Flu developments | Fort Worth | Star-Telegram.com
Only a fraction of the nearly 2,500 nasal swabs sent to the state health department lab have been tested. The Austin lab had tested 181 of the 2,492 nasal swabs received from counties around the state by Friday. The lab’s single testing machine was overwhelmed Wednesday.
Don’t test the swabs. Then the count doesn’t go up when everybody’s twitchy.
A news reporter was interviewing ER personnel the other day… she seemed a bit surprised that we were all so nonplussed by the onrushing “PANDEMIC!!!11eleven!”
I don’t know if I was overly low-key about it, because she even asked if I’d be willing to be re-interviewed (presumably to publicly retract/eat my words about the over-hyped “killer flu”) if I turned out to be wrong.
I actually found that kind of funny.
My teachers always ask me, “does it make a difference in the management of the patiet?” Just give them their anti-virals.
The inefficiency of government does have an upside.
The New Guy,
Call up the news anchor that interviewed you and ask her if she would be willing to say she was wrong for hyping up this nonsense?
Heheheh cynic.
I know it sounds like I’m picking on the news folks, but I’d frankly feel badly about poking at this particular news reporter. She was genuinely interested when I explained why this wasn’t 1918, and was never going to be 1918. She was actually very nice, merely surprised at the ease and nonchalance with which we were approaching the “PANDEMIC!!!”
I would hate to sniff at the reporter’s concern when I’m sitting here with knowledge and experience that she simply couldn’t be expected to have… just seems a little unfair to me. Infectious disease and epidemiology are not exactly her bailiwick, so I wouldn’t feel right giving her the third degree about it. To be perfectly honest, I couldn’t do her job, so that probably makes us even.
It was just funny at the time. I actually laughed as I told her that if this thing went bad, that she’d find me right here, taking care of the sick people, and that I’d be happy to talk to her again.
Now that I’m re-reading that last post, it sounds a little imperious, like I’m looking down my nose at reporters, and that definitely wasn’t my intention.
Bah… a wordsmith I’m not. I should drink more Mountain Dew before I post.