One thing I don't think people really understand about #COVID19 and hospitals is that the health system ROUTINELY operates at 85%+ capacity
There really isn't much wiggle room around
-
Show this thread
-
Think about it - you don't staff a ward with triple the people you need, you'd go bankrupt overnight Instead, you plan to operate with every day ~nearly~ full, and a bit of extra room just in case
2 replies 2 retweets 10 likesShow this thread -
What does that look like in practice? Say you have a fairly big ICU - 30 beds In practice, you'd probably plan to have 24-27 of those full EVERY DAY
1 reply 1 retweet 7 likesShow this thread -
And now coronavirus comes around and you need all 30 beds to treat people with respiratory issues What happens to all your regular patients? Where do they go? You see the problem
2 replies 2 retweets 14 likesShow this thread -
The issue with massive epidemics, as you can see in Italy, is that this little bit of extra room really isn't that much
3 replies 2 retweets 16 likesShow this thread -
Replying to @GidMK
Aren’t most places discontinuing elective surgeries. What percentage would that be?
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
Yes, and varies wildly. Some places do a lot, but some hospitals barely do any
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.