Good Lifestyle

I am a physician of emergency medicine in Philadelphia and when Covid-19 cases started to appear here in March, we have not been prepared. There was a general lack of tests and resources. I myself went down with COVID-19 in March.Despite being a front-line doctor with a known Covid-19 contact and significant symptoms, he has always made repeated calls to my department of public health and using a colleague to test. I finally received my positive test results several days later when I was admitted to the UIC.

Before that, when I asked the county health manager, why the approval of my tests took so long, she stated that she had very little tests and needed to apply strict requirements. Compare this reality to the Assertion of President Trump according to which the same week as "whoever wants a test can pass a test". That was not true. We have not been prepared at the time and we are not prepared now.Read on to learn why and to ensure your health and health of others, do not miss theseWithout signs that you have already had coronavirus.

We did not miss any resources - using a trash bag as protective equipment

As the pandemic has aggravated, the DHHS Inspector General has investigated and has found that most hospitals have reported serious shortages of personal protective equipment (EPPs) and other critical supplies. The administration has decried this as "false news" and shot the Inspector General. When confronted in March with the alarming absence of tests and an important delay, a missed CDC test kit had caused, President Trump said "I do not take responsibility for all."

The reality here in Philadelphia is that we lack resources, PPE and COVID-19 tests. Our health department was overwhelmed and that most tests were sent to private laboratory companies that often not resulted in 5 days or more. Not only has the federal government failed to provide us with locally resources, but there were many federal agent reports striking for essential supplies on the road to hospitals. My hospital resorted to masks during the day and we mainly missed sheaths. We had to reuse disposable dresses and at some point I wore a garbage bag as a protective equipment while seeing patients.

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You must deal with both the economy and the pandemic

During this pandemic, President Trump refused to wear a mask in public, minimized to COVID-19 and insisted on premature reopening. Here in Philadelphia, as we have tried to flatten the curve in April, most of our ICU beds at my hospital were filled with CVIV-19 patients and our morgue was twice as big. If we had opened and not flattened the curve, the system would have been completely overwhelmed and many others would have died. Nevertheless, there are those who insist on the remedy is worse than the disease and that the country must reopen. By doing this, we create a false binary choice - you can choose the economy or public health. Of course, the economy can not work if there is a generalized and highly fatal pandemic. You must handle both.

As of today, the United States has more cases of CIVID-19 and death than any other country in the world. Although the case numbers here in Philadelphia have declined considerably from the summit, new viral hot spots occur in states and case numbers increase in many jurisdictions. Many states that have reopened prematurely and despite the warnings of public health experts have experienced spectacular increases during the summer.

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Winter is coming

Even though the first wave of this pandemic has not yet disappeared, a second and potentially wishes vague come. This winter, I'm afraid of what we will see in the emergency room. As one occurs each year, winter herald a surge in seasonal flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), seasonal gastroenteritis and pneumonia. This seasonal increase taxes on emergency service resources each year. On top of that, we will probably see a COVID surge. It can be a very difficult situation that will expand our limited resources. We know that influenza transmits more easily into dry winter air, which can be the case for Covid. If this is the case, we could have an even more significant peak in COVID-19 cases while dealing with the expected surge of seasonal disease.

The choice is not the economy or health. Ignore the virus and omit to react will simply kill more Americans and prolong the economic pain. Only by addressing the virus, can we finally come back to our normal daily lives.

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We need a national plan

We need a national plan and a unified message. I hope the President quickly covers COVID and resumes his duties with a new realization of the severity of this health care crisis. Perhaps by his personal experience, he will understand that a unified national answer is necessary to truly solve this problem and prepare for a difficult winter. As for yourself: go through this pandemic at your healthier, do not miss these 35 places you are most likely to catch Covid .

Darren P. Mareiniss , MD, FAUCE is a medical medicine doctor who also practices critical care. He has published several articles on the pandemic response and helped write the guidelines of the allocation of the Ventilator of Maryland. Dr. Mareiniss was currently practicing emergency medicine at Einstein Medical Center.