WetInPortland
Contributor
That may be more reflective of the general lack of testing than a truly higher mortality rate here. I'm not aware of any general testing centers, so I assume all the reported cases are coming from clinics and hospitals, leaving many cases unreported.Dang, that's an 8½% fatality rate while the US is closer to 2½%. I wonder.
In the US, the CDC finally decided to ask people to wear masks, and I suspect that this will be a big boost in prevention. I think they'll do more to slow infected people from spreading germs than protecting the uninfected.
The Ministry of Health here said, a couple of days ago, that masks aren't required unless you're ill and showing symptoms. However I noticed that today they are explaining how to properly wear a mask, if one chooses to do so, so I don't know if that's indicative of a shift along the lines of what the CDC is recommending. That advise is sorely needed - I see a lot of people pulling masks up and down as people pass by, or with their nose uncovered. It's sad to see the money these folks are wasting, and masks are a bit expensive and hard to find here right now. I ordered some from Mercado Libre that are supposed to be here next week; we'll see how good the quality is.