Texas Lt Gov Dan Patrick, a 69-year-old Republican, has become infamous for suggesting that the US should be open for business despite the risk that COVID-19 poses for older people. “Those of us who are 70-plus, we’ll take care of ourselves,” he says. Except that, many older people who get the virus will not take care of themselves; they will die.
But we need to understand that this notion ~ that the dangers to older people should be tolerated to “save” the economy ~ understates and ignores the full peril of COVID-19 to our country and the world.
Simply put, it’s the Surge, stupid. The virus is not a problem simply because it’s particularly deadly for older people. It’s a problem because it’s creating a spike in hospitalizations that our health system cannot cope with.
The number of hospital beds in any locality is finite. It might be hundreds of beds, or thousand of beds, but there is not an infinite number of beds.
Our hospitals have been routinely able to handle the spike of patients due to the flu or other diseases. Although we know that many places ~ especially rural areas ~ suffer from a deficit of medical facilities.
Experience is showing that we can’t handle COVID-19. It is MUCH more contagious than the flu or many other diseases. Unlike the flu, there is no vaccine. Additionally, COVID-19 is much more likely to require hospitalization, and ICU hospitalization.
This has caused an unprecedented surge in the use of hospital beds that our health system can’t accommodate. And guess what: this is affecting everybody who goes to the hospital, regardless of age; and it affects all of our hospital workers, who are overworked, and also, perhaps unprotected.
The NY Post ran a story on hospital workers at a NYC hospital. Because of a shortage of protective uniforms, nurses are repurposing garbage bags to wear as hospital scrubs. The story is presented under the headline ”Worker at NYC hospital where nurses wear trash bags as protection dies from coronavirus.”
Thus, if you’re a teenager who suffers a serious injury while exercising, you might not get treatment because the hospital can’t accommodate you. If you’re a baby who’s been burned in a house fire, you might not get treatment because the hospital can’t accommodate you. Etc, etc.
It’s the Surge, Stupid. The influx of COVID-19 patients into our hospitals is overwhelming hospital capacity. We don’t have enough beds, health care workers, protective gear, equipment, and supplies to handle the added load. THIS AFFECTS EVERYBODY WHO VISITS A HOSPITAL.
Tell everyone who’ll listen: the problem is not just the effect that COVID-19 has on vulnerable victims. The problem is also the devastating effect on our health system. It’s not just about old people, it’s about all of us who needs to visit a hospital.
Tell everybody: it’s the Surge, Stupid.