New York hospitals begin making plans for rationing medical supplies in the coming weeks

By Rachel Mills

Hospitals in New York are facing tough decisions contending with a possible shortage of ventilators in the coming weeks as cases of Covid-19 surge in the city, according to Politico. 

CNN reports a Columbia University surgeon describes how Covid-19 has forced doctors to ration care for very sick patients who don't have the virus, but still need medical procedures.

"We have had to make decisions that I personally have never had to contemplate before," wrote Dr. Emile Bacha, director of the congenital cardiac surgery at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. "We have had to ration care and make decisions about who is considered an urgent or emergent case."

Hospitals are converting machines typically used to treat sleep apnea as supply constraints make it nearly impossible to acquire enough ventilators and protective equipment ahead of the predicted growth of cases in New York, according to Politico. 

CNN also reports governors in dozens of states have ordered that non-urgent procedures be delayed or postponed, according to the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association. 

Medical experts have warned there will be long-term ramifications for the physical health of patients and the mental health of doctors faced with life and death decisions — but the worsening pandemic has increasingly made such choices a necessity, according to Politico.