Update from my niece, who works in a Gulf Coast MS hospital.

[Croney]

"Absolutely terrible
Not enough staff. Not enough er beds. No icu beds. No vents. There is no standard of care anymore. Stretched too thin."

I hate those stupid horrible anti-vaxxers.

[SoonerPride]

1. They need to triage care.

Unvaxxed patients get a cot in a tent. Palliative care only.

The main hospital remains open for all other illnesses.

[kirkuchiyo]

2. This, this, this, 1000% this

Not vaxxed? Go home and good luck. Here is a list of numbers for morticians. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!

[paleotn]

24. YES!!!

[FreddyWhite]

25. what about those who couldnt get a vaccine yet

What a heartless and cruel way to respond to human beings doing the best they can. Most of whom are people of color and/or people with limited resources.

This is NOT the way to persuade people to get vaccinated.

I'm saying a prayer for people who say such thoughtless/heartless words such as these.

I pray for compassion, sensitivity, open mindedness, and thoughtful leadership. That USED to be what democrats stood for.

And meanwhile, why is there no anger directed at the CDC for announcing no-masks for vaccinated. They have been spreaders too.

Things are not black and white. I'm praying for some wisdom here.

[Tommymac]

32. Sorry I HAVE NO PITY left. It is not on the CDC - it is on SELFISH STUPIDITY.

The CDC talking point is getting a lot of play in RW circles...why bring it up here?

600,000+ are dead...and these IDIOTS are killing more because of political reasons. I hope they all ROT IN HELL.

[krkaufman]

39. CDC

I thought the CDC relaxing the mask requirement for the vaccinated back in May seemed foolish, but they probably couldn't conceive that such a large chunk of the population would reject getting vaccinated. That was mid-May; we wouldn't need masks had vaccination rates continued apace from that point.

[HUAJIAO]

44. "..but they probably couldn't conceive that such a large chunk of the population

would reject getting vaccinated."

Shit, they should have asked me!!!

[Tommymac]

48. Agreed - they made a mistake but the RW is using the CDC to excuse the stupid and

make President Biden look bad.

That it is all the fault of the CDC is a Right Wing talking point through and through and needs to be pointed out.

[Ferrets are Cool]

40. I don't need your prayers. I need Covidiots to get vaccinated.

And if they don't, fuck em.

[Mariana]

56. "what about those who couldnt get a vaccine yet"

Other than the children, those people are few and far between. Most adults who aren't vaccinated didn't want to be vaccinated.

[Crunchy Frog]

59. As a Democrat, I can say that I'm pretty much out of all those things listed.

This country is in a low grade civil war, and I regard the willfully unvaccinated as the equivalent of enemy suicide bombers.

As far as anger directed at the CDC, I've seen a hell of a lot of it here (which I share), starting from the time they made that announcement.

Maybe you need to read this site a little more closely before you start making these kinds of pronouncements about posters here.

[FreddyWhite]

26. I'm a Sooner too

And I care for my neighbors. It's called being a bigger person. It's what leaders do.

[Tommymac]

33. Leaders promote safe practices to help ALL the people...not spread RW LIES for political gain.

No pity left.

[HighFired49]

34. 'Nother Sooner here, too

and I agree with you. Many people are not intelligent enough to figure out or make a decision about the vaccine, especially if they are heavily influenced or pressured by family, friends, and neighbors, or are economically, or medically prohibited. I suspect that there are multiple reasons for people not getting, or not being able to get the vaccine, but I also have some similar feelings of anger about the obstinate, hateful contrarians who just want to thumb their noses at Libs. and Dems., or anyone else who tries to tell them what to do.

This could have been over, or under control so much sooner if more of us still felt, or had been taught civic responsibility, instead of the "do your own thing and to hell with everyone else" mindset. It's a little late now but, we should be teaching civic responsibility, compassion, and problem solving in all of our schools through at least high school. I also think that we could convince many more people to get vaccinated with a compassionate, straight forward approach to information that would overcome their hesitancy. Getting angry with them won't help.

[SoonerPride]

36. If we had unlimited bed space and nurses ok

But we do not.

Unvaccinated covid patients are literally taking up space from ICUs for heart attack and stroke patients.

With limited resources you must prioritize.

Unvaccinated people go to the end of the line.

[Maru Kitteh]

61. Wait a minute? Why is it okay to saddle unlimited nurses with the risk of caring

for people WILLINGLY infected with a deadly and dangerous, preventable infectious disease?

No thank you.

[NJCher]

45. People are just spouting off

Don’t take it so seriously and don’t get holier than thou.

People at DU see a lot of injustice. Sometimes, as in cases like this, it just boils over.

[Crunchy Frog]

60. I'm not a leader, and I'm definitely not a "bigger person" right now.

[smirkymonkey]

42. +1000

[Rabrrrrrr]

57. Yep. "You dumbshits said God would protect you, so out to the parking lot you go. If I were you,

I'd start praying. And do some end of life estate planning, because in about 24 hours, so you won't be able to. Fuck you."

[Texaswitchy]

3. My housemate was a medic in the Army.

She knows about triage.

She said there will be a time to decide who lives and dies.

The 10 year old kid or 40 year old man who didn't vax.

Who would you.choose to get medical care.

[Mr.Bill]

7. Triage is not about

deciding who lives or dies. It's about deciding the likelyhood of who can be saved and who cant. The ailment or injury decides who will live or die.

[Texaswitchy]

8. Who would you pick.

Both have the same chance.

The kid or the adult.

Triage will change as things get worse.

I would pick the kid.

The kid didn't have a change to get a shot.

[Mr.Bill]

13. First, I won't answer that question because I have no credentials in Triage.

My post was vetted with my wife who is a retired RN with Triage being one of the things she was trained in during her 40+ year career. She said I was absolutely correct.

As far as your comparison question, there are no two patients exactly alike in every way but age. Their age alone makes them different. If the ailment was Covid, the child may have a better chance of surviving. But that chance of surviving is why you would pick them, not the fact that they are a child. But if you want to throw hypotheticals out there, what if the adult was a doctor that had the potential to save many lives? What if the adult was Joe Biden?

[KS Toronado]

16. Great questions Mr Bill

We could use some more critical thinking skills here on DU

[Mr.Bill]

17. Thank you for your kind words.

But my critical thinking in this thread is coming from my wife, a retired RN.

[KS Toronado]

21. Thank you for your honesty.

Do you now owe her breakfast in bed? Or some other favor? Or did you guys quit keeping score?

[Mr.Bill]

22. Let's just say this pandemic has shown us

that being retired and spending so much time with each other, it's a damn good thing that aside from being in love for 30 years we just plain like each other.

[paleotn]

28. Checked with my 30+ year of practice now teaching RN better half...

Same answer. Well said.

[hunter]

35. My wife has done triage.

It can be an awful thing. Not my stories to tell.

For too many months our home was 24/7 covid crisis, and then there's been some calm, especially after we'd both been vaccinated.

I'll be right fucking angry if we have to go through that again.

[calimary]

50. Joe Biden got vaccinated.

But I get your point.

I think I’d prioritize the kid. By now, I sincerely wish I could find understanding and compassion for those unfortunate souls who didn’t want to or didn’t bother to get vaccinated. Their selfishness might well condemn someone else to death or long, ongoing illness or complications. I can’t anymore.

I just can’t. Too many others are at risk. What’s that old saying about “my freedom to swing my fists stops at the tip of your nose”?

[Mr.Bill]

52. A more apt analogy would be

smoking a cigar in an elevator. But generally they are not intelligent enough to understand that.

[Oppaloopa]

29. Me too.

[IronLionZion]

10. I would choose the kid

since kids have a higher chance of survival and longer to live and less choice in whether they get vaccinated.

[Texaswitchy]

12. Me to.

Now the 40 year old man might be married.

With kids.

Maybe the wife is positive.

Who do you pick now.

This is what I talking about.

[IronLionZion]

14. Kid again

for the same reasons

[Texaswitchy]

20. Me to.

But would still pick the kid regardless because the 40 year didn't get the shot.

To me the kid should still have a chance.

Now there will be stressed and tired human being making decisions.

Not a book.

Her instructor had three tours of duty in Vietnam.

A field medic, field hospital, and a regular army hospital.

He told her class that you will have to live with whatever decision you make.

[Oppaloopa]

30. I just got a idea. No new life insurance policies unless vaccinated.

[keithbvadu2]

37. Or a non-coverage exemption if death is related to COVID.

Or a non-coverage exemption if death is related to COVID without vax.

[Maru Kitteh]

62. I'm thinking the willingly unvaxed should be made to care

for each other.

If there are no resources available for them then . . . oh well. Thoughts and prayers.

[Merlot]

4. Save your hate for the people mis informing the gullible and stirring up hate and ignorance

Years of poor education via defunding schools and incessant talk radio has brought us to this point.

The truly horrific are the politicians and talking heads who are all vaccinated spewing lies.

[OldBaldy1701E]

11. This is such an indicator

Of just how far down the rabbit hole we have fallen. The fact that the people who are telling them to ignore science were already vaccinated before they told their unwashed heathens this crap. Anyone seen 'Escape From New York'? I like that idea...

[happybird]

15. +100

[Moebym]

27. These people would not have been receptive to the messages of hate and ignorance

Had they not been inclined toward hate and ignorance to begin with.

There is no excuse for this behavior. None.

[Rabrrrrrr]

58. Yep - they are absolutely not without sin. They had it in their hearts already to be dumbshit

hatefilled asshboles.

One hates to say it, because one (and by "one" I mean me) actually does believe we all need compassion and empathy - but one also thinks that maybe this is the virus that kills off the ignorant strains of humanity so the rest of us can evolve.

[Oppaloopa]

31. Just heard our Florida governors children attend a wealthy private school with mandated masks

[NJCher]

46. That sociopath has children???

The hypocrisy will take your breath away.

[leftstreet]

41. +1

[7wo7rees]

49. I would like to remind us all of the adage:

Everything Trump touches dies.

This is his legacy. Own it, fucktards. We'll have this and other variants for decades now. Long after Trump's dead.

Sorry their kids have to die, but they were never great parents if they voted for hate.

[renate]

5. I know that in normal times it's not appropriate to triage patients according to responsibility...

... for their own situations. But it's so insane that many innocent people who did the right thing for their own health and for the public's health but have to go to the ER for other conditions ARE GOING TO DIE because of these asshats clogging up emergency departments. How is that okay?

[tishaLA]

6. And the Gov. left the state to attend

a repub governors' association meeting. Because priorities!

[IronLionZion]

9. That whole state hit capacity

and asked for the Navy's hospital ship.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/mississippi-asks-for-military-hospital-ship-with-icus-days-from-collapse-from-covid-cases

[Evolve Dammit]

18. So unnecessarily tragic. We did not have to be here except for one orange "BOY." He's not a man.

[intheflow]

19. They thought it was exaggerated, just gonna kill mostly Black people in big northern cities.

[ShazzieB]

23. Not just Black people in big northern cities.

Black people in big northern BLUE cities.

So yeah, I'm sure they thought that sounded like a pretty good thing! Dead Democrats... dead Black
Democrats. What's not to like?

[intheflow]

38. True, true.

And may I add, completely off topic...



























YOU HAVE AN IDIC AS YOUR AVATAR!! :dammitDUneedsaVulcansalutesmilie:

[Historic NY]

43. I hear it from my niece at her VA in Florida, where she is sometimes a charge nurse...

They are bringing in nurses from Puerto Rico to help. It didn't have to be this way, one told her Trump would save him, she told no that isn't happening. He left in a body bag. She is trying to keep the non-Covid patients healthy enough to discharge. Meanwhile, its chaos.

[Ilsa]

47. Medical staff is emotionally exhausted, but sick people

keep expecting them to take care of them.

Yes, it may be time in some places to only accept accident victims, HA & stroke patients, appendicitis, etc.

Maybe turn away anyone in a MAGA hat?

[nolabear]

51. I'm so worried for my family there. Where is your niece?

I've got people all over there--Biloxi, Ocean Springs, Pascagoula...and I know they're suffering. As far as I know they're all vaccinated but other things happen. Health concerns of all kinds abound.

I'm so tired. It's taking such a toll on us all, body and soul.

[Croney]

53. She lives in Ocean Springs. Her 13-year-old daughter just got

her first shot yesterday, thank goodness. Most of my family is in Louisiana, and all I can do is hope they stay well. I don't know the vax status of all of them, and it's just as well. I'd be furious over something out of my control. At least my mom (98) is vaxxed for sure.

[nolabear]

54. That's where my sister lives. Is she at the OS hospital?

Nice little hospital but what a nightmare for them.

[Croney]

55. I'm not really sure, I know she's told me but I've forgotten.