- Moderator
- #441
It feels like longer but Alabama has had it's "Shelter in place" order for about 18 days. Of course there was less strict measures in place before that for a week or two IIRC. The initial deadline hasn't been pushed further out, and I think it's good that it's not ended earlier either. Hopefully the virus will struggle to regain traction with the spring season and people continue to socially distance for awhile, preferably wearing masks in crowded areas and businesses sanitize their shopping carts, bathrooms, door handles etc..
Business is picking back up in the ER and we have a large number of patient rooms unavailable to accommodate normal patient load because they've been converted to covid-19 isolation. I don't think many people expected there would be this struggle to balance how many potential covid-19 rooms we need vs regular rooms. Everyone was all-in on covid outbreak so we adjusted as needed and haven't reversed anything yet. Some days the covid-19 area is overwhelmed and some days the medical area is. Hopefully both don't happen at the same time and people don't go back to using the ER like it's a clinic anytime soon because we don't even have enough rooms for everyone if that happens. That was the case even before 2/5th of the ER was converted and in isolation. Of course not having enough rooms doesn't mean sick people aren't taken care of, just that the sickest have to be prioritized so the less sick have to wait hours for an opportunity to get a room.
Regardless of those complications, I think it's appropriate that we move to reopen. We can handle things at the hospital as long as people aren't having giant Coronavirus parties and crowding restaurants with no distancing. I can't say there won't be problems with too many patients (that's usual business anyway) but anyone truly in need of urgent medical attention will get the care they need immediately and we have the equipment (ventilators, airway tubes) and supplies (medicine, masks) to do it.
At least that's my read right now.
Business is picking back up in the ER and we have a large number of patient rooms unavailable to accommodate normal patient load because they've been converted to covid-19 isolation. I don't think many people expected there would be this struggle to balance how many potential covid-19 rooms we need vs regular rooms. Everyone was all-in on covid outbreak so we adjusted as needed and haven't reversed anything yet. Some days the covid-19 area is overwhelmed and some days the medical area is. Hopefully both don't happen at the same time and people don't go back to using the ER like it's a clinic anytime soon because we don't even have enough rooms for everyone if that happens. That was the case even before 2/5th of the ER was converted and in isolation. Of course not having enough rooms doesn't mean sick people aren't taken care of, just that the sickest have to be prioritized so the less sick have to wait hours for an opportunity to get a room.
Regardless of those complications, I think it's appropriate that we move to reopen. We can handle things at the hospital as long as people aren't having giant Coronavirus parties and crowding restaurants with no distancing. I can't say there won't be problems with too many patients (that's usual business anyway) but anyone truly in need of urgent medical attention will get the care they need immediately and we have the equipment (ventilators, airway tubes) and supplies (medicine, masks) to do it.
At least that's my read right now.
