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This has been circulating widely enough that it warrants addressing:
The premise for the article is that 'a lower proportion of C19 cases being hospitalized means that many people in need of care are being turned away'...
That's quite a leap. What's the evidence?...
The premise for the article is that 'a lower proportion of C19 cases being hospitalized means that many people in need of care are being turned away'...
That's quite a leap. What's the evidence?...
The article cites a few local hotspots transferring patients and long ER wait times for a bed.
Neither of those situations is uncommon, especially during the fall/winter RV seasons.
https://theconversation.com/wait-times-remain-stubbornly-long-in-hospital-emergency-rooms-136314#:~:text=The%20average%20wait%20time%20to,58.1%20minutes%20a%20decade%20earlier.
Neither of those situations is uncommon, especially during the fall/winter RV seasons.
https://theconversation.com/wait-times-remain-stubbornly-long-in-hospital-emergency-rooms-136314#:~:text=The%20average%20wait%20time%20to,58.1%20minutes%20a%20decade%20earlier.
In South Dakota, where they cite sending patients home on oxygen on 11/17, capacity seems to be stable in all four regions as of today, without any "breakdown" of the system.
In fact, the one source they cited as evidence of "tightened admission criteria" stated:
"'So I don't think anybody who legitimately deserves care...— I don't think anybody is being turned away just because there's a surge in cases,' Dr. Malik said"
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/public-health/oklahoma-hospitals-tighten-admission-criteria-amid-influx-of-covid-19-patients.html
"'So I don't think anybody who legitimately deserves care...— I don't think anybody is being turned away just because there's a surge in cases,' Dr. Malik said"
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/public-health/oklahoma-hospitals-tighten-admission-criteria-amid-influx-of-covid-19-patients.html
What they didn't consider as a possible reason for a lower proportion of hospitalized cases this month is that few actually 'require' hospitalization.
Given a census increase in the fall/winter during RV season is normal--precautionary C19 admissions may no longer be justified
Given a census increase in the fall/winter during RV season is normal--precautionary C19 admissions may no longer be justified
The idea that dying people are being turned away from hospitals with available beds to save room for other dying people defies logic.
& given there's no transparency WRT admissions *with* C19 vs. *from* C19, there's no credible way to verify this type of presumptive leap.
& given there's no transparency WRT admissions *with* C19 vs. *from* C19, there's no credible way to verify this type of presumptive leap.
Here's where national utilization currently stands...and that's--again--without elucidating hospitalizations *with* vs. *from*.
There are surely local hotspots--like with every RV seasons--but, nationally, we are nowhere near "collapse".
There are surely local hotspots--like with every RV seasons--but, nationally, we are nowhere near "collapse".
And, thus far, the evidence that a lower proportion of hospitalizations means people in need of care are being turned away en masse, doesn't hold water and that conclusion is presumptive and unfounded.
#contextmatters
#contextmatters
