Editors Note: This article was written 11/30 and the Covid situation is fluid and ever changing as such some of the information is out of date
Original Article
The Covid-19 pandemic, which has affected over twelve million Americans and climbing and has caused the death rates to skyrocket, may have us wondering, “How are hospitals?” After all, hospitals are supposed to be the lifeline during our worst moments. Well, the answer to that question is, unfortunately, not good.
The American Medical Association, or AMA, is warning that amidst the worst Covid-19 spikes the nation has ever seen, a personal protective equipment shortage is on the horizon. This personal protective equipment shortage will just make everything a lot worse for all healthcare workers. According to a survey conducted by National Nurses United, 87% of nurses who work in a hospital say that they are being forced to reuse personal protective equipment, and 47% of nurses saying that they are scared to go to work, fearing that they will get sick and infect their family. This practice of reusing PPE increases the rate of transmission to nurses, staff, and other patients according to National Nurses United. Some nurses are being asked to reuse gowns and masks for weeks on end in some cases. Only nine percent of nurses say that these current hygiene practices are sustainable and that they do not have to reuse any PPE. Not only that but hospitals in many states, like Utah, Indiana, Texas, Wisconsin, California, Nebraska, are all warning that soon there may not be enough ICU beds to hold every critically ill patient. Not only that, with so many front line healthcare workers getting sick, hospitals may soon face shortages of doctors, nurses, and other essential staff.
The University of Nebraska Medical Center, which is arguably the most prepared hospital to ever face a pandemic, considering that they have the only federal quarantine center and the largest biocontainment unit in the country, is now warning that they may not have enough hospital beds to meet the demand of patients by mid-December, or they will but they won’t have enough doctors and nurses to take care of these patients. The Atlantic states, “To hear such talk from someone at UNMC, the best-prepared of America’s hospitals, should shake the entire nation.” Dr. Dan Johnson from the University of Nebraska Medical Center then points out that, “the assumption we will always have a hospital bed for them is a false one.”
According to an analysis done by NPR, over 1,000 hospitals across the country are reporting to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that they are critically short on staff. Seven states are reporting that 30% of their hospitals are facing staff shortages, with the worst hit state, North Dakota is saying that 51% of their hospitals do not have enough staff to meet the needs of their patients. According to “The Atlantic” if hospitals get to the point that they do not have enough rooms or staff to work the hospitals, they may have to put multiple patients in one room, assign many patients to one staff member, and set up portable tent hospitals. The problem with portable tent hospitals is that they do not have negative pressure air rooms which raises the chances of a coronavirus outbreak among patients and staff in these tent hospitals. If all else fails, hospitals may have to choose who gets care, and who doesn’t, leaving many people to die because the hospitals no longer have the capacity to take care of everyone.
Many health experts are warning that with the holidays already here, things may soon get much, much worse. Health experts are saying that Canada should be a warning of what is soon to come. Canada celebrated its Thanksgiving on October 12, and after that they saw massive spikes in both coronavirus cases and deaths, despite a steady testing rate. What this means is that after people gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving, lots of people got sick and died. Although many people may argue that this was a result of more testing, this isn’t true, as many Canadian health officials point out that the rate at which they tested stayed the same, there was simply a higher positivity rate. American Epidemiologist Jenifer Nuzzo said about the Canadian outbreak, “...this is a warning, we have a reason to worry about Thanksgiving in the U.S...” If we don’t follow this warning, we may overwhelm hospitals even more.
However, many health experts are advising that if every American does their part, if they stay home, celebrate with those in their households, wear a mask, and socially distance for the next 3 months, 130,000 Americans will be saved and hospitals may not be more overwhelmed than they already are. Many governors are also issuing mask mandates, closing schools, and in California in particular, Governor Gavin Newsom has issued a mandatory curfew for most California counties, including Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.
Now you know how hospitals are handling the pandemic, and how the U.S. is handling the pandemic for that matter, you can see it isn’t looking too good. Of course, only you can decide what to do, only you can decide whether or not to follow the guidelines set forth by the top health officials in the nation, but you can save thousands of lives by just following the rules. Please, stay home, slow the spread, protect others as well as yourselves, and be safe. Happy Holidays.