*One of the several memes deployed to terrorize us into house arrest was the* *likelihood that COVID-19 would "overwhelm" our healthcare system, so that* *our hospitals would break down under the pressure, as in northern Italy. *
*It's now apparent that the terror over COVID-19 is doing that very thing. * *Fear is never a sound basis for deciding public policy. * *MCM * OPINION <https://www.newsweek.com/opinion> MOST U.S. HOSPITALS ARE EMPTY. SOON THEY MIGHT BE CLOSED FOR GOOD | OPINION RICK JACKSON ON 4/24/20 AT 9:42 AM EDT https://www.newsweek.com/most-us-hospitals-are-empty-soon-they-might-closed-good-opinion-1500028 *Tens of thousands of health care workers across the United States are going without pay today, even as providers in the nation's hot spots struggle to contain the coronavirus pandemic* *This "tale of two hospitals" is a function of clumsy, if well-intentioned, federal and state directives <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/25/us-hospitals-coronavirus-pandemic-postpone-elective-surgery-procedures> to halt all non-emergency procedures, which appeared at first blush to be a reasonable precaution to limit unnecessary exposure and safeguard staff, beds and equipment.* *But instead of merely preserving hospital beds and other resources, this heavy-handed injunction has created a burden of its own design: a historic number of empty beds in systems left untouched by the pandemic.* -- If you appreciate News From Underground, please consider making a donation — either a one-time gift or a monthly subscription: http://markcrispinmiller.com/support/ Thank you for your support. Ways to unsubscribe: 1) send a blank email to [email protected] PLEASE NOTE: you must unsubscribe using the SAME email with which you subscribed 2) go to http://groups.google.com/group/newsfromunderground and click on the "Unsubscribe or change membership" link in the yellow bar at the top of the page, then click the "Unsubscribe" button on the next page. For more News From Underground, visit http://markcrispinmiller.com --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "News From Underground" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/newsfromunderground/CAGxB6W8vTEf-p8DCyKwVyyGB97aU%2Bq1dVfM1mbB3EdtvMjQz9Q%40mail.gmail.com.
