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In recent days I’ve seen multiple articles warning of dire hospital conditions, anonymous reports of shortages without naming the hospitals, rumors online about panicked nurses, and other “sky-is-falling” Chicken Little-ism over the Chinese-made Coronapocalypse. One of the claims comes from Hillary Clinton herself, citing a CBS News article and claiming nurses are wearing scarves instead of masks. Through investigation, I haven’t found one hospital where nurses are actually wearing scarves…yet. In every news report, including CBS, it is clear that there is a fear of having to use scarves when the masks run out, but in no case have I found this is actually happening.
The article Hillary Clinton was referring to was this one from CBS, full of problems, what-ifs, and speculation. You can read through my thread on Twitter for the details. I have searched and scoured the internet for the last two days looking for hospitals that are experiencing ventilator or mask shortages. All I could come up with is unnamed hospitals that are “fearing” a shortage but who have supplies now.
Here’s what the CBS article says about scarves: “In settings where face masks are not available, (health care providers) might use homemade masks.” This does not say what Hillary Clinton claimed—that nurses ARE wearing scarves. What kind of irresponsible person exaggerates during a time like this? If ever there was a time to be accurate with news, this is it.
People in the media like Nate Silver are reporting ventilator shortages but without any locations. Why wouldn’t they tell us where the need is so the task force can help them?
In one case where a hospital was actually named in Baton Rouge, they asked for help and got it immediately.
This doesn’t mean shortages won’t happen. But what is it with the premature jump to start panicking people? The thing that bothers me the most is the idea the American people would ever sit back and watch one of our hospitals go under like that. That’s not going to happen. Right now, virtually the entire workforce is at home except for essential services. If our president asks us to go to work in a local factory to make masks and ventilators to meet the need, is there any chance we would say no? I started a poll on Twitter to find out what people think. Please take it and share.
When there were shortages of workers in WWII, America’s women put on their husbands’ work clothes and went to work making airplanes and filling in wherever they were needed. While our young generation is disappointing all of us by partying on the beach right now, Gen Xers and the oft-mocked Boomers are ready to mobilize. Nothing will stop us. If there’s a mask shortage, let’s get this machine rolling. I’ve got work boots and nothing to do for the next four weeks.
The media and the Democrats who are fueling these needless fears should be roundly chastised. Americans are not going to watch our medical professionals struggle without moving heaven and earth to help. That is simply not even a possibility. So when they say that mass shortages “could” happen, I say “not without the biggest wartime effort you ever saw.”
WE CAN DO IT.
Where are the people in the media calling on American exceptionalism? Where are the calls to remember who we are and what we do best? (And it isn’t cowering in our homes zoning out on Netflix.) What we do best is rise to the occasion. We are ready, Mr. President, and we will go into the fray wherever and whenever we are asked. Let’s roll.