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Apart from the very decent humanitarian arguments @billbowtell raised on #qanda, there are some real problems around #gigifoster’s ideas around sacrificing thousands of Australians to #COVID19au. Primarily - it won’t work. Here’s why.
2. Foster talks about comparing apples to apples. There are some inconvenient economic truths she’s glibly ignoring. One is the disability workforce. https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2020/02/the-second-ndis-shock-absorber-the-disability-workforce/ We need another 90,000 full time employees for the ndis. Dead cripples mean no workforce. Ditto aged care.
3. Quarter of a million Australians who work in aged care - sure, people will get old. But not for a long time if we kill them all off. https://gen-agedcaredata.gov.au/Resources/Dashboards/Australia-s-aged-care-workforce
Whether we like it or not, we are a commodity.
Whether we like it or not, we are a commodity.
4. Foster blithely throws around statistics about death rates without counting the cost of life rates. Because survival from COVID-19 incurs cost - a whole new group of disabled people will be created if they survive this. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/04/survivors-severe-covid-19-beating-virus-just-beginning Its not just about mortality.
5. People who are ‘recovered’ from covid include people permanently injured from the infections. People with double lung transplants, amputees, people with chronic lung conditions. If the disease doesn’t kill those people they join OUR mob. https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/amp.bradenton.com/news/business/technology/article244320842.html
6. Prof Foster said going by the current death count in Sweden it was about 0.1 per cent of the population.
“That’s about 12,000 to 25,000 deaths in Australia for people who are predominantly elderly, but it’s a body count,” she said.
But what of those who don’t die?
“That’s about 12,000 to 25,000 deaths in Australia for people who are predominantly elderly, but it’s a body count,” she said.
But what of those who don’t die?
7. You’re better at math than me, Gigi. Do the math, then. 0.1% dead, but 30% of those who are in ICU could be permanently disabled. And let’s be clear about this - Australia does not have the capacity to deal with this. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2020/surge-capacity-australian-intensive-care-units-associated-covid-19-admissions More than .1% will die.
8. Others will die of associated conditions as hospitals become overwhelmed and short staffed. At the end, there will be ongoing significant costs incurred via health and mental health systems and the ndis. But there’s additional risk around our medical workforce.
9. ‘This could require up to an additional 4092 senior doctors (325% increase over baseline), and 42 720 registered ICU nurses (365% increase over baseline). But guess who is also at risk because increased viral load?
10. Right now there are 150 healthcare staff in isolation in Victoria. https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/amp.smh.com.au/national/hospitals-draw-on-army-of-reserves-as-clusters-force-staff-into-isolation-20200723-p55erc.html And as our healthcare system fails, the death and disability rate will rise.
11. It is true to say there are other costs that must be counted. But your cited life satisfaction survey isn’t Australian. Half the autistic ppl who are patients of a psych friend of mine say they are cured. In WA, things are opening back up - without sacrificing Australians.
12. We do not need to sacrifice our humanity to worship at the altar of capitalism. And if we are going to cite data, we should include all the factors. Including the potential loss of knowledge, wisdom and humanity that would transpire if people like Gigi had their way.
