAR, and 809 in Taiwan.

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For comparison purposes, here is a chart on daily infections at about the same time in the USA.  Note that China has a population about four times as great as the USA.

China engages in extraordinary lockdown/quarantines for the neighborhoods when there is an outbreak.  Contact tracing is assisted by cell phone self-reporting whenever pubic transportation is used. In order to board any kind of public transit, a scan of the cell phone is required.  People from risky geographical areas are often refused permission to board public transit.  Wearing of masks was extrensive in February, March, and April, but in many parts of the country mask wearing is now only enforced in public transit..

https://covidtracking.com/data/charts/us-daily-positive

Link for interactive chart.

That Pesky Virus — Update 20201014

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On June 21 I reported on the aggressive virus suppression program in China. See: June Virus Suppression in China .

The low infection rate in China is no accident. It is the result of very aggressive action by the central government to suppress any outbreak, or apparent outbreak, with overwhelming “force”. Note in the above link, there is no discussion of public reaction or demonstrations against overkill or people trying to influence government policy through demonstrations. The government followed up on contact tracing and aggressive testing of people that may have been exposed to the virus.There had been a food delivery based outbreak and an overwhelming food handling contact trace was in progress.

If you notice in the following video, there is aggressive envorcement of wearing of masks on public transportation, and little presence of masks to be worn by the public while engaging in normal life. This conduct is permitted because prior suppression efforts were relatively successful. As a practical matter, the Chinese effort is well coordinated and their response is rule driven, without regard to “public opinion”.  As a result, the general population seems much more free to engage in business and recreation than in the USA. Suppressing the virus shouldn’t be a subject of public debate from State to State, Feds to States, or States to local governments. Public opinion really isn’t qualified to create the plan for fighting this virus effectively. It should be science based response, not political.

One question that hasn’t been asked in Michigan (my home state) or by the Feds, which is political is: Should we let the virus wipe out as many people as nature decides, or should we intervene as a government to wipe out the virus, regardless of the impact on the economy? For lack of a better description, which is better the Swedish model, or the Chinese model, or perhaps the New Zealand, Korean, or Australian models? The US model is State driven and varies from political jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

I don’t recall this kind of a conversation taking place in Michigan by either party.  It should. jsp

On October 23, the government is upping the virus awareness in anticipation of a second wave, but masks aren’t yet required except for public transportation and some stores. Schools have opened, and in Guiyang the virus is believed to be contained.

 

 

Thank You Video to the Medical Teams

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I don’t know the origin of  this video, but it appears to be of American origin, based on the dialogue and the apparent native American accent.

Recently I witnessed a commotion in downtown Guiyang where there were a lot of honking horns and police were standing at attention, saluting.  There was a traffic procession. It turns out that the doctors from Guiyang who went to Wuhan to fight the virus were returning home after about one month on duty. They were being given an honorable welcome home from the local people.

Another Update CoronaVirus2019 20200225 by John S. Porter

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OK, back in service on the internet. I am quarantined, but allowed out of my house to go get food. I am monitored everywhere I go. Last week, about 10 days ago they gave me a card that had all the dates in the coming 3 months on it. I got a check mark every time I went out and had to wait 2 days before I could go out again. I have my temperature checked every time I go in and out. After four days, the 18th I had to line up to get out of the apartment complex. There maybe four officials checking the individuals in each room of the apartment house. I remember because I missed the bus going to the bank. It took all week to take 700RMB out of the bank, but that’s another story.

The Chinese installed an APP on my cell phone so I simply scan the scan-code and my phone records the time I left. Then when I get on the bus, I hit another scan-code that tells them I got on the bus. The net result is that the germ bags walking around town were all taken off the streets. Everybody wears masks. Streets that were in traffic jams are literally empty. All stores, except essential food stores are closed. It is amazing. It looks like I imagine Chernobyl Russia looked after the nuke event.

The Chinese have done an incredible job getting this situation in hand. More than eleven hundred health care workers have contracted the illness and there are pictures on social medial of a wife kissing their husband goodbye as if he is going to war. A small tear in her eye, but because he is a doctor he must go to Wuhan, the war zone. In the course of a couple weeks I recon, Wuhan has had every house searched, and the occupants tested for the virus. It has been a massive dragnet and cleanup. If anybody asks if all this trouble is necessary, I feel the answer is definitely YES. There have been no new cases (reported) in Guiyang for several days now.

What is insidious about this enemy is that you can be a carrier, or even a supercarrier, without showing symptoms. When somebody gets sick it is necessary to figure out who that person has been in contact with over the last ten days, track them down, and test them. I was in Guiyang 17 years ago when SARS hit. That was an awkward response because the true situation was hidden by government officials for months. Guizhou (my province) was the only province that didn’t get a SARS case. We are kind of isolated and in the mountains. In the end of January, when the first figures were published, we already had ten cases and rising fast. I believe the response was appropriately heavy handed, and seems successful. I am hoping that by two or three weeks into March that we will start to be getting back to work. The economic damage has been massive, like most wars.

I think the risk for me is quite low, but the inconvenience is high. We are all keeping in touch with each other by social media. I did take a long trip yesterday to stock up on coffee beans which are fairly rare in my neighborhood. I felt justified in taking off for a while because the coffee crisis seemed like an emergency to me.

In front of an almost vacant mall, with a METRO store where I bought my coffee, I saw a young couple nose to nose, trying to kiss with their masks on. I didn’t know whether to yell at them to be careful of the virus, or just cry. I walked quickly by to leave them to their privacy, nose to nose beside a vacant six lane street. If it sounds surreal, that’s because it was.

I will leave it at that right now. More will be forthcoming. Get ready, this has potential to be like a 1918 Spanish Flu. China had a head start on fighting this thing because people spreading false information got arrested quickly, and the government already has detailed records on where everybody lives. I worry about my countrymen. Will the People cooperate with their government when draconian government power is asserted during an election and in the summer of the ten-year census?

Will all the undocumented border jumpers come out to be tested in the sanctuary cities? Don’t cancel your cable TV just yet. There’s going to be a lot of entertainment this year for all you news freaks. Stock your pantries and pick out a nice surgical mask. This is a not so slow-moving train coming right at the human race. I hope I am exaggerating. Let’s just work together and try to get through this. Pray for good luck, good leaders, and an understanding country.

Check these out:

How a Virus Can Spread

Flights from China are again landing at Detroit Metro Airport.

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  • February 10, 2020

Detroit Metro Airport Selected To Accept Flights From China

WWJ NEWS

FEBRUARY 04, 2020 – 7:43 AM
airport coronavirus
(Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
CATEGORIES:
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DETROIT (WWJ) – Flights from China are again landing at Detroit Metro Airport.

The Department of Homeland Security says Detroit Metro is one of 11 airports in the U.S. to start receiving flights from China amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

The department on Sunday began enforcing restrictions for all passenger flights to the U.S. carrying individuals who have recently traveled from China.

Under the new rules, U.S. citizens who have traveled in China within the last 14 days will be re-routed to one of 11 designated airports, where they will undergo enhanced health screening procedures. Those returning from Hubei province, the center of the outbreak, will be subject to up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine.

“Although airport staff does not conduct passenger screening, our emergency responders are prepared to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health departments with medical transportation and police escorts, when needed,” Wayne County Airport Authority CEO Chad Newton said in a statement. “Also, out of an abundance of caution, we’re cleaning the Federal Inspection Station—also known as the International Arrivals area—more frequently in both the McNamara and North terminals.”

Meanwhile, most non-U.S. citizens who have traveled in China within the last 14 days will be denied entry into the United States, except for immediate family members of U.S. citizens, permanent residents and flight crew.

The virus has infected almost 10,000 people globally in just two months, a troublesome sign that prompted the World Health Organization to declare the outbreak a global emergency. Although the CDC expects more cases of the coronavirus in the U.S., the risk of infection for Americans remains low.

For more information on travel to and from China, visit the DHS website.

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Incredible Toe Job

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It looks uglier than it turned out to be.

I waited too long again with this ingrown toenail. I have a lady that gives foot massages and she is also a significantly skilled doctor.  She did the “surgery”, taking out half of my toenail, leaving only the hole in the side of my toe.  I don’t know what it would have cost in the USA. There was no anesthetic. She was so skilled with her sharp knife that the pain was quite bearable.

The sixty RMB bill iwas less than nine USD. The treatment included the other nine toes, sulfa, a bandaid, and a final dressing. It is good as new, with only a hole. Some things are still a bargain in China. (Photos taken with my Huawei 10+ cell phone and it’s Leika camera).

Long Li Ancient City and Jin Ping Countryside

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Long Li is located about four hours southeast of Guiyang in an area of Miao and Dong minority people. The walls around the city, the water system and the fortress are all intact.  It doesn’t have the tourist pressure like some old cities closer to Guiyang. It is surrounded by the beautiful countryside of Jinping County.

San Cha You Farming

Jinping County has a new product called San Cha You, which is a cooking oil. The mountains of Jinping County are covered with these oil bearing plants. It is an incredibly beautiful sight. You can also directly drink the oil.  It is still expensive, but has been shown to be very good for high blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar diabetes conditions. It has also been shown to raise immunity to some cancers.San Cha berry trees are in great supply. The locals have actively planted and cultivated these crops for many years.

There is a new factory under construction and it is hoped that as production increases, that the price will come down and the product will be more widely known and distributed.

Jin Ping County is also famous for blueberries. There are blueberry farms in many places with very attractive prices in season, around August of each year.

 

 

 

Bangkok Chiangmai Hospital and My Bad Back

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Jumping right to the conclusion: whether you go in for a bad back or anything else, review your medical bills carefully before paying and make sure you ask for what you want from the moment you set the appointment . . .

I spent a $100 or so more than expected to address my bad back. The customer service and administration reviewed my complaints and eventually satisfied me. I finally got the exercise tips I went in for, but a lesson was learned.

I followed up my blood pressure issue in Chiangmai this trip (Jan 1- Jan 8) See: http://www.tourguizhou.com/bangkok-chiangmai-heart-center/. Since Thailand is known for it’s massages, I figured the Bankok Hospital therapists might know the best excercises to help my low back. I’ve had this condition (alignment problem in low back) for a good 35 or 40 years. Since Thailand is noted for both massages and kick boxing, this seemed like the place to go. I like massages and probably hurt myself with my Taikwondo kicks when I was young.

Unfortunately time was short the day I visited. All I wanted was to get some pointers on exercises that I should and shouldn’t do, and perhaps have a physical therapy session showing me the best treatments. The doctor insisted that I get an Xray before giving me advice. This was beyond what I really wanted but he assured me that it would only cost between 25 and 50 USD. He also asked about whether I had a back brace. When I told him no, he said he would give me one.

After the Xray he diagnosed my condition as spondylolithsis, a condition that I had already told him about. Since I was late for my bus back to the Hostel I was quickly given a brace by a tech and I paid my bill. It seemed high, but I didn’t really have time to review it. It was for both the visit to the heart specialist and the back issue.

My back doctor made an appointment for me for the following day to see a “consult specialist”. After reviewing the billing I discovered that the heart specialist and blood pressure medication totalled about $26.80 and the back related expenses totalled $185.47 The back brace that the doctor said he would give me cost $53.57 and the Xray related services, which were quoted to me at between $25 and $50 cost $85.71.

I didn’t appear for the appointment the following day out of fear of further charges. At that point I hadn’t received any physical therapy or advice of significance other than don’t do sit-ups and don’t bend the back.

The doctor seemed pre-programmed: Consult, Xray, Diagnose, sell a back brace, refer to the next doctor. I reviewed the entire event with the hospital administrators and I eventually got the therapy advice I needed. It was complimentary. Also, the Xray and brace were helpful, so I can’t really complain about the value. I simply relearned something I should already know: just because somebody speaks English doesn’t mean they listen to English well, or even that they are listening.

There is another point that came up as I talked to the administration and quality control boss. When coming into the hospital, it is important to be clear on what symptoms you have, how long you have had the symptoms, what prior treatment you have had, and what you want in way of treatment/results. Then, get an estimate of the costs.

The Chinese hospitals I have been to seem to have a good system. They bring you in and you pay a nominal sum to talk to the doctor, and then decide what needs to be done. Then you go to the cashier to pay for the treatments in advance. With paid receipt in hand, you go and get your treatment. That’s a Chinese system.

As a foreigner, if it is convenient, it is probably a good idea to sit down with some translation software and write out your issues and expectations prior to your visit. If not convenient, maybe the intake people can handle enough English to perform this function.

One of the leaders in the hospital spoke really excellent English. It turns out he was in the US military and served both Bush presidents, two campaigns, in Iraq. After retiring from the US military, he worked a few years in a US hospital before returning to his native Thailand. I got really good service from him, not only at the hospital, but he defended my country as well. He even went back to his native land and saved Trump the trouble of deporting him.

I can recommend the Bangkok Chiangmai Hospital for your health care needs. As noted above, you need to be clear from the outset what you expect and need, but the pricing is good and the people are competent and quite nice.