Harvard study estimates thousands died in Puerto Rico due to Hurricane Maria

[G_j]

https://apple.news/AeHuLck8XRbqyWKHC_gMoqA


CAGUAS, PUERTO RICO — At least 4,645 people died as a result of Hurricane Maria and its devastation across Puerto Rico last year, according to a new Harvard study released Tuesday, an estimate that far exceeds the official government death toll, which stands at 64.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that health care disruption for the elderly and the loss of basic utility services for the chronically ill had significant impacts across the U.S. territory, which was thrown into chaos after the September hurricane wiped out the electrical grid and had widespread impacts on infrastructure. Some communities were entirely cut off for weeks amid road closures and communications failures.

Researchers in the United States and Puerto Rico, led by scientists at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, calculated the number of deaths by surveying nearly 3,300 randomly chosen households across the island and comparing the estimated post-hurricane death rate to the mortality rate for the year before. Their surveys indicated that the mortality rate was 14.3 deaths per 1,000 residents from Sept. 20 through Dec. 31, a 62 percent increase in the mortality rate compared to 2016, or 4,645 “excess deaths.”

..more..

[malaise]

1. Get thee to the greatest page

This deserves to be seen

[SWBTATTReg]

2. Yes, and this should be hung around RUMP's neck and his ignorance ...

about P. Rico and its people (a US territory and all). No wonder this administration clammed up and nothing seemed to be happening w/ P. Rico after the minimum recovery efforts that occurred right after the Hurricane...they basically didn't know what the F**k they were doing, and ended up killing thousands of American citizens.

[Achilleaze]

3. Of course the republicans lied about it

they lie lie lie about everything.

Sick and sinful lying republican bastards will roast in hell for eternity.

[kimbutgar]

4. Twitler and Republican Party genocide

Between that and the round up of undocumented immigrants, genocide and internment camps. The things we fought wars against Twitler is doing in his disastrous administration.

[Gothmog]

5. For this thread

Link to tweet

[G_j]

6. 4,645

just sickening

[spanone]

7. as soon as the mayor mouthed off to trump, he washed his hands of it all...

he wanted praise and ass kissing.

[ecstatic]

8. Should be the top story today, or at least top 3

So heartbreaking.

[Squinch]

9. I agree. Lives ruined, families scattered, homes demolished.

My good friend went down there to her family's home a few months ago. Total devastation. She is a tough cookie and is planning to spend the summer there to begin rebuilding.

My heart goes out to those devastated Americans.

[Squinch]

10. Kick. Who didn't know this? Imagine just the dialysis patients. And that's only

one diagnosis.

[gratuitous]

11. Fake news! I saw Donald Trump personally throw paper towels

This is probably just another hit job by people who hate Pooh Where Toe Ree Cans. President Trump would never, ever let American citizens just die like that, without putting forth the maximum effort to restore power to the entire island, no matter how complicated it was.

I wonder if the media will devote 30 seconds to this study? Or did Roseann suck all the oxygen out of the news cycle?

[Hortensis]

12. This doesn't estimate how much from giant hurricane,

Puerto Rican government negligence, and how much from federal government negligence, and I don't see that it provides new information.

4654 deaths on a truly devastated island, somewhat over half again the normal rate, is less than I might have guessed from the Trump admin's blocking of aid, including medical, to the island. As someone pointed out, dialysis alone...

During the period mentioned, the U.S.S. Comfort, with 12 operating rooms and 1000 beds, took on an average of 6 patients a day, its staff most watching the enormous emergency the same as we did over long weeks on TV.