Coronavirus cases surging to record highs means we need to “close non-essential businesses,” says emergency room doctor Anand Swaminathan.
“There shouldn’t be indoor dining going on in any place that’s surging,” Swaminathan explained, adding that this means “basically everywhere” with the exception of Hawaii. “We need to be stopping indoor dining because that’s a huge place for spread.”
According to the COVID-19 tracker at Johns Hopkins University, the positive case count in the U.S. has soared past 14.9 million; by the end of last week, the country had hit a new record for daily case counts of over 227,000 infections.
Hospitalizations are also hitting record highs with more than 100,000 people sent requiring additional medical attention.
Swaminathan said the situation on the ground is severe with hospitals running out of equipment.
“Ventilators, medications — we are short of space,” he explained. “What’s more, there aren’t enough doctors to handle the spikes. It’s not enough to give more space or more vents, we need more staff. That’s not something we’re going to be able to fix any time soon. You can always ramp up production of certain equipment — it’s very difficult to expedite training of staff.”
With hospitalizations continuing to rise around the country, hospitals are beginning to be overwhelmed. “The hospital system is going to be overwhelmed very soon. And in some areas it’s already reaching that point,” Swaminathan told Yahoo Finance.
The holiday season is underway and experts warn that the peak is still yet to come. Swaminathan thinks the peak will hit in January.
“We’re already seeing a surge from Thanksgiving,” he said, adding that his colleagues at other hospitals around the country are also “seeing huge spikes in the number of patients that are coming to the hospital that need to get admitted. And they’re seeing huge spikes in critical care and patients going to the ICU. Which means in the next two or three weeks we’re going to see deaths rise again.”
The death count currently stands at more than 280,000 deaths.
Cities and states have mandated curfews and lockdowns. On Monday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo warned that indoor dining would cease if hospitalizations didn’t stabilize.
“If we want our economy to recover we have to fight the pandemic properly. And that means good public health measures. We need more restrictions,” Swaminathan said, adding that vaccines, while a “huge” part of the pandemic fight, is not the only tool in the toolbox.
“We need to be closing other parts of our businesses in order to protect people,” Swaminathan said, adding that “we have to prioritize. Priority number one should be keeping everyone healthy. In terms of keeping things open, priority number two should be getting schools open and keeping them open.”
“In order for us to keep schools open we have to be restrictive in other areas. That means the social gatherings,” he explained, describing parties as “unacceptable.”
‘Sigh of relief’
Critical to the fight against the coronavirus is President-elect Joe Biden’s health team which includes Health and Human Services Secretary nominee, California’s Attorney General Xavier Becerra. Other members of the health team include former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci.
“I’m excited about this team,” said Swaminathan. “The collective sigh of relief that I have heard from physicians, from nurses seeing these people put into the proper positions has been huge.”
The emergency room physician said the incoming administration needed to “restore the faith” of the American public and of doctors alike.
“If we don’t have faith in those organizations we cannot overcome this pandemic,” he said. “These nominees are wonderful for us to be pushing science forward and getting everybody on the same page together.”
Kristin Myers is a reporter and anchor for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter.
Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, SmartNews, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit.
Find live stock market quotes and the latest business and finance news
For tutorials and information on investing and trading stocks, check out Cashay
