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I live in New York and I'm under the impression the hospitals were never overwhelmed. That was the fear, but it didn't actually happen. They also thought they

I live in New York and I'm under the impression the hospitals were never overwhelmed. That was the fear, but it didn't actually happen. They also thought they would run out of ventilators, but never came close to using all of them, started giving them away to other states, and then discovered that ventilators were not actually a good treatment anyway.

Retric 6y ago
NYC hospitals increased capacity dramatically, with people treated huge wards and some sent to temporary facilities. That’s what being overwhelmed looks like, it’s not a binary condition just a decrease in the average quality of care. In terms of ventilators many people where kept off of ventilators who would have been given them in normal conditions. That was likely a good thing as ventilators have huge risks associated with their use, but things where a long way from ok. That said, the lockdown likely prevented a much worse situation at local hospitals.
- redis_mlc 6y ago
  > In terms of ventilators many people where kept off of ventilators who would have been given them in normal conditions. Sadly, that wasn't the case in NY. Even though Chinese doctors warned of the risks of ventilators in Jan/Feb, the US ignored that. There were 2 reasons: 1) intubating patients protected staff from aerosolization after the intubation 2) old understanding of oxygen levels led doctors to intubate way too early for corona.
nostrademons 6y ago
I have a friend who works in a NYC hospital and they absolutely were overwhelmed. Every available space (including supply closets, ERs, staff briefing rooms) converted into a coronavirus ward. A few staff members (including their ER director) died from coronavirus. They never ran out of ventilators, but they did run out of beds.
- losvedir 6y ago
  Who is the ER director you're talking about? I tried looking it up but couldn't find any articles.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - simonh 6y ago
    That’s hardly surprising, there’s no reliable record of health care worker deaths. “...US officials say they have no comprehensive way to count those who lose their lives trying to save others.” Also: “In some facilities, the person who is supposed to do the reporting is caring for patients and is overwhelmed,” Schuchat said. [1]https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/15/coronavirus-us-health-care-worker-death-toll-higher-official-data-suggests https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/15/coronavirus-...
650REDHAIR 6y ago
My friend is an ICU nurse in Manhattan and they were(are) absolutely overwhelmed. PPE shortages, mandatory overtime, staff shortages due to infection, and almost every department became a covid department.

Retric 6y ago

NYC hospitals increased capacity dramatically, with people treated huge wards and some sent to temporary facilities. That’s what being overwhelmed looks like, it’s not a binary condition just a decrease in the average quality of care. In terms of ventilators many people where kept off of ventilators who would have been given them in normal conditions. That was likely a good thing as ventilators have huge risks associated with their use, but things where a long way from ok. That said, the lockdown likely prevented a much worse situation at local hospitals.

redis_mlc 6y ago
> In terms of ventilators many people where kept off of ventilators who would have been given them in normal conditions. Sadly, that wasn't the case in NY. Even though Chinese doctors warned of the risks of ventilators in Jan/Feb, the US ignored that. There were 2 reasons: 1) intubating patients protected staff from aerosolization after the intubation 2) old understanding of oxygen levels led doctors to intubate way too early for corona.

nostrademons 6y ago

I have a friend who works in a NYC hospital and they absolutely were overwhelmed. Every available space (including supply closets, ERs, staff briefing rooms) converted into a coronavirus ward. A few staff members (including their ER director) died from coronavirus. They never ran out of ventilators, but they did run out of beds.

losvedir 6y ago
Who is the ER director you're talking about? I tried looking it up but couldn't find any articles.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- simonh 6y ago
  That’s hardly surprising, there’s no reliable record of health care worker deaths. “...US officials say they have no comprehensive way to count those who lose their lives trying to save others.” Also: “In some facilities, the person who is supposed to do the reporting is caring for patients and is overwhelmed,” Schuchat said. [1]https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/15/coronavirus-us-health-care-worker-death-toll-higher-official-data-suggests https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/15/coronavirus-...

650REDHAIR 6y ago

My friend is an ICU nurse in Manhattan and they were(are) absolutely overwhelmed. PPE shortages, mandatory overtime, staff shortages due to infection, and almost every department became a covid department.