No one wants their loved ones to die of Covid-19 in a hospital hallway. But many places in the United States are at that point right now, or near to it, as virus cases soar, with medical systems on the verge of becoming overwhelmed. This is why, despite low death rates, compared to the spring, the rate at which Americans are getting infected matters. For a significant proportion of people who contract the novel coronavirus, hospitalization and follow-up care will be needed to ensure their survival. If nurses and doctors are stretched too thin and there are too few beds for too many patients, the death toll will climb again. This is why, too, taking simple steps, like limiting person-to-person gatherings, and wearing adequate masks when out of the house remain critical.
The widespread late-fall second wave is different from the first round of infections, when the virus was largely concentrated in coastal population centers, like New York City and San Francisco. It is popping up all over now, tearing its way through the upper Midwest in places large and small alike. East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc pointed out this week that it took 32 weeks since the beginning of the pandemic for Covid-19 cases here to surpass 275 but they have more than doubled in the last eight weeks. Also this week, Southampton Town logged its 2,000th case. And unlike in the spring, cases seem to be everywhere on the East End, with each community or hamlet adding one or two more every day or so in the least-affected areas. In areas with higher rates of poverty — or that are predominantly Black or Latino — the case counts are climbing much faster. This is a social justice disparity that health officials have failed to adequately address.
Suffolk’s hospitals managed the volume of patients in the spring and appear to be in fair shape now. However, during the virus’s April peak, as many as 60 people a day were dying of Covid-19 in the county. The death rate has begun to move higher once again, but, so far, remains in the single digits. This may not last — fewer than a quarter of Suffolk’s hospital beds are empty. With the second wave expected to continue to rise until about the middle of January, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has ordered hospitals across the state to immediately boost capacity. Indoor restaurant service, now capped at 50 percent capacity, may be cut in half by the time you read this.
Health care workers are expected to be among the first to receive the new Covid-19 vaccines, as they are fast-tracked to approval. These medical professionals and support staff, along with ambulance personnel, are the front line in coping with the pandemic — often drawn in as surrogate family members as restrictions keep loved ones away. Adding this all up, these workers are running up against their own physical and mental limits, with burnout on the rise. Hospitals have been adding confidential help lines for workers who need someone to talk to. As one doctor interviewed in Time magazine put it, “they’re writing us thank-you notes and sending us pizza . . . we don’t need any of that. What we need is for you to stop exposing us.”
New York “flattened the curve” once before through tough restrictions on businesses and public activity. Unfortunately, with the virus seemingly more dispersed, it is being contracted even within the home. It is, it seems, everywhere, which is why following the advice of health officials is important, perhaps now more than ever.