Why we need more coronavirus test kits
Did you know that ER doctors in the Bay Area have received orders that they CANNOT give COVID-19 tests to all sick people who go to the ER? Only very sick patients who are immunodeficient, on chemotherapy, or on dialysis can be tested. My daughter was exasperated at the end of her shift in the ER yesterday. This presents 2 terrible situations:
1. Sick Patients AREN’T Being Tested:
Emergency Rooms are sending patients with fevers and coughs back home without testing them for coronavirus. Because these sick people don’t officially know that they have COVID-19 (read between the lines…), they’re probably spreading the virus as they travel home and gather with families and friends. If they actually knew they had COVID-19, they would self quarantine to prevent the spread of the virus and have a specific treatment plan. California has given 64,000 tests compared to New York’s 145,000.
2. Number of Reported COVID-19 Cases is Much Higher:
The number of reported COVID-19 cases is falsely low. When ER doctors aren’t allowed to test patients who clearly present like they have COVID-19, these cases are not included in the daily reports so Americans don’t realize that the real numbers are much higher. This affects how many tests are being made, what PPEs are needed to protect our healthcare professionals, and where lock down orders need to be placed to prevent the pandemic from spreading.
I’m worried and I’m angry. This is what’s happening:
1. Our President says he’s not responsible for managing this pandemic (because he closed the Pandemic Unit 2 years ago). So he’s not going to lead our country out of the biggest disaster we’ve faced in most of our lifetimes. Good grief.
2. Our individual states are responsible for securing coronavirus test kits, PPEs for frontline workers, hospital beds for overcrowded hospitals, and decisions about prisoners and homeless people, which is causing competition between the states for these goods. We need a leader who will execute and oversee the Defense Production Act (DPA) to prioritize production of the much-needed medical equipment and supplies to combat the coronavirus and designate the shipment and delivery of these items to states on an as-needed basis. Now our President has issued orders to not respond to states whose governors have criticized his actions, and to send PPEs to states that support him. WOW! This is school-yard behavior, not presidential… Our healthcare professionals should be the first to receive PPEs, then high-risk people. The healthcare professionals should have enough supplies to use them as directed (change masks between patients — never reuse them!). Who’s on first?
3. We need to have a Shelter-in-Place order now for the entire nation. By studying the outbreaks in China, Italy, and New York City, we know that this community-spread disease can be contained and then eliminated. If we would mandate a stay-at-home order for all non-essential services, we could stomp out COVID-19 in a matter of weeks. But our President says that for economic reasons, we should go back to work and celebrate Easter with our families in the traditional gathering and church-going fashion. Sometimes, you need to sacrifice today for a better tomorrow…
4. Trump was slow to …
… Acknowledge that COVID-19 was not a hoax
… Order coronavirus test kits
… Order PPEs, Respirators, and Hospital Beds/Emergency Facilities
… Consider Shelter-in-Place Orders
… and now he makes predictions about the coronavirus based on a skewed count of COVID-19 patients.
We need to step up together as Americans to provide our healthcare professionals with the PPEs they need to protect themselves. We need to make masks and shower them with support (PPEs, gifts, appreciation) so they can take care of us. We need to stay at home – all of us – to contain this virus so we can go back to work and school.