Corona in USA – emergency doctor from New York: “Sometimes 200 diseases on one floor”

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How do you explain that?

Virus carriers have been flown in from all over Europe via the airports, but especially from Italy and Spain. The borders were immediately closed on the west coast, but not in the east. It wasn’t that easy here, there were even allegations against itDonald Trump*, he would want to protect the “white” West, ie California, Washington DC, and leave the “colorful” East to its fate for racist reasons. But it seems that nobody in the east wanted to agree to the shutdown, the resistance against it was great. Our hospital was well prepared, but not for this enormous increase. The number of those affected literally skyrocketed.

Corona crisis in the USA: Covid-19 deaths are falling

How do you assess the actions of the government in Washington?

The government has helped with field hospitals, converted the Javits Center, a large hall, into a hospital for 1,000 patients, and the USNS Comfort (a hospital ship) from Virginia docked in Manhattan. We were well equipped with Protective masks and PPE, the preventive full-body equipment for hospital staff. But, more importantly, they have medical staff, especially from the south, according to them New York brought to compensate for the chronic shortage of skilled workers. Outstanding, professional staff, nurses, interns, nurses. Professionally excellent and with a high work ethic. These skilled workers are paid by the government, very well paid. For example, a nurse goes home on $ 12,000 a week. I’m afraid what will happen when they are withdrawn in two weeks. Now it has calmed down a bit, the top of the wave is over, and deaths are decreasing.

Not everyone in the US has health insurance. Is that why you have to turn people away?

We in Lincoln Center took care of everyone, regardless of whether they were insured or not, and regardless of their legal status. Unfortunately, there are so-called “comorbidities”, ie diseases that result from Covid-19 and pre-existing conditions such as diabetes. All addicts are also extremely risky and have contributed to the large number of deaths. But we also have a high success rate – many patients left the hospital healthy.

Corona crisis in the USA: The coronavirus is more than a flu

Some claim that Corona is nothing more than a severe flu. What do you say as a practitioner in the trouble spot?

The Coronavirus is more than the flu *. I share the view of Luc Montagnier, the Nobel Prize winner who has the HIV Virus discovered. Who claims the coronavirus contains part of the HIV genome. Time will tell whether it is true or not. That is the expertise of a specialist whom I trust.

How does your work in the Bronx differ from the work of other doctors, for example in Boston or California?

The work is the same everywhere, including the problems, for example the constant struggle with the infrastructure. There is an acute shortage of staff here and there. Almost half of the nurses are absent per shift because we cannot fill the positions. There is a lack of ambulances everywhere, instead of 15 ambulances there are often only six to seven. It has already happened that I had to drive a patient to the CT myself.