I’m really sad and outraged. So I’ve come here crying tonight. Fourteen CHILDREN under 12. That is a BIG SECRET here. Yes! The community is unaware of the dire straits here in highly vaccinated Gainesville, FL, surrounded by unvaccinated counties for whom these are the hospitals.
And the full story of the numbers and ages, and so on is unknown.
WHERE ELSE CAN I SPEAK OPENLY, SO THANKs to those who keep dkos going! I’ve been here since before 2005, many diaries (200+) under former name, “Gorette.”
Staff of any level can’t speak openly without certain firing. But here with no names I can. My relative is a professional and I’d trust her with my life.
They’re strictly prohibited from speaking of the situation. Not in local tv media which has loads of tips but cannot report story without a statement from one of the hospitals here. North FL Regional Hospital will not comment, but I am not sure* about UF HEALTH SHANDS Hospital which has a Pediatric ICU with 14 kids under age 12 now.
My relative saw a 28 year old on a ventilator, needing 6 liters of oxygen. And his brother is in a nearby bed. He was thin and had been perfectly healthy. Their mom is also in ICU. Just one example.
Yes, the local news people said “no can do.” Cannot tell people what is going on, aside from public numbers. They know the newer, frightening aspects about what is happening but cannot figure out how to cover it.
So the unvaccinated are unaware. Life seems so normal here, all just sailing along in Gainesville, as if all is just fine, people masked in stores, getting back to normal. So this is very weird to me.
This is what our capitalist society has led to. Greed for corporate profits over lives of people. If we had universal health care we’d be in a vastly different situation.
Think of OUR CHILDREN, FOR GOD’S SAKE! They had to turn a mother baby unit into a COVID ICU, just a set of doors away from a NICU!
A staff person at one NFRH said someone in corporate was working on getting a reply from the so far silent office. The staff (and I am not sure what I would do in this situation) remains SILENT about certain facts, KNOWING THEIR JOBS WOULD BE LOST. So people die.
IF THEY COULD, THEY WOULD TELL US:
— They’re close to having staff decide who will LIVE and who will DIE because they are short of ventilators.
— A tank truck between the buildings is pumping in needed oxygen because so many patients are on ventilators.
— Perfectly thin, healthy looking 20 year olds are needing oxygen.
— NICU Separated from COVID UNIT BY TWO DOORS.
— NFRH considering using conference room for COVID-19 unit.
*After writing this we find a story did get published by the Gainesville Sun on August 9, “Alachua hospitals still seeing rising numbers of covid patients.” UF hospital executive said 94% unvaccinated, and gave number of kids in ICU then. (No link as I have hand arthritis bad and never did that on IPAD.)