New York has 11,727 cases and 60 deaths.
Washington has 1,793 cases and 94 deaths.
California has 1,394 cases and 25 deaths.
Here in New Jersey we have 1,327 cases and 16 deaths.
I'm not sure how meaningful these numbers are any more. New York has reportedly stopped general testing and is reserving tests for health care workers and people in the hospital. Everyone else, except workers in essential businesses, has been told to stay home. This is effectively a admission that attempting to constrain the virus is hopeless.
Governor Murphy in New Jersey issued a similar order but the list of "essential businesses" is a long one.
Businesses offering essential services will remain open, including:
- Hospitals, healthcare facilities and stores within the facilities
- Grocery stores and liquor stores
- Farmer's markets and farms that sell directly to customers
- Food banks
- Pharmacies
- Medical supply stores
- Gas stations and convenience stores
- Banks and other financial institutions
- Pet supply stores
- Hardware and home improvement stores
- Laundromats and dry-cleaning services
- Car dealerships, but only for auto maintenance and repair and auto mechanics
- Mail and delivery stores
- Stores that principally sell supplies for children under five years old
- Physical therapy offices
Restaurants, liquor stores and bars providing take out may also remain open. I find it interesting that liquor stores are considered an essential business.
What they really need to do is test individuals working in these "essential businesses." A lot of folks, including myself, are opting for grocery delivery service. What happens if the guy delivering the groceries is infected?
Most people pay for gas with a charge card. When you hand your card to the gas station guy and he hands it back to you, it's like shaking hands with everyone who's bought gas that day. I'd rather pump my own thank you very much.
Based upon a model run by Rutgers Camden New Jersey could be anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 hospital beds short at the peak of the epidemic. Even if you could create that many beds, where would you get the health care staff?
Of course modeling results are only as good as the information you put into the model. The Rutgers folks had a "Minimal Action," "Moderate Action" and "Strong Action" results as related to social distancing but the report summary I saw didn't provide the model inputs in detail.
If they are even half right things are going to get really nasty.
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