Thread by @Bob_Wachter

Covid (@UCSF) Chronicles, Day 6

1/ Still just 10 Covid pts @ucsfhospitals. SF cases up (131, vs 40 3/16) but may be >testing. Natl curves (fig):CA pretty flat c/w NY. Early acts by leaders & citizens? Or just luck? & Did we dodge bullet? Just too early 2 say, & too soon 2 relax

2/ More updates: PPE bit better, mostly via generous donations (incl. >15K masks). [Donate: bit.ly/3ds5T3R] MGH/Brigham: new universal mask-ing policy (bit.ly/3aeWXNp, @Atul_Gawande). +/- evidence to support. Even if we wanted, we don’t have enuf masks to do it

3/ Testing @ucsf now ramped up to ~400/day. Limiting factor was the special swabs... We just received ~4000 of them from federal emergency stockpile, which relieves that bottleneck, at least for now. We’re still triaging testing; not testing asymptomatic people for now

4/ With each day w/o big surge, we struggle re: elective surgeries/transfers. Currently doing ~none, but ? when are we safe to open up? One 1 hand, major need/backlog. On other, must save capacity, esp. after hearing how fast @nyphospital was overrun w/ Covid pts. Very tough call

5/ @michelle_mourad leading @ucsf efforts to sort out workforce issues, incl. how to handle older MDs, immunosuppressed etc. If we get surge, we'll need docs to do all sorts of jobs they haven’t done since med school. An ophthalmology chum sent below. Message: keep me out of ICU!

6/ Covid prompting rapid tech innovation. Now >50% televisits; suspect this'll persist. Coolest new tool: to screen our thousands of staff for work, in 1 wk @TimJudson & pals worked w/ @ConversaHealth to launch prescreening app. Day 1: ~2500 people used it for FastPass entry. Wow

7/ Not quite sure what to do now that Season 10 of #CurbYourEnthusiasm has finished its amazing run. (As has #Veep.) If anybody has a suggestion for a Take-Your-Mind-Off-A-Pandemic show, I'm all ears.

More tomorrow, stay safe... (7/7)