Harvard researchers: Eastern Shore, MD is worst place in US to get COVID-19

[Anonymous]

The Eastern Shore will likely have a high mortality rate due to a lopsided ratio of older population combined with a severe lack of ICU beds.

Not all communities will have the depth of resources to draw on.

On Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Salisbury is one of the communities at the highest risk of being under capacity, even if it frees up all of its beds for coronavirus cases, according to our analysis of the Harvard researchers’ data. The researchers estimate that in a moderate infection scenario, the community will have about 149,000 coronavirus cases.

If the community is able to spread infections over 12 months, it would have to add about 880 beds to treat all adult coronavirus patients, either by building new beds or discharging existing patients, which is more than four times its current capacity of 187 available beds. Even if it released all of its existing patients and replaced them with coronavirus cases, it would still need to nearly double the number of beds.

Fran Phillips, deputy secretary for Public Health Services for Maryland’s Department of Health, said at a Monday press conference that her office is working to nearly double the capacity of the state’s hospitals to meet the expected surge in patients.

The study looks at different regions by their ICU beds, population statistics, and then models three scenarios of percent of total population effected. It is completely disturbing to see the shortfalls.

https://projects.propublica.org/graphics/covid-hospitals

[Anonymous]

Whoa. We had reservations at the Hyatt next month and they sent us an an email announcing that they were closing until May 31.

[Anonymous]

This will be difficult for a lot of rural areas. That's why people should shelter in place and not corona to these areas.

[Anonymous]

My husband’s rich boss relocated his family to their DE beach house and this is the first thing I thought of. They have a mansion here too - I would have stayed there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whoa. We had reservations at the Hyatt next month and they sent us an an email announcing that they were closing until May 31.

I used to live in DC but I’m in CA now. Here they are doing long term leases of hotels to use for homeless housing and to isolate recovering patients. I wonder if the Hyatt will be leased?

[Anonymous]

My baby was in a NICU in Baltimore for a few months. There were a number of Eastern Shore families there with their babies because (I was told) they have no high level NICU and babies are sent to DC or B'more. So it doesn't surprise me that ICU beds are also lacking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My husband’s rich boss relocated his family to their DE beach house and this is the first thing I thought of. They have a mansion here too - I would have stayed there.

DE is in better shape than Maryland. (not saying much, but there are better facilities closer to the beach than if you're in Maryland.

[Anonymous]

My guess is that Hogan concentrates MD's emergency resources on the Eastern Shore, which is also his core voting base.

We will see a lot of shady decisions by politicians in the coming weeks as they decide where, when, and how to marshal resources.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whoa. We had reservations at the Hyatt next month and they sent us an an email announcing that they were closing until May 31.

I used to live in DC but I’m in CA now. Here they are doing long term leases of hotels to use for homeless housing and to isolate recovering patients. I wonder if the Hyatt will be leased?

My mother was laid off last week from a very large Hyatt in Southern California. Her entire hotel was let go - from management down to housekeepers. She has heard through the grapevine that the hotel is likely to be requisitioned for the homeless and/or quarantine purposes.

I really hope they do not put homeless and the sick/recovering/quarantined in the same facility. It would be a disaster.

[Anonymous]

To be clear, the DC area is not much better. We also have a severe shortfall, but just not as bad as the Eastern Shore. However, I'm hoping that the Federal government will bring in a ton of resources into DC itself given the mission critical staff, military, and politicos here. They can't let DC fall.

Rochester, MN is one of the best locations to be: home to the Mayo Clinic and a low density population. Tons of beds, but even they experience a shortfall once 40% of local population is infected. My guess is that lots of sick people from MSP and Iowa will flood into Rochester for care.