Dozens of hospitals nationwide have treated a much smaller number of COVID-19 patients than expected, but leaders said they don't regret being overprepared for potential surges, according to The Wall Street Journal.
As COVID-19 started spreading through Asia and Europe, U.S. hospitals prepared for potential surges in COVID-19 patients. Those preparations paid off for many facilities in hot spots like New York City, but other hospitals have only seen a trickle of patients.
For example, University of California, San Francisco Medical Center set up a triage tent outside the facility, dedicated an entire floor for COVID-19 patients and readied its satellite campus in case of overflow this winter. However, the hospital has only treated 86 patients as of May 18, since San Francisco has not been as hard hit by the virus as other major cities.
Hospital leaders told The Wall Street Journal they don't regret taking these preventive measures, despite the financial ramifications of canceling elective surgeries and encouraging non-COVID-19 patients to seek care in other settings.
"With viruses with which we have some experience … our expectations about the worst-case scenario can be better informed," Tom Nickels, executive vice president of the American Hospital Association, told the publication. "Based on the world's limited experience of the virus earlier this year, we anticipated what could have happened and prepared for it."
To view the full article, click here.