Hospitals

Mary Mills, longtime intensive care nurse, feels the response to coronavirus at her Seattle hospital has been haphazard. She worries the growing number of patients will overwhelm the ICUs in the coming days.

Health & Safety

Seattle Nurses Scrounge For Masks To Stay Safe On Pandemic's Front Lines

12:50pm March 20, 2020

by Will Stone

The first U.S cluster of coronavirus cases began in the Seattle area, and the case count is growing. Now nurses face shortages of protective gear, and confusion and fear about how to stay safe.

The Oculus transportation hub in New York, on Monday. The governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have banned all gatherings of 50 or more people, and said bars, restaurants, casinos and gyms must close.

Health & Safety

New Analysis Suggests Months of Social Distancing May Be Needed To Stop Virus

4:10pm March 17, 2020

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Modelers of epidemics at Imperial College of London now say months of strict social distancing may be needed to prevent overwhelming the U.S. health care system with COVID-19 cases.

MedStar Washington Hospital Center's "ready room" in Washington, D.C., has mostly been used to house emergency supplies — but some storage carts have been moved out to make way for patient assessment stations.

Are U.S. Hospitals Ready?

2:16pm March 17, 2020

Here's what it will take for medical facilities across the nation to handle the coming surge of COVID-19 patients.

Ventilators can be a temporary bridge to recovery — many patients in critical care who need them for help breathing get better.

As The Pandemic Spreads, Will There Be Enough Ventilators?

3:11pm March 14, 2020

by Patti Neighmond

In severe cases of COVID-19, as lungs become inflamed, membranes that transfer oxygen into the blood can become blocked. Some hospitalized patients need mechanical breathing support to recover.

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The U.S. Strategic National Stockpile was started in 1999 to prepare for certain threats to national security. It includes about $8 billion worth of vaccines, medicine, protective gear, ventilators and other kinds of medical equipment.

Why Even A Huge Medical Stockpile Will Be of Limited Use Against COVID-19

10:10am March 14, 2020

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

The U. S. has an $8 billion stockpile of emergency medical supplies that is the envy of the world. But the vast collection will be of only limited use in the fight against the new coronavirus.

In a widely shared graphic, a tan curve represents a scenario without social distancing measures and where the U.S. hospital system becomes inundated with coronavirus patients.

Flattening A Pandemic's Curve: Why Staying Home Now Can Save Lives

7:21pm March 13, 2020

by Maria Godoy

From school closures to event cancellations, the disruptions are real — and vital. It's all to slow the spread of coronavirus, so hospitals don't get so overwhelmed that they can't treat the sickest.

Tom Cooper, Nashville General Hospital's supply chain director, inspects a box of N95 respirators. The hospital is among a small group of pilot sites now sharing data about the inventory of its protective equipment with the Centers for Disease Control and

Health & Safety

Coronavirus Pushes More Hospitals To Share Data About Inventories Of Protective Gear

5:00am March 12, 2020

by Blake Farmer

There is currently no central coordination of the supply of protective garb and masks in U.S. hospital inventories. A CDC project wants hospitals to share that information for the good of all.

This building at University of Nebraska Medical Center/Nebraska Health in Omaha has 41 isolation beds, some now used to treat patients who have COVID-19.

Lessons From U.S. Hospitals Caring For COVID-19 Patients

4:06pm March 02, 2020

by Patti Neighmond

To keep the new coronavirus from spreading in the U.S., hospitals say they need new and sustained funding for good epidemiology as well as more masks, gowns and gloves.

The new coronavirus has yet to sicken American health workers, as it has in China. But deaths of hospital workers in Asia have heightened scrutiny of the U.S. health care system's ability to protect people on the front line.

Health & Safety

As U.S. Preps For Coronavirus, Health Workers Question Safety Measures

11:44am February 27, 2020

by Yuki Noguchi

The plight of Chinese health care workers contracting the coronavirus has prompted front-line medical staff in the U.S. to wonder if they're protected. Hospitals say they're taking steps to prepare.

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A medical worker in a protective suit tends to a patient in a hospital in Wuhan, China.

Health & Safety

What Happens If You're Critically Ill In China — But Not With Coronavirus

1:46pm February 25, 2020

Residents say their relatives have been unable to get care for cancer, for childhood diseases and more as Wuhan and other cities put a priority on treating COVID-19 patients.