How Michigan continues to fight COVID-19
There are 24,638 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Michigan, following 1,487 deaths, and only five recoveries. These are only the most recent numbers; they could change in an instant.
Fernando Fitch, Assistant Chief of Sterile Processing Services at the Anna Arbor VA Medical Center, has been trying his best to manage.
“My direct standard work load has reduced significantly,” Fitch said.
The VA Medical center is doing 75 percent fewer surgical cases due to COVID-19. Non-essential medical procedures have been canceled or rescheduled.
“But some people with legitimate life-threatening heart conditions, that guy still gets his surgery,” Fitch explained.
Staff is encouraged to use their personal leave to lower the amount of contact between workers.
“They are encouraging people to work from home,” Fitch said.
Nurses are continuously being transferred to COVID-19 hot spots.
“The operating room nurses, rather than being laid off, they’ve instead been repurposed and are now doing screening because they don’t have patients to care for,” Fitch explained.
Almost 3,000 health care system workers in southeast Michigan have tested positive or displayed symptoms of the coronavirus. At least four of those workers have died.
These numbers are estimated to increase over time.
More than 100,000 people work in the health care system in the Detroit area, including Wayne, Oakland, Washtenaw and Macomb counties. With staff falling ill, the strain on widespread staff shortages continues to heighten.
“This pandemic brings to light the deep problems rooted in the way our health care system functions,” said Jamie Brown, president of the Michigan Nurses Association explained in an interview with Buzzfeed. Her union has been urging lawmakers in Michigan to pass a bill preventing understaffing in hospitals for years.
“This current crisis shows exactly why that is so important,” Brown said.
In terms of state level government, Brown said that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer “is doing everything she can” to help get medical staff more protective equipment, “but a national shortage needs a national solution.”
President Trump’s advisor Peter Navarro said that medical equipment shortages in some areas of the U.S. are direct results of the “globalization of production.”
“Make this stuff here,” Navarro said in an interview with 60 Minutes. “We wouldn’t be having this problem if we had the domestic production of essential medicines, medical supplies like masks and medical equipment like ventilators.”
He continued, stating that if more products were made in the United States, people would not be experiencing shortages.
“It’s the globalization of production through multinational corporations, who salute no flag, who love cheap sweatshop labor, and who love the massive subsidies that the Chinese government throws at production to bring it from here to there,” he said.
Hospitals across the state are still in need of supplies and are continuously testing positive for COVID-19.
Since mid-March, 872 employees from The Henry Ford Heath System have test positive for the coronavirus. The ones showing symptoms are the priority for testing. Results can be delivered to staffers within 24 hours, a senior leader stated during a press call.
Beaumont Health hospitals announced that 1,500 employees were off work because of symptoms relating to the coronavirus. 500 of those workers were nurses working with patients who had symptoms. No indication of how many employees received positive test results was released.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is leading a coalition of governors to help increase healthcare coverage during the COVID-19.
“Too many of our constituents are uninsured or underinsured despite the steps we’ve taken at the state level,” Whitmer said in a press release. “As a result, far too many of our residents are choosing to forgo coronavirus testing and treatment out of fear of the potential costs to themselves and their families. It is essential that we remove every barrier as quickly as possible to ensure those in our states and across the country are able to access the treatment they need. One of the most effective ways this can be done is by opening up a federal special enrollment period to give everyone the chance to enroll in a health plan that offers the coverage they need with access to any qualifying subsidies.”
As she continues to take strides towards a healthier state, more continue to fall ill. More than 100 COVID-19 deaths were reported for the sixth straight day on April 11th.
In Michigan, law makers are urging people to help flatten the curve.
“I urge all Michiganders to take these recommendations seriously and to share them with their friends, families, and coworkers,” said Gov. Whitmer. “It’s on all of us to be safe and be smart for ourselves, our loved ones, our coworkers, and the public at large. We are encouraging schools, universities, businesses, and other organizations to use their best judgment about what steps are most appropriate to keep people safe and slow the spread of the disease.”
