'People need to wake up.' A skeptical rural U.S. lacks resources for coronavirus fight

[pstokely]

https://www.kansascity.com/news/coronavirus/article241275716.html

"As U.S. cities virtually shut down and brace for an influx of coronavirus infections, the story in rural America is a different one. From small-town Florida to Georgia’s central peach region, from southern Mississippi to the Kansas and Texas plains, some residents say the threat is overblown. Others worry about how they will face the pending crisis with a widespread lack of resources, supplies and preparedness.

Across the country, more than 125 rural hospitals have closed since 2010, according to the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina.

“Rural populations are older, sicker, poorer, and have less access to private health insurance,” said Kristie Thompson, a research associate at the Sheps Center. “These are issues that make providing health care challenging in rural communities in the absence of a pandemic.”

And in a pandemic, even small communities that have held onto their hospitals may lack ICU beds and ventilators needed to care for the critically ill during a widespread outbreak."

[CountAllVotes]

1. There are two ventilators where I am located

They've already come out and stated that the old and infirm will be last to receive care if it comes down to it.

Evil bastard tRUMP is responsible for this!

[CanonRay]

2. "The mortality rate is lower than the flu"

The media needs to quickly correct this bullshit

[Wellstone ruled]

3. What is the scary part of the Rural equation is this.

Way to many of those folks are getting their info from Murdoch Media as well as their local AM right wing Stations. Today I talked to acquaintances in South Dakota as well as South Western Minnesota. These folks think it is funny that Nevada is shut down or California for the most part is shut down. And oh well,it won't happen here cause we are in the country. Only thing they worried about is not being able to buy things at the Store cause all them town folks cleaned out every thing.

They are so in denial of what is coming their way. And in both cases,they are high risk people one with MERSA in his system from a few years ago that put him in the Hospital for two weeks,and the other has a messed up Immune system and if some one coughs in the next county,he catches a cold or flu.

Guess today was a true wake up call and done trying to educate the truly ignorant.

[pstokely]

5. and the city hospitals will be filled with those hicks

if those hicks are lucky

[Wellstone ruled]

6. Yes they will.

Understand that it is already happening.

[TeamPooka]

4. That's a good plan. The red states should stick to their beliefs because if you don't

think the virus exists then it can't hurt you.
That's just science.

[JCMach1]

7. Some will remain the same and some areas will be harrowed

From this...

In rural areas the transmission vectors are narrow. However, if it gets there to a particular town, it will be horrific.