Hospital Workers Dreading Possibility Of Rationing Care

ACROSS AMERICA — With the nation's coronavirus epicenter shifting to the West Coast, and Southern California in particular, hospitals are preparing for the difficult possibility of rationing care.

Officials at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena have shared their plan for such a possibility.

“If we reach a point where our hospital faces a shortage that will affect our ability to care for all patients, a team including doctors, a community member, a bioethicist (who has expertise in the ethics surrounding health care) will review the cases of all patients who are critically ill," the hospital said in a statement, reported by ABC News.

"This team will make necessary decisions about allocating limited medical resources based on the best medical information possible and will use the same decision criteria that is being used nationally and throughout California on all patient cases."

Dr. Kimberly Shriner, an infectious disease specialist at the hospital, told FOX 11 Los Angeles "every hospital has a scarce resource policy that we’ve had for years in anticipation and perhaps dread of an event like this."

As the region's current ICU capacity is still listed at zero percent — and health officials anticipate case numbers and hospitalizations will rise throughout January based on gatherings that likely occurred for Christmas and will again for New Year's Eve despite warnings — the region is expected to remain under an extended stay-at-home order for weeks to come.

The Latest

A new set of death toll forecasts by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention paints a grim picture for the next three weeks. The CDC's "ensemble forecast" predicts up to 80,000 more COVID-19 deaths — for a total of 424,000 — will be reported by the week ending Jan. 23.

At least 3,862 coronavirus deaths were reported Wednesday in the United States, according to data from The Washington Post. This marks the first time the single-day coronavirus death toll has gone above 3,500.

Meanwhile, the coronavirus variant that was first found in the United Kingdom has come to the United States with multiple cases now reported.

The first known U.S. case of COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7 — the same one discovered in the United Kingdom — was reported in Colorado on Tuesday. A Colorado National Guard member tested positive for the variant that many health experts fear is more contagious. In addition, a second "suspected case" involving another Guard member there is being investigated.

The first Guard member has no recent travel history, sparking concern that the variant has already begun spreading in the United States.

What To Know About The First U.S. Coronavirus Variant Case

Indeed, in Southern California, another COVID-19 variant case was confirmed Wednesday. Officials said that person is San Diego in a man in his 30s with no recent history of travel, so it is not believed to be an isolated case in San Diego County.

The virus has now claimed more than 344,400 lives, including Dawn Wells, the actress who played Mary Ann Summers on "Gilligan's Island." She died at age 82 on Wednesday in Los Angeles.

Another virus casualty is Luke Letlow, a Republican congressman-elect from Louisiana. The 41-year-old died Tuesday evening, according to The New York Times. He was set to take office in the House on Sunday.

The variant's arrival and rising death total came amid a potentially final effort to increase in the amount Americans will receive for their next stimulus payment. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told "Fox & Friends" on Thursday that the Senate should take a stand-alone vote on increasing the amount from the current $600 to $2,000. "If you had a stand-alone vote on the $2,000 check, it might pass," Graham said.

A bill that passed easily in the House with bipartisan support would have increased the one-time payments from $600 to $2,000. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday appeared to slam the door on the possibility of the increased payments.

Both current President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden have voiced support for the increased payments.

Biden has criticized the initial rollout of the two approved vaccines in the United States, noting in a Tuesday afternoon address that only 2.1 million Americans have received doses in the first weeks.

He went after the Trump administration over its vaccination efforts, warning that the project, dubbed Operation Warp Speed, is moving at a slower pace than needed.

"As I long feared and warned, the effort to distribute and administer the vaccine is not progressing as it should," Biden said.

Dr. Carlos del Rio, a vaccine specialist and Emory University professor, said on CNBC Tuesday the vaccination process needs to speed up significantly to reach its goals.

“If we’re going to get to have every single American who needs a vaccine and wants the vaccine, vaccinated by July, we need to start vaccinating about 3 million people a day,” he said.

Trump blames the slow vaccine rollout on individual states.

"The Federal Government has distributed the vaccines to the states. Now it is up to the states to administer," he tweeted on Wednesday. "Get moving!"

Newest Numbers

At least 3,862 deaths and 234,909 new cases had been reported in the United States on Wednesday, according to a Washington Post database. The Post's reporting shows over the past week new daily cases have fallen by 11.6 percent, new daily deaths have fallen 14.1 percent and new coronavirus-related hospitalizations rose by 4.7 percent.

As of Thursday, 45 states and Puerto Rico remained above the positive testing rate recommended by the World Health Organization to safely reopen. To safely reopen, the WHO recommends states remain at 5 percent or lower for at least 14 days.

As of Thursday afternoon, the United States had reported more than 19.8 million cases and more than 344,400 deaths from COVID-19-related illnesses, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Stay up to date on the latest coronavirus news via The New York Times or Washington Post.

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