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I wrote about UNMC--the hospital that, perhaps more than any other in the US, had prepared for a pandemic. It has amazing facilities. Its staff anticipated, planned, drilled. And now?
âI donât see how we avoid becoming overwhelmed,â one doc said. 1/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/11/americas-best-prepared-hospital-nearly-overwhelmed/617156/
Hereâs what the current surge is doing to the best-prepared hospital:
One building is now a COVID tower.
10 COVID units; 1 solely for patients to die.
Some days, theyâre short 45-60 nurses.
âWeâre watching a system breaking in front of us." 2/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/11/americas-best-prepared-hospital-nearly-overwhelmed/617156/
One building is now a COVID tower. 10 COVID units; 1 solely for patients to die. Some days, theyâre short 45-60 nurses. âWeâre watching a system breaking in front of us." 2/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/11/americas-best-prepared-hospital-nearly-overwhelmed/617156/
Hospital staff are *exhausted*. A nurse who normally works in oncology told me she can barely comprehend the amount of death she has seen in recent weeks.
Work "follows me everywhere I go. Itâs all I see when I come home, when I look at my kids.â 3/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/11/americas-best-prepared-hospital-nearly-overwhelmed/617156/
Work "follows me everywhere I go. Itâs all I see when I come home, when I look at my kids.â 3/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/11/americas-best-prepared-hospital-nearly-overwhelmed/617156/
This is NOT because the virus is unstoppable. Itâs because Trump, Nebraska's governor, and many of its people are not doing the simple things that could stop it.
Not even the best-prepared hospital can compensate for an unchecked pandemic. 4/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/11/americas-best-prepared-hospital-nearly-overwhelmed/617156/
Not even the best-prepared hospital can compensate for an unchecked pandemic. 4/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/11/americas-best-prepared-hospital-nearly-overwhelmed/617156/
Ron KlainâObamaâs Ebola czar & Bidenâs future chief of staffâonce told me UNMC is âarguably the best in the countryâ at handling dangerous & unusual diseases.
If THEY are struggling, thatâs a massive warning sign. And they aren't alone. 5/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/11/americas-best-prepared-hospital-nearly-overwhelmed/617156/
If THEY are struggling, thatâs a massive warning sign. And they aren't alone. 5/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/11/americas-best-prepared-hospital-nearly-overwhelmed/617156/
As I wrote last week, hospitals around the country, and especially in the Midwest, are also struggling.
The entire country is on pandemic fire. Reinforcements arenât coming. Health-care workers are teetering on the edge. Itâs getting worse. 6/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/11/third-surge-breaking-healthcare-workers/617091/
The entire country is on pandemic fire. Reinforcements arenât coming. Health-care workers are teetering on the edge. Itâs getting worse. 6/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/11/third-surge-breaking-healthcare-workers/617091/
Hospitalizations lag behind cases by ~12 days.
In the last 12 days, Nebraskaâs cases have gone from 82,400 to 109,280.
Even if no one else is infected, that surge WILL slam into already stretched hospitals over Thanksgiving.
Then what? 7/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/11/americas-best-prepared-hospital-nearly-overwhelmed/617156/
In the last 12 days, Nebraskaâs cases have gone from 82,400 to 109,280.
Even if no one else is infected, that surge WILL slam into already stretched hospitals over Thanksgiving.
Then what? 7/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/11/americas-best-prepared-hospital-nearly-overwhelmed/617156/
As my colleague @alexismadrigal reported, 22% of hospitals donât have enough workers right now. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/11/third-surge-hospitals-staffing-shortage/617128/
Daily death rates will soon be higher than they were in the spring, *even if hospitals hold the line*. 8/ https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/11/coronavirus-death-rate-third-surge/617150/
Daily death rates will soon be higher than they were in the spring, *even if hospitals hold the line*. 8/ https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/11/coronavirus-death-rate-third-surge/617150/
The near-term future is set. But our choices now will determine how dark Christmas is.
As @zeynep writes, âitâs time to hunker down.â https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/11/lock-yourself-down-now/617106/
As @rachgutman writes: âDonât spend time indoors with people outside your household.â 9/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/11/10-simple-rules-surviving-pandemic-holidays/617122/
As @zeynep writes, âitâs time to hunker down.â https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/11/lock-yourself-down-now/617106/
As @rachgutman writes: âDonât spend time indoors with people outside your household.â 9/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/11/10-simple-rules-surviving-pandemic-holidays/617122/
As a UNMC doc said to me, people have âa mistaken belief that every curve that goes up must come down.
What they donât realize is that if we donât change anything about how weâre conducting ourselves, the curve can go up and up.â 10/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/11/americas-best-prepared-hospital-nearly-overwhelmed/617156/
What they donât realize is that if we donât change anything about how weâre conducting ourselves, the curve can go up and up.â 10/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/11/americas-best-prepared-hospital-nearly-overwhelmed/617156/
