Cuomo says he doesn't believe New York will 'be able to flatten the curve' enough to meet health care system's capacity
Much has been made about efforts to "flatten the curve" during the coronavirus pandemic. That is, making sure the number of infected patients doesn't surpass the health care system's capacity.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said Monday he doesn't believe his state will be able to do that. To counter, he's asking the federal government to do more and is reportedly working with the National Guard to identify facilities like dorm rooms and old nursing homes that could be retrofitted as hospitals.
Despite the striking statement by Cuomo, who oversees a state with one of the worst outbreaks in the country, former Food and Drug Administration commission Scott Gottlieb, who has called from swift action in the crisis' early stages, is impressed with the steps taken by states in recent days to mitigate the spread, arguing there's "cause for optimism." While he said there will undoubtedly be hard times in the next few weeks, he claimed the U.S. is ahead of China at a comparable point during the epidemic.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Gottlieb added the priority now should be to focus on hospital capacity, and prepare for a potential surge in patients in cities like New York and Seattle.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Critics’ choice: Watering holes for gourmandsFeature An endless selection of Mexican spirits, a Dublin-inspired bar, and an upscale Baltimore pub
-
Argentinian beef is at the center of American farmers’ woesThe Explainer ‘It feels like a slap in the face to rural America,’ said one farmer
-
‘Businesses that lose money and are uncompetitive won’t survive’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
FDA OKs generic abortion pill, riling the rightSpeed Read The drug in question is a generic version of mifepristone, used to carry out two-thirds of US abortions
-
RFK Jr. vaccine panel advises restricting MMRV shotSpeed Read The committee voted to restrict access to a childhood vaccine against chickenpox
-
Texas declares end to measles outbreakSpeed Read The vaccine-preventable disease is still spreading in neighboring states, Mexico and Canada
-
RFK Jr. shuts down mRNA vaccine funding at agencySpeed Read The decision canceled or modified 22 projects, primarily for work on vaccines and therapeutics for respiratory viruses
-
Measles cases surge to 33-year highSpeed Read The infection was declared eliminated from the US in 2000 but has seen a resurgence amid vaccine hesitancy
-
Kennedy's vaccine panel signals skepticism, changeSpeed Read RFK Jr.'s new vaccine advisory board intends to make changes to the decades-old US immunization system
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panelspeed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kidsSpeed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
