tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211405954943098401.post8924535666650749458..comments2023-11-20T00:23:16.290+01:00Comments on Stethoscope On Rome: CoronaSusan Levenstein, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04664082134917253721noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211405954943098401.post-42749980486049575132020-03-21T06:15:39.866+01:002020-03-21T06:15:39.866+01:00Sorry this comment of yours got misplaced in my in...Sorry this comment of yours got misplaced in my inbasket and I never posted it! My husband and I don't feel like we can get safely back to Rome so we are staying for now in Berkeley, CA, where we are staying mostly at home but it is much more dolce than the quarantine in Italy. I do think the situation in Italy is improving just as the Doctors were hoping - the increase in covid-19 patients sick enough to need intensive care is slowing down, and I think by next week the deaths will start to go down as well. Italians are really suffering to get through this, but it will feel like it is worthwhile in the end. Coraggio!!!Susan Levenstein, MDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04664082134917253721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211405954943098401.post-83786380967846507352020-03-19T05:37:06.747+01:002020-03-19T05:37:06.747+01:00Hah! That place my mother lived! We've driven ...Hah! That place my mother lived! We've driven past it several times, twice to have hot tubs and massages at the wonderful Piedmont Springs - alas, with the Bay Area lockdown I won't be able to go back every week as I was looking forward to.Susan Levenstein, MDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04664082134917253721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211405954943098401.post-59022680301095404972020-03-15T11:47:03.557+01:002020-03-15T11:47:03.557+01:00Thank you for your clear-eyed analysis of the situ...Thank you for your clear-eyed analysis of the situation. Seeing that you were in Berkely brought back memories of lunch in Piedmont with your Mom when my Kerry's baby was about 1. He is now 17. I wish you a safe journey here and, eventually, to Rome.Brendan Walshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11011465149741686435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211405954943098401.post-73330731452332450432020-03-15T01:54:33.395+01:002020-03-15T01:54:33.395+01:00Thank you for the kind words about my book and the...Thank you for the kind words about my book and the blog post. I agree with every word you've said. As soon as I get my head above water (I'm now a coronavirus refugee, can't go home to Italy), I'll write another post.Susan Levenstein, MDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04664082134917253721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211405954943098401.post-73406722588761530292020-03-15T01:34:54.405+01:002020-03-15T01:34:54.405+01:00Dear Dr. Levenstein,
I am in the middle of your ...Dear Dr. Levenstein, <br />I am in the middle of your book and enjoying it very much, so was interested in learning of your take on the coronavirus in Italy and how the medical establishment was responding. As for my country, the US, there is no doubt that the administration has been doing a very bad job--minimizing the problem, inept about getting testing available, giving out false statements. And if they had not eliminated the office in the White House meant to deal with pandemics they would have had more experts and geared up sooner. Just in the last week it seems the people have begun to self-isolate and take this seriously. As for the doctors, as in Italy, they are doing the best they can. I said to my doctor this week "it's terrible that they don't have the testing" and he said "it shows where their priorities are. Good luck to us all and best wishes to you.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05094615776105534163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211405954943098401.post-8802548352058942020-03-13T07:16:45.463+01:002020-03-13T07:16:45.463+01:00Buongiorno Doc Susan. As you probably know, here i...Buongiorno Doc Susan. As you probably know, here in Italy since a couple of days the whole country is on a lock down. People are requested to stay home unless they have to go to work, providing their working environment guarantees strict sanitary rules ( 1 meter minimum between workers, masks, gloves, etc ). Regular shops are shut, so are restaurants and bars. Police carefully checks anybody moving around, as everybody must present a document stating the reason of his trip ( work, emergency, food shopping, etc). It is hard, but now people understand this is a challenge we never experienced since WW2. My thought goes to all those Countries which apparently understimate the problem, not limiting already the free movement of people. Virus has no passport and does not observe borders. And there is no help in blaming somebody else for the spread. Our public hospitals are working 200 % of their possibilities. In Milan, stands of the Fair Centre have been turned into Intensive Care units. The situation is really difficult, especially in the North, where the main clusters appeared. We hope that the strict limitations of movement will bring some help, but it will take at least another 2 weeks ( according to what our Doctors say ). To all of those reading these lines, all my best wishes and - regardless what some politicians say - limit already your movements and observe carefully some basic measures ( do not stay too close to others, wear masks, wash frequently your hands ). In any case " NE VERREMMO FUORI " . Saluti a tutti !!riccardohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12417626384749806217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211405954943098401.post-30377848592669764752020-03-13T01:56:13.848+01:002020-03-13T01:56:13.848+01:00Thanks very much for this thoughtful note, and for...Thanks very much for this thoughtful note, and for your faith in my ability to answer. I'm actually in the US right now, and will remain stranded here at least until the end of April when flights to Italy may start up again. So I have no personal knowledge of the current situation in Italy except from friends with cabin fever and colleagues in my outpatient clinic who are desperately reorganizing to help their patients by phone and Skype. I think if the laissez-faire attitude of the US administration continues the health system will indeed be overwhelmed - see Trump's speech last night which didn't mention the elimination of public gatherings and hardly even mentioned hand-washing, as tho the solution to all problems is closing the border. The US starts out with many more ICU beds and ventilators per capita than Italy has, but if we have 10s of millions needing intensive care those beds (and that staffing, as you point out) will be far from enough. Alas.Susan Levenstein, MDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04664082134917253721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211405954943098401.post-12527392623751193652020-03-11T12:17:49.513+01:002020-03-11T12:17:49.513+01:00Dr. Levenstein,
I'm seeing reports from Italia...Dr. Levenstein,<br />I'm seeing reports from Italian doctors discussing the large surge care required in the ER that they are encountering. And they have said to other countries to prepare for a similar event. Here, often, we are told this is "just the flu"-- and that it's not bad. I believe what we are seeing in Italy is what we will see in the US healthcare, once this begins to occur in larger numbers in our population. Would you please comment on the healthcare surge in Italy and/or the potential for that same situation in the US? I feel we quite unprepared for that due to staffing shortages. And I truly respect what you've written on this topic. Thank you. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211405954943098401.post-34051788454717536042020-03-07T18:44:09.126+01:002020-03-07T18:44:09.126+01:00Dear Anonymous on March 7: in other, unrelated sit...Dear Anonymous on March 7: in other, unrelated situations the present administration has not stood out for honesty and openness. I'm not surprised that they are continuing the same pattern around this terrible epidemic, especially if they believe that any negative news makes the President look bad.Susan Levenstein, MDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04664082134917253721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211405954943098401.post-20426118115363262322020-03-07T18:21:12.369+01:002020-03-07T18:21:12.369+01:00Thank you very much for writing this, Riccardo. Yo...Thank you very much for writing this, Riccardo. Your point about the low number of tests in the US is well taken. I didn't know there had been negative comments at thelocal.it, and when I went just now to check them out I found that my article had unfortunately been placed behind a firewall and I could not view it at all, so I cannot respond specifically. But I know that many of my fellow Americans get defensive when they see any criticism of their government or their health system. I do think that probably the coronavirus is only just now entering the US, a few weeks before it came into Italy, and that this is the main reason why there are few cases and few deaths so far. Unfortunately, though, I believe these numbers are destined to rise - already today, according to the excellent Johns Hopkins webpage https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6 the number of confirmed cases in the US has climbed to 343, with 14 deaths certainly attributable to the virus, and I just heard on the radio of two additional deaths in Florida. Thanks again for your thoughtful note.Susan Levenstein, MDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04664082134917253721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211405954943098401.post-13612659023833902432020-03-07T18:04:11.703+01:002020-03-07T18:04:11.703+01:00Why are these people so afraid to come out and jus...Why are these people so afraid to come out and just say...NO there will be no vaccine in the near future. NO the numbers are not going down they are going up. NO its not alright to go to work if you think you have a virus. WHY? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211405954943098401.post-15623645272414438282020-03-07T08:06:22.968+01:002020-03-07T08:06:22.968+01:00Dear Ms Levenstein, I would like to share my supp...Dear Ms Levenstein, I would like to share my support for all your efforts in showing different points of views regarding this very complicated situation which is quickly spreading around the world.<br />Firstly, let me tell you - and whoever reads us-, that am an Italian citizen working with your fellow Americans since over 40 years. <br />You belong to a great Country, a Country which has well over 300 millions people, therefore no surprise you may have so many and so different opinions. And that's one of the great assets of US. <br />But I felt bad in reading some nasty comments about your article on The Local.it. <br />As I just said, all opinions are valuable the same, and all will help to create its own, but when opinions are based on numbers, well, those numbers should be better considered.<br />In more occasions I read comments reporting that in US there isn't a problem like in Italy, because in Italy there are 150 death ( up to yesterday, Fri Mar 6th) while in USA only 11, and US is about 6 times bigger. <br />I would like to update those numbers : unfortunately in Italy up to 6.00 am on today, Sat Mar 7th, the death toll is risen to 198.<br />At 1st sight, it may appear that the big problem is only Italian, or only of specific countries, but not US.<br />Well, I wish for you, American friends, that it were like that.<br />But if we base our opinions on numbers, then we should use numbers in the same way, or it is useless.<br />The toll death in Italy - 198 at present - represents ALL DEATHS RELATED TO RESPIRATORY COMPLICATIONS in which Coronavirus played a part. And this is proved by specific tests.<br />Now, according to the number I read - 11 DEATHS IN US - I would like to ask : is that the number of ALL DEATHS IN YOUR COUNTRY RELATED TO RESPIRATORY COMPLICATIONS ? Surely not. And how could you cross out that Coronavirus was not one of the causes ? Only one way : specific test. When all DEATHS RELATED TO RESPIRATORY COMPLICATIONS will be tested, then we can use numbers and compare the 2 different situations.<br />In Italy over 30.000 tests have been made in over 3 weeks. And tests are free. Also these last are numbers and informations that should be carefully considered if we want to reach a grownup opinion.<br />Coming to a closing, I hope nobody reads these words as unfriendly, arrogant or somehow criticizing USA inner dynamics, on the contrary : I LOVE and RESPECT your Country in which I have thousands of friends, and it is for this reason that I am trying to say PLEASE, DO NOT UNDERSTIMATE THE PROBLEM, GET PREPARED and especially try to hear different sources before coming to an opinion.<br />With unconditioned friendship. Riccardo<br />riccardohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12417626384749806217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211405954943098401.post-70912794206714066342020-03-06T19:52:07.934+01:002020-03-06T19:52:07.934+01:00Thank you for taking the trouble to write. I had w...Thank you for taking the trouble to write. I had wanted to include some documenting links but decided it was more important to get the piece posted quickly. Re the issues you raise:<br />1) Fauci was told to get pre-clearance from Pence's office before speaking: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/us/politics/us-coronavirus-pence.html<br />https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-coronavirus-effort-undermined-by-mixed-messages-and-falsehoods/2020/03/03/d744c406-5d75-11ea-9055-5fa12981bbbf_story.html<br />2) Trump did not call the virus's existence a hoax, but that concern over it was, and has continued to say people are too concerned, e.g.<br />THE PRESIDENT: I think every aspect of our society should be prepared. I don’t think it’s going to come to that, especially with the fact that we’re going down, not up. We’re going very substantially down, not up. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-vice-president-pence-members-coronavirus-task-force-press-conference/<br />3) re vaccines:<br />THE PRESIDENT: We’re rapidly developing a vaccine, and they can speak to you — the professionals can speak to you about that. The vaccine is coming along well. <br />https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-vice-president-pence-members-coronavirus-task-force-press-conference/<br />******<br />THE PRESIDENT: So you’re talking over the next few months, you think you could have a vaccine.”<br />DR. FAUCI: Yeah. You won’t have a vaccine. You’ll have a vaccine to go into testing.”<br />THE PRESIDENT: All right. So you’re talking within a year —<br />DR. FAUCI: A year to a year and a half.<br />THE PRESIDENT: Well, but, Lenny is talking about two months, right?<br />DR. SCHLEIFER: A little — a little longer. A little longer.<br />THE PRESIDENT: A couple of months, right? I mean, I like the sound of a couple of months better, I must be honest with you. <br />https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-members-coronavirus-task-force-meeting-pharmaceutical-companies/Susan Levenstein, MDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04664082134917253721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211405954943098401.post-68780630484892069602020-03-06T15:49:56.927+01:002020-03-06T15:49:56.927+01:00Hi you were doing great until you got political. D...Hi you were doing great until you got political. Dr. Fauci is not being muzzled. He reported that he cancelled a couple of Sunday shows when VP Pence took over as the team wanted to regroup and co-ordinate communication. He rebooked after that was done. Next, Trump did not call the virus a hoax. Rather he called the politicizing of the virus by the Democrats as their "new hoax". I have listened to many of the press conferences. No one is saying a vaccine is in hand - everyone is saying it is at least a year, perhaps longer, away. What people are commenting on is how fast it is being developed. I appreciate your medical perspective of this but please don't parrot talking points from the MSM and people with a political axe to grind. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211405954943098401.post-78734867626151213532020-03-05T21:24:56.064+01:002020-03-05T21:24:56.064+01:00Thank you for the best informed comments on a topi...Thank you for the best informed comments on a topic that concerns us all. I so much appreciate it.Roger Sparkshttps://expats-italy.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211405954943098401.post-25718243473276959742020-03-05T19:01:23.987+01:002020-03-05T19:01:23.987+01:00Thank, and good luck. It sure is hard to know how ...Thank, and good luck. It sure is hard to know how to behave - there have been almost no cases in that part of Italy so it might make good case to just sit tight. In bocca al lupo!Susan Levenstein, MDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04664082134917253721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211405954943098401.post-49958795261306346462020-03-05T09:27:20.266+01:002020-03-05T09:27:20.266+01:00Thank you for your well-informed comments. I was s...Thank you for your well-informed comments. I was staying in an airbnb in Bari when news of the virus in Italy hit. I have elected to stay here for the time being and not to travel.mwesthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01646947435547065115noreply@blogger.com