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Death in an East Boston apartment
By adamg on Fri, 05/08/2020 - 10:25am
The Washington Post profiles people who died of coronavirus at home, including Julio Ayala of East Boston, who resisted going to the hospital until it was too late, because he needed to support his family.
On the evening of April 10, Julio’s cough became a painful wheeze, she said. This time, when she implored him to go the hospital, he agreed.
“Mañana,” he said. Tomorrow.
He wouldn’t make it there.
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Tragic.
Also know plenty of city workers (assuming other workers as well) who don’t want to get tested because if they test positive and be forced to stay home, they can’t get paid, lose their OT, etc, etc.
Makes me rethink how useful testing numbers ever will be.
Um
Part of the federal response to Covid-19 was a requirement for workers not involved in emergency response or healthcare to be granted two weeks of paid sick leave if they test positive and/or are required to quarantine.
Chasing overtime... well there are a lot of people without jobs who'd love to just have a paycheck.
Paid sick leave doesn’t always cut it
As workers hours vary. Also not sure if this is actually happening or not. And they aren’t chasing the overtime, they are forced into the overtime. I’m also factoring in state workers here who are getting hazard pay to work regular hours (heard somewhere getting time and a half?).
Hazard pay
That only applies to directly exposed people, like the workers at state hospitals and care homes.
The incentives vary with the union involved - some are extra hourly pay, some are bonuses after a certain number of hours.
It is up to $10 an hour more, not time and a half: https://www.wbur.org/commonhealth/2020/04/13/massachusetts-licensed-nurs...
Yea I saw that.
But heard yesterday about other "front line" workers getting more than that. Don't see anything about that online though.
This is for front line workers
"Non-essential" workers are getting paid to work from home. No additional pay.
Here's my question and I am
Here's my question and I am angry that this has had to happen to this family as a ask it. Could this man and his family have been protected if his employer applied for a payroll protection loan? Could this man and his family have been been helped if his unemployment application been processed more efficiently and check sent out to him? I sure as hell hope he is not a victim of an incompetent tangle of bureaucratic crap and useless governmental websites. Could his man have been saved if access to testing would have been made more convenient to him?
A tale of two Easties
Despite reading over and over again how hard Eastie has been hit, you wouldn't necessarily know it when you step outside.
I run through Memorial Park daily, and at any given point, maybe half of us are wearing some sort of facial covering and/or distancing. I'll caveat that I pretty much have to go at peak after work times and probably see the worst of it, but it's a problem regardless.
You get people walking their dogs and running right down the middle of the paths, with no mask. You get large groups congregating in large circles talking across the walking paths, not really giving people room to go around them or ample space to walk between. The stadium is especially bad--the track is usually packed, people running in groups and in close proximity to others with no regard. I've also seen soccer, baseball, and lacrosse happening in small groups. You can definitely tell who is putting in the effort to distance and safely get in some exercise and fresh air, and who just doesn't care.
Piers Park is the same thing. I spent some time on the lawn there a few weekends ago and there were a lot of people spread out safely, masked, etc. But the pier/pavilion area was like business as usual.
The Maverick Square panhandlers are still out there--which is especially concerning given the documented spread amongst the homeless population in the city--blocking sidewalks and trying to approach people for change, etc.
Even just walking down the street is a total crapshoot.
I'll also say that this is a mix of people doing this--all ages, ethnicities, genders, etc.
The reason we're a hotspot is pretty apparent. It's really easy to get outside, spend time in parks, etc. here and do it safely. Arguably, easier than many other pars of the city (we seriously have a lot of parkland out here). But apparently it's hard to actually put in the effort or care enough to do so.
Further East Boston tales
As an East Boston resident I have to concur. Just walking from my home to Shaw's I'd say about 50% of people are wearing masks. And what''s up with people who have masks around their neck but not on their face? It's not their neck that spreads the virus. There's also an ice cream place near Day Square that consistently has a line with people all bunched up together. The line has nothing to do with the virus, by the way, there's always a line there. Also, people walking two and three across on sidewalks make no attempt to move away from me and I have to go around parked cars and into the street, taking my chances in oncoming traffic. Oh yeah, there's still a lot of traffic.
Not sure I understand
Are you saying that he would be alive if people weren't doing what you say they're doing?
Backing up
First, this is a tragic story and outcome, and bad on me for not acknowledging that up front.
For the sake of clarifying: what I'm saying is we keep hearing about how East Boston is a hot spot. And I think a lot of the underlying reasons have been well documented, including in this article.
But I'm also saying that despite what we know, collectively, much of East Boston isn't necessarily doing anything to help itself. I'm simply sharing a snapshot of what I'm seeing daily, but my point is that carelessness has the potential to be a major contributor to the spread of the virus–the article even alludes to this potentially playing a role in Mr. Ayala being infected in the first place.
So to answer your question: In this specific case, no; someone walking through a park without a mask probably didn't have an impact. But for the sake of argument, let's note that this specific park also houses the back entrance to Airport Station and Airport shuttles. Many people who are still working may be passing through here on a daily basis, and things can snowball very quickly.
But in the big picture, not taking proper precautions and generally being careless, especially in an area identified as a hot spot and populated by people who are already highly vulnerable, is beyond irresponsible and has the potential to cost lives.
Sorry
I don't know why I was being snippy, sorry.
Trying times
Get the best of us. Be well!
Nobody can guarantee that he
Nobody can guarantee that he would be alive, but if people took it more seriously than he describes, it's certainly a possibility that the gentleman (and possibly others) might be alive/survived.
We don't know if East Boston
We don't know if East Boston's high rate of infection is caused by people's behavior in parks.
I suspect the major cause is the number of people who work at jobs where they can't be remote.
Stevil?
Hey Stevil - please reach out to Mr Ayala's family and explain that almost no-one under the age 65 dies from covid and we need to rush to open everything up so your investor class clients can not suffer any hardships.
I'm sure they'll find that comforting after they finish burying their 45 year old loved one.
Apples and oranges
FTA: "“Go to the hospital,” she recalled telling him repeatedly. “Don’t stay here.”
Each time, however, he refused.""
I feel bad for the guy and his family, but what's this have to do with 'opening up' the country?
Mr. Ayala chose to refuse medical help until he died at home. Prompt medical intervention may, no, probably would have resulted in a different outcome.
Would he have refused to see a doctor if he had an infection? Bang. Dead.
Would he have refused to see a doctor if he had a broken leg?
Would he have refused transportation if he was hit by a car?
If I'm not mistaken, medical bills cannot be used against your credit rating in the Commonwealth. Hell, it's possible to work out a payment plan 100% of the time. A very good plan.
As an alien with legal status, he had no reason to deny himself care. I believe Mass Care would have taken care of him.
So, ya, tragic story. But, it didn't have to happen.
Oh, BTW, it's not the investor class clients that are hurting. It's your fellow ordinary working class stiffs that are getting croaked by this. Why don't you know that?
Weird framing
You're not addressing the reason why he avoided going to the hospital:
Folks like Stevil want to re-open the economy. Mr. Alaya's case would likely be a very common one if we re-open things sooner than we should. So, no, these aren't apples and oranges.
Where on earth did you get that? Stevil wants the economy to re-open, exposing folks like Mr. Ayala, because it benefits his client base (investor class, as Stevil works in finance, or so he's told us). There is nothing in Parkwayne's comment that suggests he's otherwise unaware of what you accused him of not knowing.
Anyway, long story short, good job blaming the guy who died for his own death because he thought he was doing his family right. Very cool rationalization. All to defend.....Stevil, of all people. He's the real victim here.
Framing's just fine
"You're not addressing the reason why he avoided going to the hospital: who resisted going to the hospital until it was too late, because he needed to support his family."
No. Just no. We, and I mean all of us, are being told to stay home to flatten the curve. So, if we all have to stay home, what makes him different? Is he a member of the medical profession? Is he on the front lines?
No. When he started showing signs, he should have done what everyone is being told to do. He should have gone to the hospital. Oh, and don't dare to try to tell me about hospital bills. If he's C19 positive, he'll never see a damn bill.
"Folks like Stevil want to re-open the economy. Mr. Alaya's case would likely be a very common one if we re-open things sooner than we should. So, no, these aren't apples and oranges."
No. They're just road apples disguised as a story. Mr. Ayala's case wouldn't be common under any circumstance. If you're sick, you go to get it checked out. Go to a damn hospital. If Mr. Ayala was here legally (and he was) and he wasn't working under the table then he has either insurance through his employer or he has Mass insurance.
'Oh, BTW, it's not the investor class clients that are hurting. It's your fellow ordinary working class stiffs that are getting croaked by this. Why don't you know that?'
'Where on earth did you get that?'
The apparent cluelessness of people that post. I know a shitload of folks that aren't working. You know, John Lennon's working class heroes. None of them are working. You must be aware of that...right? Are you working?
' Stevil wants the economy to re-open, exposing folks like Mr. Ayala, because it benefits his client base (investor class, as Stevil works in finance, or so he's told us). There is nothing in Parkwayne's comment that suggests he's otherwise unaware of what you accused him of not knowing.'
Stevil wants the economy to open because it benefits us. People are hurting. People need to get back to work. I, not unlike SlimJB, know quite a few people in the restaurant industry. I can't speak about the owners (I know a couple, and they have problems) but I know a lot of front house/back house/kitchen type folks. They are hurting. This isn't about his 'investor class'. It's about the rest of us.
Why don't you know that?
'Anyway, long story short, good job blaming the guy who died for his own death because he thought he was doing his family right. Very cool rationalization.'
Bullshit. Long story longer...Mr. Ayala died because he didn't seek medical help in a timely fashion...in one of the best medical cities in the world. I feel bad for him, but he didn't think of his family, or he would have taken better care of them. I feel really bad for them. Tell me, will you take them in? Will you see to it that they are housed? Fed? Will you visit them to make sure they're OK? No. They're the real victims here, victims of poor judgement on the part of a decent man that chose...poorly.
'All to defend.....Stevil, of all people. He's the real victim here.'
As a matter of fact, I have yet to see him post here yet. Anyway, I think he'll do OK. He gives financial advice, I guess. He certainly knows a lot on the topic. He'll be OK I believe because unlike another poster here, I doubt that he's a 'slumlord'. Housing providers are going to take it in the neck from rent non-payments and closed courts.
You right now:
"I guess I need to double down on rationalizing and justifying why this guy deserved to die so I can defend some arrogant dweeb in the comments section of this blog."
But let's get into it, shall we?
Call me cynical, but I don't believe that for a second. And, what makes him different? I dunno, have you seen the unemployment numbers? You're being extremely obtuse. People face incredible financial and employment insecurity right now. Or, maybe he doesn't face a medical bill. Ok, that is one bill he doesn't have to worry about. Do you only have one financial/service bill that you have to pay a month? If so, it must be nice, but I seriously doubt it. So that's pretty bad framing of an argument, for one. It's completely disingenuous.
Nonsense. People returning to work during a pandemic are going to face similar circumstances that Ayala faced if, one, the real threat of spread of the virus isn't actually reduced, and, two, they're forced to keep showing up to work to get a paycheck. Again, the case is "I go to work to get paid or I don't make money to pay my bills and support my family." That's not a gross oversimplification of the circumstances Ayala thought he was facing.
Not sure what this word salad is about because you insinuated something from another poster who never said anything of the sort, made a straw man out of it, then attacked it as if you had a point. You don't. Yes I'm working right now but that's not even relevant. Of course I know people aren't working right now. Again, look at the record unemployment and then consider that there's an unreported segment of people who aren't even looking for work right now because of the circumstances and therefore aren't even reported in the unemployment numbers posted on this Jobs Friday of May 2020. This point is nothing but an attempt at ad-hominem and you came up waayyyyyy short.
Again, this is projection. I'm well aware of all of that, thank you very much. Might you also let Stevil speak for himself, if so he were to choose to do so?
I, you, my neighbor, your neighbor... NONE of us have the personal responsibility to take someone on like this. It's a completely bullshit argument made in bad faith. This is exactly the purpose of government and governmental services. This is the lamest sort of gotcha argument you can try to amount. A second wave (or even third or fourth at this point) of economic stimulus/bailout for regular folks like you, me, and Ayala would render this dumb argument completely invalid. Again, this isn't my personal burden to take on, so fuck off with this "you're just virtue signaling" line of utter nonsense.
Wanted to back up to this blurb after I made my last point. In the previous point I quoted you trying to allude that I had a personal responsibility to take care of Mr. Ayala or people like him. Here, you absolve yourself of any sort of similar duty, and then essentially say that Mr. Ayala deserved to die (if you take issue with this, whatever, but you're playing apologetics for why he died, period). These are two conflicting viewpoints, where you expect something of me, and Ayala, but nothing of yourself. This is exactly a "heads I win, tails you lose" situation. It's gross, and emphasizes the point I made earlier: these arguments are made in bad faith.
And, for Stevil, he certainly likes to think himself very smart. I won't say anything else on that matter.
You seem naive
If we don't do the hard work of creating workable, health science based plans for safe working environments up front, then so, so many working class people are going to be told to either return to work in unsafe conditions or get fired in a manner where they don't quality for UI benefits. I have no patience for people who don't get that. Look at Ohio - employers are being encourage to report employees who don't return to work regardless of how safe that environment is.
In a non-covid world, I get the antipathy to poor people who didn't get an education, etc... and wound up working full time at Walmart only to remain in poverty. I don't agree, but I can follow the logic. In the covid world, I don't get the urge to tell people that they need to choose between exposure to potentially lethal virus (while the government works hard to recuse employers from any responsibility) and becoming destitute.
We need to get people back to work ASAP and if we'd done what was done in South Korea or Germany, we'd be ready. We didn't do that and if that means we have to print a few trillion more dollars for the next two months, let's fucking do that and get this right.
Nope
'If we don't do the hard work of creating workable, health science based plans for safe working environments up front, then so, so many working class people are going to be told to either return to work in unsafe conditions or get fired in a manner where they don't quality for UI benefits. I have no patience for people who don't get that. Look at Ohio - employers are being encourage to report employees who don't return to work regardless of how safe that environment is.'
OK, so I guess that all welding shops should be opened. Right now. Never should have been closed. Noxious fumes, masks, six foot rule rigidly enforced or you get lit on fire...open. Now. As a matter of fact, open all the construction trades. Painters (masks), sheetrockers (masks), roofers (no masks, but you don't generally see them huddled together on a roof...), road pavers (masks), you name it.
Retail? Open now. Always has been. You have food, right? Apply the same Stop&Shop rules to all the other retail outlets.
'In a non-covid world, I get the antipathy to poor people who didn't get an education, etc... and wound up working full time at Walmart only to remain in poverty. I don't agree, but I can follow the logic.'
What logic is that? Fuck the poor? What antipathy do you think I have?
'In the covid world, I don't get the urge to tell people that they need to choose between exposure to potentially lethal virus (while the government works hard to recuse employers from any responsibility) and becoming destitute.'
You have an answer, of course. Right? Enlighten us. If 'everyone stays home and gets free money' is the answer, well, no. Really, just no.
'We need to get people back to work ASAP and if we'd done what was done in South Korea or Germany, we'd be ready.'
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
Here, have some info. Germany good. 89/million deaths.
Korea 5/million. Apparently they didn't take the PRC at their word and got on it early.
Belgium...HOLY SHIT!!..735/m. Ireland...289/m. France...402/m. UK,Italy, Spain about 500.
USA? 237/million.
Not too bad, in all.
'We didn't do that and if that means we have to print a few trillion more dollars for the next two months, let's fucking do that and get this right.'
Did you major in economics at BU, like AOC? You do know how money works, right? Because if your attitude is the prevailing attitude, I'm all in for gold and bitcoin.
Every time I try to read
Every time I try to read links in UHub of Boston Globe and this one as well Washington Post) I am blocked by a window that appears asking me to pay for a subscription in order to read the article that Adam (yo A.G. bug shout out I'm a fan and I know it's not your fault) tries hard to provide to us. Does anyone know a way to get around that so we can read the article? I apologize in advance for being over 50 and useless when it comes to technology.
Sometimes invoking the
Sometimes invoking the “reader” view in your browser lets you see Globe
paywalled articles.
Reply
You have to be a subscriber to these online news sites to read the entire article. Some sites, like the Washington Post, are offering free access to covid-19 stories. Not sure if the article in question falls under this catagory. Can access, for no charge, free news on boston.com, which does offer some bostonglobe.com stories at no charge. The Boston Globe owns boston.com.
Yes
Get a subscription.
The Washington Post has been offering a $29/year subscription for a long time. That's less than 10 days of the daily print cost of the Boston Globe.
Anon
If you don’t want a subscription but you know someone who has one, you can ask to borrow their log in.
Please pay for quality
The reason that you get blocked is that you have read more than the small number of free stories they provide. If you value quality journalism, please buy a digital subscription. It's really pretty cheap and very much appreciated by the papers.
Paywalls
Please do support journalism whenever you can. For just checking up on links, you can try:
1) Clearing out your browser cache/ cookies. (usually in the browser's "settings") Close and reopen the browser before trying again.
2) If you use Chrome, try using "incognito mode."
Go to you browser settings
History.....Clear cookies and reload the web page. You're welcome...
Insert an extra dot after the dot com in the URL
Change ".com" to ".com." and you should be able to view it. Works with many paywalled sites.
Bring out your dead
Bring out your dead