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Not that I am Trump supporter (I was most definitely not), but when hospital capacity was expected to be overrun back in Q2-2020, didn’t Trump deploy USNS Comfo

Not that I am Trump supporter (I was most definitely not), but when hospital capacity was expected to be overrun back in Q2-2020, didn’t Trump deploy USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy to NYC and LA? I don’t hear anything about the Biden administration doing this…I mean if it’s that bad—why aren’t these resources being deployed?

nieve 5y ago
If you look at what actually happened when they were deployed it was pretty much a useless gesture. Negligible patients were treated.
- kcplate 5y ago
  Yes I realize that it wasn’t ultimately needed, it was a proactive measure. It’s better that it was there and unused than not there and needed. Wouldn’t you agree? But here we have the exact opposite. We have reports about hospitals actually being stretched past their limits…and the ship is sitting in Virginia. Personally, I think that looks bad…and possibly politically punitive. And if I have that opinion as a liberal independent, I guarantee others probably see it that way too…especially if they lean Republican.
jacquesm 5y ago
The problem is that an ICU bed isn't just a bed, it needs to be staffed. Without the staff to go with it you can put up as many beds as you want and call them ICU beds, it won't make a shred of a difference.
- kcplate 5y ago
  My suspicion is that a “hospital ship” is probably staffed with more than just the sailors who make it go from point a to point b. I could be wrong…
  - jacquesm 5y ago
    Yes, you are wrong, it's not like those boats are permanently staffed, the staff is drawn from elsewhere. Besides that the red-tape around those ships effectively denied those with COVID from coming on board resulting in a grand total of 35 patients treated over the two ships combined. Effectively they were a net negative, if the staff assigned to the ships would have been made available to the hospitals on shore they would have been far more effective.
    - kcplate 5y ago
      So use them to treat the non-Covid or deploy the staff to the land based hospitals. There are tactical relief actions this administration could take to help the overwhelmed hospitals but seems reluctant to do so. That bothers the hell out of me.

nieve 5y ago

If you look at what actually happened when they were deployed it was pretty much a useless gesture. Negligible patients were treated.

kcplate 5y ago
Yes I realize that it wasn’t ultimately needed, it was a proactive measure. It’s better that it was there and unused than not there and needed. Wouldn’t you agree? But here we have the exact opposite. We have reports about hospitals actually being stretched past their limits…and the ship is sitting in Virginia. Personally, I think that looks bad…and possibly politically punitive. And if I have that opinion as a liberal independent, I guarantee others probably see it that way too…especially if they lean Republican.

jacquesm 5y ago

The problem is that an ICU bed isn't just a bed, it needs to be staffed. Without the staff to go with it you can put up as many beds as you want and call them ICU beds, it won't make a shred of a difference.

kcplate 5y ago
My suspicion is that a “hospital ship” is probably staffed with more than just the sailors who make it go from point a to point b. I could be wrong…
- jacquesm 5y ago
  Yes, you are wrong, it's not like those boats are permanently staffed, the staff is drawn from elsewhere. Besides that the red-tape around those ships effectively denied those with COVID from coming on board resulting in a grand total of 35 patients treated over the two ships combined. Effectively they were a net negative, if the staff assigned to the ships would have been made available to the hospitals on shore they would have been far more effective.
  - kcplate 5y ago
    So use them to treat the non-Covid or deploy the staff to the land based hospitals. There are tactical relief actions this administration could take to help the overwhelmed hospitals but seems reluctant to do so. That bothers the hell out of me.