Coronavirus in N.Y.: ‘Deluge’ of Cases Begins Hitting Hospitals

TomDispatch

The healthcare system in New York is already being overwhelmed.
—Erika

For weeks, as the coronavirus has spread across the world, New York officials have warned that a surge of cases could overwhelm the state’s health care system, jeopardizing thousands of patients.

Now, that surge has begun.

In a startlingly quick ascent, New York reported on Friday that the state was closing in on 8,000 positive tests, about half the cases in the country. The number was 10 times higher than what was reported earlier in the week.

The sharp increase is thrusting the medical system toward a crisis point, officials said.

In the Bronx, doctors at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center say they have only a few remaining ventilators for patients who need them to breathe. In Brooklyn, doctors at Kings County Hospital Center say they are so low on supplies that they are reusing masks for up to a week, slathering them with hand sanitizer between shifts.

Some of the jump in New York’s cases can be traced to significantly increased testing, which the state began this week. But the escalation, and the response, could offer other states a glimpse of what might be in store if the virus continues to spread. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Friday urged residents to stay indoors and ordered nonessential businesses to keep workers home.

There are already critical shortages: A Bronx hospital is running out of ventilators. In Brooklyn, doctors are reusing masks.

nytimes.com

Coronavirus in N.Y.: ‘Deluge’ of Cases Begins Hitting Hospitals

There are already critical shortages: A Bron

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