US hospitals will run out of beds if coronavirus cases spike

[riversedge]

This is sobering. and scary.



US hospitals will run out of beds if coronavirus cases spike
A USA TODAY analysis shows there could be six seriously ill patients for every existing US hospital bed. No state is prepared.

https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/investigations/2020/03/13/us-hospitals-overwhlemed-coronavirus-cases-result-in-too-few-beds/5002942002/


Jayme Fraser and Matt Wynn, USA TODAY


Updated 11:50 a.m. CDT Mar. 13, 2020
Medical field looks to the past for COVID-19 guidance


A doctor who treated the first U.S. patients for Ebola weighs in on USA TODAY's analysis and preparation for COVID-19.
Becky Kellogg, USA TODAY

No state in the U.S. will have enough room to treat novel coronavirus patients if the surge in severe cases here mirrors that in other countries.

A USA TODAY analysis shows that if the nation sees a major spike, there could be almost six seriously ill patients for every existing hospital bed.

That analysis, based on data from the American Hospital Association, U.S. Census, CDC and World Health Organization, is conservative. For example, it assumes all 790,000 beds will be empty.

Since two thirds are not, the reality could be far worse: about 17 people competing for each open bed.

“Unless we are able to implement dramatic isolation measures like some places in China, we’ll be presented with overwhelming numbers of coronavirus patients – two to 10 times as we see at peak influenza times,” said Dr. James Lawler, who researches emerging diseases at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the Global Center for Health Security............................................

[evertonfc]

1. I can assure

the Chinese method will not be implemented here, especially nationwide.

[riversedge]

3. Seattle has bought up hotels already. Not build quickly new hospitals.

[riversedge]

2. Estimated number of seriously ill patients per available hospital bed (for all-ages):

Estimated number of seriously ill patients per available hospital bed (for all-ages):

[Claritie Pixie]

4. Sobering indeed.

[NickB79]

5. Mother of God.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

6. No surprise.

In what passes for a normal flu season hospitals often run out of beds, and even if this really were no worse than normal flu, it is possible the number of people infected will be a great deal larger.

What people don't get is that the system is designed to handle a normal number of cases. For instances, about 7500 people die each and every day in this country. Our funeral industry is well set up to handle that number. If it increases by perhaps 10% it will be overloaded. By any more, beyond overloaded.

Same with hospitals. They are geared up to handle however many people they typically get. If a lot more people check in it's a problem.

I don't understand why so many here are so surprised by this.