Dr. Robert Redfield believes December, 2020 to February 2021 will be the most difficult time in US public health history. Now he is not an armchair critic spreading dismay on social media He is director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Administrator of Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Why the Most Difficult Time in US Public Health History Now …
Dr. Robert Redfield was speaking on the occasion of US COVID-19 hospitalizations topping 100,000 for the first time. It’s difficult to ignore we are close to a crisis with COVID deaths running at 1,500 to 2,000 to 2,500 a day.
An emergency physician revealed the tragic truth to New York Times. ‘If you tell me the hospitalizations are up this week,’ he said. ‘I’ll tell you that several weeks down the road, the deaths will be up.’
And yet the band plays on without face masks it seems. Many of us appear oblivious to the most difficult time in US public health history approaching. Perhaps we don’t care; maybe we don’t want to face the truth.
What Happens When We Run Out of Hospital Beds …
Our doctors will face tough decisions. Do they start shifting regular patients to temporary facilities, or turn people seriously ill with the coronavirus away? Most of us may be unaware, or not believe this is happening. Who shall we blame when one our loved ones dies needlessly?
‘Any thinking person has to be worried, says Philip Landrigan, director of a global public health program at Boston College. ‘That we have so many hospitalizations speaks to the fact that we have done a very poor job of controlling this pandemic. It is spreading very rapidly, and in many places, it is basically spreading out of control.
Federal health authorities can’t stop the pandemic. Neither can state, county or city officials. Only you and we can do something about it. The efficacy of face masks, hand washing and social distancing is proven fact. Let’s get on with it, let’s do it, and let it begin with us.
Related
Could Universal Face Masks Reduce Severity
Life of an Intensive Care Nurse in Michigan
Preview Image: People in Hospital Due to COVID
