NYC Hospitals Operating at Capacity, CoVid 19 Curve Flattening, BUT ...
The Next Battle is to Stay Disciplined to Avoid a Resurgence
Will New Yorkers Comply during Passover & Easter Week?
April 6, 2020 / Corona Virus in NYC & NYS CoVid 19 / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.
Many NYC Hospitals are reportedly operating at full capacity, and in some cases operating at capacity plus.
The good news is that the supply chain of personal protective equipment [PPE], respirators and gowns has been holding - albeit on a tight supply. And there are still anecdotal reports, generally by the alarmist TV networks, that indicate there are a few spot shortages. If true, these shortages are the result of distribution issues, rather than any out-of-stocks by the city and state.
Nonetheless, the needs for protective gear and life saving equipment remain high priorities for both the Governor and the Mayor, as the supply chain is on a tight turnaround and the CoVid pandemic continues, albeit at a slackening pace, in the city and parts of the state.
The good news, as previously reported, is that we may be approaching the apex. The social distancing appears to have thwarted the worst case scenario, and may even have contained the spread from reaching the middle case scenario.
But the danger persists.
The chart at right shows the daily CoVid deaths stabilizing. But a number of the morgues are over capacity, and some of the bodies reportedly had to be stored in refrigerated trucks, which are affectionately referred to as mobile morgues.
The Real Challenge this Week is Getting Through Passover & Easter without Breaking the NYC & NYS Healthcare System
And the real test of it comes this week as both Passover and Easter come to play, when people generally come together to celebrate these traditional religious holidays.
To discourage people coming together in large numbers the Governor doubled the fine for violations of social distancing from $500 to $1000. Cuomo also extended the non-essential store closure policy for another two weeks - through the end of April.
In the Governor's daily press conference, he called upon local law enforcement to give tickets to people regardless of their religious affiliation, if they violate the call for social distancing. In doing so, Cuomo noted that not only are those who gather in such a manner putting themselves and their communities at risk, but they are also adding to the pandemic crisis, by putting first responders including FDNY, the NYPD, the MTA workers and the NYC / NYS Healthcare system workers at risk. A risk, which in many cases, ends up in death.
And given the hospital / healthcare system is operating at full capacity, if people start to break formation and begin disregarding the government social distancing guidance, they could potentially tip the balance of what seems a well managed pandemic crisis, into an all out disaster.
The chart above shows some good news, whereby the NYS daily CoVid hospitalizations are exceeded by the number of CoVid patients leaving the hospital. Remember - these numbers are driven up or down by our behavior as a whole community.
- CLICK here to read the rest of our report about how well NYC and NYS are faring in containing the spread of the Corona Virus - given the givens - in turning back the tide of the spread of the Corona Virus as we head into Passover and Easter week.
NYC Hospitals Operating at Capacity, CoVid 19 Curve Flattening, BUT ...
The Next Battle is to Stay Disciplined to Avoid a Resurgence
Will New Yorkers Comply during Passover & Easter Week?
April 6, 2020 / Corona Virus in NYC & NYS CoVid 19 / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC. Continued.
Early Passover & Easter Greeting
We all can do our part, by continuing to stay at home, continuing to wash our hands, practice social distancing and something which I believe is not emphasized enough - upping our personal cleanliness regimen. By this I mean regularly washing our countertops, table tops, appliances like cell phones, TV remotes, keyboards, computer mice [plural for mouse], telephones, door knobs, light switches, steering wheels in cars, radios in cars, and so forth. If we only wash our hands, and then touch an infected surface, what good was washing our hands?
The chart at right shows that the number of people testing positive for CoVid is still quite high - over 8,000 per day - so this is no time for us to become complacent.
In any case, Passover and Easter are times of reflection, and where better to do some personal reflection than in our own homes, while we're cleaning and sanitizing all of our worldly possesions?
Have a Happy Passover and Happy Easter.
Stay tuned.
