“Sent to Slaughter”: Growing PPE, Ventilator Shortages Cost Lives As Trump Blames Healthcare Workers For His Own Planning Failure
Los Angeles Times: Despite Widespread Shortages, Trump Hasn’t Come Up With A Plan To Get Medical Supplies Where Needed
NYT: “‘I feel like we’re all just being sent to slaughter,’ said Thomas Riley, a nurse at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, who has contracted the virus, along with his husband.”
The shortages for hospitals and first responders are a direct result of Trump’s failure to take action months ago, and instead of taking responsibility, he is blaming hospitals for his own failures. In a press conference this weekend Trump made an outrageously false claim – without evidence – that hospitals are hoarding protective gear. This is not only a dangerous lie, but a reflection of his own botched response and failure to provide enough ventilators and safety equipment, which medical professionals continue to plead for to keep themselves and their patients safe.
The consequences of Trump’s botched response are here:
Healthcare Workers Cry Out For Help As Doctors, Nurses And Patients Die Because Of Trump’s Failure To Prepare For The Crisis…
Politico: A Lottery For Ventilators? Hospitals Prepare For Ethical Conundrums
New York Times: Nurses Die, Doctors Fall Sick And Panic Rises On Virus Front Lines
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‘“I feel like we’re all just being sent to slaughter,’” said Thomas Riley, a nurse at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, who has contracted the virus, along with his husband.” [New York Times, 3/30/20]
A Gynecologist At The Mount Sinai Hospital System Explained That Because Of The Lack Of Protective Gear “We’re Definitely Contaminating Pregnant Mothers That We’re Assessing And Possibly Discharging Home.”
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“A gynecologist who works for the Mount Sinai hospital system said she had begun seeing women in labor who were positive for the coronavirus. Because she is not considered a front-line worker, she said, restrictions on protective gear are even more stringent than on Covid-19 units. She said she was not aware of any patients who had tested positive after contact with doctors or nurses, but felt it was only a matter of time. ‘We’re definitely contaminating pregnant mothers that we’re assessing and possibly discharging home,’ said the doctor, who spoke on condition on anonymity because her hospital had not authorized her to speak.” [New York Times, 3/30/20]
Associated Press: Hospitals Fear Any Surge Of Virus Cases, Supply Shortages
Bloomberg: Hospital Workers Make Masks From Office Supplies Amid U.S. Shortage
Texas Tribune: Texas Hospitals Brace For Coronavirus Surge With Uncertain Stocks Of Protective Gear
…And State And Local Leaders Beg The Trump Administration To Help Secure Critical Supplies.
The Gazette: Polis: Colorado Far Away From Meeting Need For ICU Beds And Ventilators
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“In his address Friday, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis addressed a desperate need for Intensive Care Unit beds and ventilators. ‘We have about 900 ventilators in the state of Colorado. We need about 7,000. We have about 1,800 hospital beds … we need about 5,000 ICU beds.’” [The Gazette, 3/28/20]
The Hill: California Governor: 170 Ventilators Sent From Trump Administration Were ‘not Working’
Wall Street Journal: Governors Push For More Medical Gear To Fight Coronavirus
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards Requested 12,000 Ventilators — He Has Received 192.
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“‘We’ve put in orders with the national stockpile,’ said Louisiana’s Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards, speaking on CBS’s ‘Face the Nation.’ ‘But we’ve also pursued manufacturers and vendors trying to place orders for about 12,000 ventilators.’ ‘I think thus far we’ve received 192,’ Mr. Edwards said.” [Wall Street Journal, 3/29/20]
Boston Globe: In State’s Intense Chase For Protective Equipment, Coronavirus Isn’t The Only Rival — The Feds Are, Too
Massachusetts Republican Governor Charlie Baker Criticized The Trump Administration’s Mishandling Of Medical Equipment Distribution, Venting That He Had Watched Orders “Evaporate.”
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“Finding enough [supplies] has become one of the biggest challenges facing the state and its medical community. And it’s increasingly pushed the oft-diplomatic Baker into a publicly combative stance, challenging the Trump administration to do more. The frustration spilled into public view Thursday, when the second-term Republican became animated in discussing the ‘incredibly messy thicket’ the state has had to navigate to get equipment. His administration has watched orders ‘evaporate,’ he vented. The phrase ‘quote-unquote confirmed,’ he said, doesn’t necessarily mean that anymore. ‘I’m telling you, we’re killing ourselves trying to make it happen,’ Baker said.” [Boston Globe, 3/27/20]
NBC News: Governors Warn Shortages Will Put Their States In ‘Dire Straits’ As Early As This Week
Washington Post: Desperate For Medical Equipment, States Encounter A Beleaguered National Stockpile
Associated Press: Relief Package Billions Can’t Buy Hospitals Out Of Shortages
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“‘It’s pretty much every state for itself,’ said Virginia’s secretary of finance, Aubrey Layne, who is deeply involved with his state’s effort to buy medical supplies. Masks that were priced at $2.50 a week ago are now being quoted as high as $9, he said, and suppliers make clear that there are ‘plenty of people out here’ looking to buy, even at the high prices. ‘There is a lot of opportunism going on,’ Layne said.” [Associated Press, 3/29/20]
Washington Post: U.S. Cities Have Acute Shortages Of Masks, Test Kits, Ventilators As They Face Coronavirus Threat
U.S. Conference Of Mayors Survey: “Despite Their Best Efforts, Most Cities Do Not Have And Cannot Obtain Adequate Equipment And Supplies Needed To Protect Their Residents.”
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“The survey described in this report illustrates the scope and severity of the need for COVID-19 emergency equipment in this nation’s cities. It shows that, despite their best efforts, most cities do not have and cannot obtain adequate equipment and supplies needed to protect their residents. This is a life-threatening crisis that will continue unless the federal government does everything in its power to help us safeguard our first responders and health care workers – our first line of defense – and the millions of other public servants in our cities whose work today puts them at risk.” [United States Conference of Mayors, 3/27/20]
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“91.5% (192) of the cities do not have an adequate supply of face masks for their first responders (including police, fire, and EMTs) and medical personnel; 88.2% (186) do not have an adequate supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) other than face masks to protect these workers; 92.1% (186) do not have an adequate supply of test kits; 85% (164) do not have an adequate supply of ventilators for use by health facilities in their city or area; 62.4% (131) have not received emergency equipment or supplies from their State; Of those receiving help from their State, 84.6% (66) say it is not adequate to meet their needs.” [United States Conference of Mayors, 3/27/20]
CNN: America Is Ramping Up Covid-19 Testing, But A Shortage Of Basic Supplies Is Limiting Capabilities
CNN: Automakers Are Racing To Make Ventilators. But It’s Not That Easy