Thread by @arghavan_salles

Here’s my main insight from a half-day orienting in the hospital: 110 degrees is very hot. And temps above 100 until 10 pm means no running outside for me. (I know that’s not covid-specific, but still noteworthy!)

Non-weather related observations to follow.

1/

They’ve had to nearly double the number of ICU beds, and they have doubled the number of teams providing ICU care. The mortality rate seems to be lower than in NY but is still exacting quite a toll on the mental health of the healthcare workers.

2/

The amount of PPE seems to be no better than in NY 4 months ago. I have two N95s for ~3 weeks. If one gets soiled, I can ask for another.

This is 100% a failure of national leadership.

3/

Right now about 2 1/2 ICUs are filled with patients with Covid; the majority of them are Latinx. Even knowing the racial disparities data in theory, it’s still upsetting to see it in reality.

4/

While the physicians I spoke with today are clearly exhausted, they seem to be managing ok. One referenced the same feeling of futility I had experienced in NY, given that we still don’t have great treatments. They feel like they’re turning a corner with case numbers improving.

What seems hard here, as it is elsewhere, is not knowing when things will get worse again. Back in April, we were worried about the fall. But we didn’t make it until then—several states are already struggling. So after this, when will there be another peak?

6/

Certainly if people want to pretend the virus isn’t real, then these peaks will keep coming.

As I said to @ESilvermanMD today, if the question is, “What do we do when we’re tired of the pandemic?”, the answer is:

“Exactly what we would do if we weren’t tired of it.”

7/7

I have to add one important thing—they have a visitation policy at end of life. It’s not like pre-covid, but it does give them an opportunity to say goodbye. That is priceless. ❤️