ICU capacity consists of the room, the equipment and the staffing. Once oxygen saturation starts to drop the treatment options are oxygen and eventually intubat

ICU capacity consists of the room, the equipment and the staffing. Once oxygen saturation starts to drop the treatment options are oxygen and eventually intubation and a medically induced coma. There is no realistic scenario where untrained or semi-trained individuals are going to be able to provide that support and even if the staffing shortages could be worked around there wasn’t adequate equipment. The at home treatment option was to watch the patient drown in their own fluids. There are few people in that scenario that would have the emotional capacity to calmly give support to a close family member or friend when there was no ICU capacity. Their more realistic scenario would be people loading the patient into the car and driving to the nearest hospital. Some percentage of that population will likely turn violent.