The United States is setting records, but not in a good way as it marks nearly 7 million cases of Covid-19 and more than 200,000 dead — “A somber milestone,” the American Medical, American Hospital, and American Nurses Associations declared in a statement.
“These are not just numbers on a spreadsheet; these are moms and dads, spouses and children, beloved grandparents, favorite aunts, uncles and cousins,” AMA President Susan R. Bailey, MD, wrote in a viewpoint article in JAMA. She noted that every state in the U.S. has been touched by these deaths and reminded readers that among the dead are “more than 1,000 physicians, nurses, and other health care workers, as well as police officers and first responders. These are teachers and students, small-business owners, family breadwinners and civic leaders — the backbone of our local communities.”
Bailey set the number of dead in context, calling it a “staggering loss” and noting that it is more deaths than those lost in combat in World War II; more than “the populations of Akron, Ohio, Little Rock, Arkansas, or Knoxfille, Tennessee.”
And, more pointedly, she noted: “At its apex earlier this summer, someone died from Covid-19 every 80 seconds.”
In their press statement, the associations issued a call to action:
“As autumn begins and as we continue working to minimize the suffering and death of this pandemic, we urge all Americans to get their flu shot early. With no end to Covid-19 in sight, a bad flu season has potential to cause additional strain on our health system that is still battling the pandemic. America’s physicians, nurses, and hospitals and health systems thank you for doing your part.”
Candace Hoffmann, Managing Editor, BreakingMED™
Cat ID: 151
Topic ID: 88,151,791,932,730,933,190,926,192,927,151,928,925,934
