A COVID Surge Overwhelming Hospitals, Raising Fears of Rationed Care

SeaBreeze

SeaBreeze

Endlessly Groovin'
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USA
With the new variants underway, we have to unite in our country to take this pandemic seriously, get vaccinated, wear masks when recommended and follow common sense guidelines to avoid further spread of coronavirus.

The U.S. health care system is again buckling under the weight of a COVID-19 surge that has filled more than 100,000 hospital beds nationwide and forced some states to consider enacting "crisis standards of care" — a last resort plan for rationing medical care during a catastrophic event.

The idea is an alarming sign of how the delta variant has ripped through large swaths of the country — primarily sickening the unvaccinated and straining an already depleted health care workforce.

In recent weeks, more than 10 states have reached their highest hospital admissions for COVID-19 of the pandemic, from the Southeast to the Pacific Northwest. And the U.S. continues to average more than 160,000 new coronavirus cases a day.

But at least some hospitals in the state do feel better equipped to handle the surge than they did last winter.

Dr. Jason Mitchell, the chief medical officer for New Mexico's largest health care system, Presbyterian, says he's "optimistic" hospitals will not have to implement their crisis plans because they've gained a lot of experience managing the pressures of COVID-19 in the last year.
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https://www.npr.org/sections/health...helming-hospitals-raising-fears-rationed-care
 

One of our granddaughters is a nurse at a smaller rural hospital. Earlier this year, they were swamped with Virus patients being brought in from a couple of the "tourist area" hospitals. In recent weeks, they have declined accepting any patients from these areas, so they can return to giving their services to those in need, in their immediate area, for the normal illnesses/treatments.

IMO, those who are unvaccinated, and/or refuse to practice the mask, distancing, etc., recommendations, should be isolated in a hospital wing, or tent in the parking lot, and given some Ivermectin to treat the "parasite" that seems to be infecting their brains.
 

I think most everyone that can be convinced to get the vaccine already has. The others are hard core disbelievers who'll never see things differently even with real life stories as linked to the above post.

The majority of vaccines should be sent to areas around the world where people want to get vaccinated but can't because of the lack of vaccine in their countries. I know there's a plan for this (COVAX) but I haven't heard a lot about how much vaccine has been donated by various countries that have largely completed most of their own vaccination efforts. I doubt there will be any large scale booster shot requirement for at least months from now.
 
As an aside, one of my older brothers is unvaxxed, as is his wife. They both have some serious health issues, and their doctors have advised them to not be vaxxed. I think it is a mistake, but I don't argue with him about it, and he respects my decision to be vaxxed. He doesn't totally self isolate, but it is pretty close. Trips are restricted to mostly doctor appointments and other necessaries, and he is double masked and keeps a safe distance. His wife stays at home.

And I will continue to pray for their safety and health.
 
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Buckeye said:
As an aside, one of my older brothers is unvaxxed, as is his wife. They both have some serious health issues, and their doctors have advised them to not be vaxxed. I think it is a mistake, but I don't argue with him about it, and he respects my decision to be vaxxed. He doesn't totally self isolate, but it is pretty close. Trips are restricted to mostly doctor appointments and other necessaries, and he is double masked and keeps a safe distance. His wife stays at home.

And I will continue to pray for their safety and health.
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Retired people such as us can avoid unnecessary or unwanted social interactions, and wear a mask when it's unavoidable, which provides pretty good protection. I'm fully vaccinated, but I still wear a mask when I have to be around people and I social distance myself from unmasked people, even when I'm wearing a mask, since it mainly protects the spread of the virus more so than the contraction of it.

It's truly baffling that so many people go without masks. It's only a minor inconvenience that could save your life and allow the economy to recover.
 
oldiebutgoody said:
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Irwin said:
Their ideology is literally killing them...

Anti-Vaxxer Turns Vaccine Advocate After Husband Dies From COVID-19
"We thought the vaccine was rushed,” Lowe said. “We thought it was more about money and power than about Americans and protecting the people."
https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/lo...ate-after-husband-dies-from-covid-19/2709975/
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Frankly, I wouldn't care if it was about money and power, I'd still get the vaccine. In a case where my life might be at stake, I'm not about to quibble about who's making money by saving my life.
 
a hospital in a neighboring county here has been struggling to get oxygen to the hospital. people need to wake up before it's too late. yes there's a chance you may still get covid after the vaccine. supposedly not as severe. that's what they were designed for. not for eradicating it. 75-80% of the deaths here are in unvaccinated folks.
 
Butterfly said:
Frankly, I wouldn't care if it was about money and power, I'd still get the vaccine. In a case where my life might be at stake, I'm not about to quibble about who's making money by saving my life.I just
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I just read about an athlete who signed a contract worth over two hundred million dollars. And an actress who was paid 20 million for one movie and is now suing because she thinks they owe her 100 million for the movie.

Now, that is my idea of excess spending on something useless.
 
StarSong said:
Although I regret my increasingly hardened position, the truth is I have less and less sympathy for people who can be vaccinated but refuse, then become seriously ill or die from Covid.
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I'm very happy to pay for vaccinations and for treatment for people who can't be vaccinated for medical reasons (there really are some conditions) and for treatment for the few who get serious breakthrough problems. (I know -- I must be a socialist.) (sigh) However, I'm really not happy about paying for treatment for those who can be vaccinated and won't be. And I'm certainly not happy about paying for Remdesivir shots at $1000 (or is it $2000 -- I don't remember) a shot for people who won't get vaccinated and don't want to end up in the hospital. Neither am I happy about paying for people to be on ECMO!

"ECMO stands for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The ECMO machine is similar to the heart-lung by-pass machine used in open-heart surgery. It pumps and oxygenates a patient's blood outside the body, allowing the heart and lungs to rest. When you are connected to an ECMO, blood flows through tubing to an artificial lung in the machine that adds oxygen and takes out carbon dioxide; then the blood is warmed to body temperature and pumped back into your body."

https://www.ucsfhealth.org/treatments/extracorporeal-membrane-oxygenation

​

 
Irwin said:
Retired people such as us can avoid unnecessary or unwanted social interactions, and wear a mask when it's unavoidable, which provides pretty good protection. I'm fully vaccinated, but I still wear a mask when I have to be around people and I social distance myself from unmasked people, even when I'm wearing a mask, since it mainly protects the spread of the virus more so than the contraction of it.

It's truly baffling that so many people go without masks. It's only a minor inconvenience that could save your life and allow the economy to recover.
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Ask them if they plan to shout "hoorah!" the next time their surgical staff tells them it's their right not to wear masks.
 
MarciKS said:
a hospital in a neighboring county here has been struggling to get oxygen to the hospital. people need to wake up before it's too late. yes there's a chance you may still get covid after the vaccine. supposedly not as severe. that's what they were designed for. not for eradicating it. 75-80% of the deaths here are in unvaccinated folks.
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I'm in FL. In my area the water company uses oxygen to purify the water. We're being asked to conserve water because they're running very low. I think I heard on the news last week that they had a one week's supply on hand.
 
SeaBreeze said:
With the new variants underway, we have to unite in our country to take this pandemic seriously, get vaccinated, wear masks when recommended and follow common sense guidelines to avoid further spread of coronavirus.
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Couldn't agree with you more!
For the last week here we have been seeing triple and four digits of new cases every day.
 
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Dancing_Queen said:
Ask them if they plan to shout "hoorah!" the next time their surgical staff tells them it's their right not to wear masks.
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When they catch covid, they should have to make an appointment to get treated rather than clogging up the emergency rooms and they should be given the lowest priority when being accepted into hospitals. A vaccinated person with an ingrown toenail should be treated before unvaccinated people with covid.
 
My guess is that there have always been people who were against vaccinations in general, and have always refused them.
 
Listening to the radio this morning I heard that even though Sydney is currently in lockdown and, not withstanding the rush to get people vaccinated, we will still be facing a surge in hospitalisations in mid October. Then I listened to an intensive care specialist doctor and and a practising nurse dealing with Covid cases. Staffing is going to be a serious problem, not just in the city but also in the more remote parts of the state. Finding additional nurses is going to be very difficult. It is one thing to say that beds will be made available but who will be there to look after the sick?

It is beholden to all of us to do our best to keep the infection rate to the lowest level possible. God help us all if the hospital doctors and nurses burn out and quit the profession.
 
Buckeye said:
As an aside, one of my older brothers is unvaxxed, as is his wife. They both have some serious health issues, and their doctors have advised them to not be vaxxed. I think it is a mistake, but I don't argue with him about it, and he respects my decision to be vaxxed. He doesn't totally self isolate, but it is pretty close. Trips are restricted to mostly doctor appointments and other necessaries, and he is double masked and keeps a safe distance. His wife stays at home.

And I will continue to pray for their safety and health.
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Why not ask them why their doctor advised them against the vaccine?
 
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