What will happen in New York when they run out of ventilators?
How do they decide who lives and dies?
Over 70 for sure will be dead. Pre-existing conditions? Maybe.
You get creative.
My wife is a Respiratory Therapist. There has been a study that demonstrated that up to Four patients can be maintained by one ventilator machine.
It is not approved by the FDA to do this but if it saves lives you do it and deal with the FDA later.
How do they decide who lives and dies?.
Battlefield Triage. You do the best with what you have.
My point in my above post is; don’t be panicked by Italy’s situation when it does not apply to what is going on in the US.
“What will happen in New York when they run out of ventilators? How do they decide who lives and dies? Over 70 for sure will be dead. Pre-existing conditions?”
In NY!? It will most certainly not be by Age! Social Class...maybe. Skin Color...likely. political affiliation...certainly.
>>>What will happen in New York when they run out of ventilators? How do they decide who lives and dies?
When it comes to rationing a scarce resource, you have a few choices - first come first served, $$$$, or death panels.
In countries with a gubmint run system, or a mixed system, like Kanadahar, 'cash' and or 'power' ALSO hold sway. Are the waiting times here, longer at hospitals for more complex procedures than for those with insurance in the US? Yes. In addition, there seems to be a lot more 'treating the syptom' than digging for the cause and treating it. Part of that has to do with cost, but part of it has to do with how doctors BILL THE GUBMINT.
In the end, in times of scarce resources and something that could overwhelm the system, BOTH SYSTEMS WILL MAKE VALUE JUDGEMENTS ON WHO GETS TREATED, based upon survivability of the patient, available resources and, or course, their 'percieved importance' or 'power' or 'CASH'.
In times like we are in, THAT allocation of scarce resources becomes evident. Before I get jumped on by some on this website for being one of 'them thar communists', I like the American system since it tends to fix the 'problem' rather than just fix the 'symptom' AND for most ailments, it tends to be MUCH quicker than the Canadian system. That said, I also prefer the American system where a doctor can (generally) choose NOT TO KILL AN UNBORN CHILD! A doctor in Kanadahar has no such choice! The murder of one's unborn child is a RIGHT in Kanadahar! Our leaders like to spit in God's face. How pathetic and how sad!
Voter registration cards probably.