IT WAS SO MOVING TO HEAR FROM THE ADMIRAL, THE WORK THAT THEY
DO.
DO. AND THEY WERE LAST THERE AFTER
9/11.
9/11. JOINING US NOW, DR. PETER
SHEARER, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER
AT MT. SINAI HOSPITAL IN
BROOKLYN.
BROOKLYN. DOCTOR, WE READ THE GRIM REALITY
CHECK THAT YOU GAVE US I THINK
IN "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE, YOUR
"NEW YORK" MAGAZINE JOURNAL.
TELL US OF THE SITUATION NOW IN
THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT.
WHAT ARE YOU FACING EVERY DAY?
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, ANDREA.
I MEAN, IT’S AN EMERGENCY
DEPARTMENT.
DEPARTMENT. IT’S THE WHOLE HOSPITAL.
IT’S OUR INTENSIVE CARE UNITS.
THE NUMBERS ARE CONTINUING TO
INCREASE THAT WE’RE SEEING, SO
THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT HERE IN
BROOKLYN HAS BEEN SURGING TO
ABOUT MORE THAN DOUBLE ITS
CAPACITY.
CAPACITY. THE HOSPITAL SENSES ITSELF,
WE’VE INCREASED IT.
NORMALLY, WE’RE A 200-BED
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL.
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL. WE’RE UP TO ABOUT 240 PATIENTS
CURRENTLY.
CURRENTLY. OVER 180 OF THOSE ARE
COVID-POSITIVE PATIENTS.
COVID-POSITIVE PATIENTS. SO, IT’S JUST BEEN INCREDIBLY
ACTIVE.
ACTIVE. MEANWHILE, A LOT OF,
UNFORTUNATELY, SOME STAFF HAS
GOTTEN SICK WITH CORONAVIRUS, SO
THEY’RE OUT.
THEY’RE OUT. SO, THE CURRENT NURSING STAFF
HAS BEEN WORKING JUST INCREDIBLY
DILIGENTLY FOR THE PAST WEEK
THIS HAS BEEN INCREASING.
AND WORKING WITH MORE SICK
PATIENTS THAN THEY USUALLY MIGHT
HAVE.
HAVE. AND EVEN AT TIMES WITH SHORTER
STAFF.
STAFF. SO, EVERYONE’S REALLY STRETCHED
VERY THIN AND DOING REALLY AN
AMAZING, HEROIC JOB.
>> WE’VE BEEN READING OUT OF
SPAIN, WHICH, OF COURSE, IS ONE
OF THE COUNTRIES WITH A REAL,
REAL SURGE, THAT AS MANY AS 14%
OF FRONTLINE HEALTH CARE WORKERS
ARE BECOMING INFECTED
THEMSELVES.
THEMSELVES. DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE OF HOW
MANY OF YOUR STAFF HAVE COME
DOWN WITH THIS?
>> IT’S AROUND -- IT’S ABOUT 10%
TO 15%, AND THEY’VE BEEN WORKING
FOR THE MOST PART WITH ADEQUATE
PPE ALL OF THE TIME.
THERE ARE TIMES WHEN THINGS
HAPPEN AND THERE’S A SURGE,
WHERE ALL OF A SUDDEN, A PATIENT
GOES INTO RESPIRATORY ARREST AND
YOU SUDDENLY NEED TO HAVE,
INSTEAD OF ONE NURSE, YOU NEED
TO HAVE ONE NURSE, AND YOU KNOW,
AN X-RAY TECH AND A RESPIRATORY
THERAPIST AND DOCTORS IN THE
ROOM ALL AT ONCE.
THEN PPE GETS CONSUMED VERY
QUICKLY.
QUICKLY. BUT IT’S ABOUT 10% TO 15%.
>> WHICH IS REALLY HORRENDOUS
AND AMAZING THAT THEY ARE
WILLING TO KEEP DOING THIS AND
PUT THEMSELVES AND THEIR
FAMILIES ON THE LINE THIS WAY.
>> AND THEY’RE COMING DOWN HERE
EVERY SINGLE DAY.
>> TALK TO ME ABOUT THE SEARCH
FOR SOME OF -- AND FOR MORE DAYS
AND LONGER SHIFTS, I KNOW, THAN
THEY WOULD NORMALLY BE DOING.
I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT SOME OF
THE POSSIBLY HOPEFUL SIGNS, SOME
OF THE NEW TECHNIQUES, THE
PLASMA, WHICH IS BEING USED FROM
RECOVERED PATIENTS THAT MIGHT
HAVE ANTIBODIES.
HAVE ANTIBODIES. I KNOW OF SPECIFIC CASES.
CAN YOU TELL US HOW THAT IS
WORKING, WHETHER YOU KNOW THAT
IT WILL WORK?
WILL YOU EVEN KNOW IF PEOPLE WHO
ARE HAVING THIS TREATMENT RIGHT
NOW?
NOW? >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. SO I MEAN, YOU REALLY HAVE TO
TALK TO REALLY MORE OF THE
INVESTIGATIVE MEDICAL
INVESTIGATIVE MEDICAL SPECIALISTS OUT THERE.
CERTAINLY, THEY ARE STARTING TO
WORK ON IDENTIFYING THE
RECOVERED PATIENTS THAT WOULD BE
THE IDEAL CANDIDATES FOR DONORS
AND THEN CAN BEGIN A PROGRAM FOR
DONATING SUCH.
DONATING SUCH. BUT YOU KNOW, NOTHING’S BEEN
DONE NOW.
DONE NOW. THIS IS REALLY ALL EXPERIMENTAL
OR INVESTIGATIVE AND VERY
HOPEFUL.
HOPEFUL. >> THE PRESIDENT KEEPS
QUESTIONING THE NEED FOR
VENTILATORS AND EVEN SUGGESTING
IN HIS NEWS CONFERENCE LAST
NIGHT SOMETHING REALLY UNTOWARD,
POTENTIALLY ILLEGAL, UNETHICAL,
THAT IS GOING ON IN NEW YORK,
HOARDING, OR AS HE PUT IT,
SOMETHING WORSE.
SOMETHING WORSE. WE HAVE LOOKED INTO THIS.
WE HAVE NOT HEARD OF ANYTHING
LIKE THAT.
LIKE THAT. HAVE YOU?
HAVE YOU? WHAT IS YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE
VENTILATORS AND THE OTHER
PROTECTIVE -- WELL, IN
PARTICULAR, THE PPE?
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> AS TO WHETHER OR NOT HEALTH
WORKERS ARE DOING SOMETHING WITH
MASKS.
MASKS. >> YEAH, AS FAR AS VENTILATORS
GO, I CERTAINLY CAN’T IMAGINE
ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
I MEAN, EVERY HOSPITAL NEEDS TO
HAVE MORE VENTILATORS AT THE
READY.
READY. WE HAVE BEEN RUNNING ON A MARGIN
AROUND FIVE TO TEN AVAILABLE AT
ANY TIME, AND WE KNOW WE’RE
GETTING SOME SHIPMENTS OF SORT
OF RESCUE SUPPORT VENTILATORS
IN.
IN. EVERY TIME WE GET ANY OF THOSE,
IT TAKES A CERTAIN NUMBER OF
STAFF MEMBERS TO BE ABLE TO
UNPACK THEM, PROVISION THEM, SO
THEY CAN ACTUALLY PROVIDE THE
LIFE-SAVING CARE THAT THEY’RE
INTENDED TO GIVE.
BUT CERTAINLY NO IDEAS OF THESE
BEING HOARDED.
BEING HOARDED. AS FAR AS OTHER PPE, YOU KNOW,
THERE’S INITIALLY, WHEN THIS ALL
STARTED, WE DID NOTICE WHEN
THERE WAS A LOT OF FEAR, AND ALL
OF A SUDDEN MASKS STARTED FLYING
OFF THE SHELVES OF EVERY
DRUGSTORE OUT THERE, THEY WERE
DISAPPEARING FROM THE HOSPITAL
AS WELL.
AS WELL. AND WHETHER THAT WAS STAFF OR
PATIENT FAMILIES OR WHATEVER,
THERE’S A LARGE FEAR.
BUT I THINK THAT’S REALLY SORT
OF STARTED TO DIMINISH AS PEOPLE
RECOGNIZE THE SEVERITY OF THIS
AND THE NEED TO HAVE THE PPE IN
THE HOSPITAL.
THE HOSPITAL. AND MOST HOSPITALS LIKE MINE ARE
ALSO KEEPING A VERY CLOSE WATCH,
MAKING SURE THAT IT’S AT THE
RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME
WHEN STAFF NEEDS IT.
>> WELL, DR. PETER SHEARER,
THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. THANKS TO YOU AND YOUR
COURAGEOUS COLLEAGUES FOR
EVERYTHING THAT THEY’RE DOING
FOR OUR COMMUNITIES.
AND WE WILL STAY IN TOUCH AND