Before the work messages begin to pour in. Let's give ourselves a good morning a good morning as a moment to pause and ease into the day, it's a moment to run and chased the sunrise or its Let settle into your routine a good more. Is a moment to be present to find clarity and be grounded for the day had good days start with good mornings and good mornings start with Yogi T Yogi T tease me to do more than just tastes, good from the New York Times, I'm in Korea, Infer Michael Barbara. This is the daily today, despite its reputation for mild illness. The overcome variant,

staggering rise in hospital innovations around the country. I spoke with my colleagues and we emphasise about why doctors and nurses inside those hospitals say that this phase of the pandemic feel so different, it's Tuesday January eleven, so Emily used in reporting on hospitals ass, the? U S and the challenge that their facing at this particular moment in the pandemic. Can you tell us about what you ve been hearing absolutely so cases have been skyrocketing in recent weeks. If you look at grass of cases their basically vertical and the highest case numbers, we ve seen at any point in the pandemic and hospitalizations, which tend to lag behind

and cases have started to rise to and in some of the early alma crown hot spots, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, elsewhere, hospitals are being flooded with new patients there just being, and indeed did emergency rooms are filling up. There aren't enough staff to care for all these patients, and that might seem like a bit of a paradox, because we ourselves have covered a bit about how evidences emerging that this variant COMECON might be a bit milder than delta, which caused some of the previous surges. So we wanted to try to figure out what was at the heart of this tension, if Variant was causing milder illness. So many Americans are vaccinated now why our hospitals filling up through highnesses

Emily and thus calling from the New York Times. How are you gonna go so several times colleagues and I are trying to talk you as many hospitals in putting my colleague asean grace. She find out what is happening on the ground. It started calling doctor. and hospitals hold on, Doktor made on the line all over the country. If you hear my Army data works, nature really high Florida, Europe, university hospital care North Carolina State of Georgia and Other California Maryland Texas, Rhode Island. Are you hungry I'm going in, and then we asked them to describe a little bit more about how the dove all this brand new what're you seeing and how is this surge different positions, It would be worth the height of the epidemic. Put there

you're that they were in the summer we had a bump delta very early in the pandemic. The thing that health systems were worried about we're running out of their leaders now the real limitations are obviously physical beds. Based. I mean it now to the point where it is gone: crazy, it's crazy. So what the doctor say about why the hospital system is under such strain at this moment, while there too vague reasons- and the first is just that- I'm a chronic moves, really really fast. Several weeks ago, I talked to some forecasters in some models who, for trying to predict, tell us what all unfold here and at the time they were, hang, this surge would probably peak until eight January, with something like four hundred thousand new cases per day. in the? U S well Here we are in early January,

and we are already at nearly seven hundred thousand cases a day. We just blew past that forecast and this thing has moved so much faster than even the expert predicted, so even if on the cross is half as severe if its causing twice as many infections, your son, The same number of people to the hospital in the last two weeks really really picked up because it very concerning we have more faith in the hospital and we ve never had before with covered, so hospitals just are used to the volume. What were overlap were long with progress and other debates and right in the purse. way out of paper. Tat come to know right now, we're seeing everybody else Plaza covered patients rights. We were at a moot point and then all of a sudden incomes the only crime is hung poles spreading guerrilla to use em

LO and behold brush your case. Doubling types of roughly was running the today very, very dramatic, and what doctors are telling us is that this and is so infectious that their finding it in a lot of patience that aren't even coming in four covered. But people who admitted for something else who incident we have covered the director of the trade they're coming in to give birth they're coming in because they broke a bone they're coming in because they had scheduled a hip replacement a month ago and when they get tested for the virus, they're. Turning out to be positive, Bob referred to

half of the people coming in these days have covered some amazing number right. So these incidental infections are part of what hospitals are seeing now. There isn't really good data on this, especially nationally, but there's a significant share of patients in hospitals. Right now who have these incidental infections, so estimates we got ranged from twenty percent to sixty five percent at one New York Hospital, so you're saying that at this hospital in New York, two thirds of patients coming in for anything fur

replacement, or because they have given birth or broken a bone, are turning out to test positive for cove it yeah and we wouldn't have even found a lot of these cases. If not for the fact that a lot of hospitals have started testing all of their patients from the virus, so this thing is everywhere right, but just to make sure I understand these people who come in fur for other things, they would have come to the hospital regardless. So how is that an added strain on hospitals

While it is true that a lot of them probably would have been coming into the hospital anyway, and the Good NEWS is that a lot of people with these incidental infections may not get very sick from covered, but they can still pose an added strain on hospitals, even though their not covered their still covered in there still is that you say you filled it with them, and I believe that you will be to treat them as a basis will have the desert transit governing operate right, which takes more space and more staff, and part of that is because they need to be isolated while there in the hospital to prevent them from passing the virus onto others, and that requires resources and staffing and in some cases having one of these incidental infections, can worsen their own outcomes that can interact with whatever reason it is there in the hospital and these patients mayfair

more importantly than they otherwise would have okay, so more patients are coming in with covert than ever before and that's overwhelming hospital systems. What's the second reason that hospitals are facing a bigger burden today, then, during previous surges of the region, can surely. This is a very clear answer from every doctor. We talk to women, a huge concern disorder. Just the staffing likely today, I'm more worried about daffing than I am not long vacation, many hospitals were already really struggling with staffing shortages, even before this surge over the course of the last two years and the pandemic. A lot of health care professionals and hospital staff have,

to their positions? If we were to compare it to a year ago, when we thought this was the worst but a difference now is our staff retired. Our staff are getting sick and call it off work entered it with pure staff. Did we ever had before, due to stress, burn out choosing to either for two other careers are different pathways. So, even before this search started, hospitals were really strapped for staff were entering with higher numbers. We saw a year ago with fewer people in a careful as patients we can take. to about a hundred and forty patients normally. Right now we reduced, though, because we don't have enough staff to care for patients,

and then you layer on top of that. The fact that we are dealing with this highly contagious variant and lots of hospital personnel are catching it and that is further depleting the ranks of hospital staff. You know it's not just doctors and nurses were December, should ignore things your son, but there also short on behavioral therapists, radiology tax and pharmacists cafeteria. An custodial staff, everyone that it takes to sort of make a hospital run smoothly and run a well. The entire operation is struggling under the weight of this surge. I heard that they had, in some places called in the National Guard to assist to help people because of that shortage and in staff that's right and

in some of the doctors I talked, who said that that was actually really welcome and that exactly what they needed were more hands right now. You know, obviously, that a long term solution for staff shortages, but right now it's really all hands on deck and they are happy to have whoever they can get. So to recap, what we're looking at is an enormous surgeon cases driven by this highly infectious and fast moving variant, combined with extreme staffing issues. We ve got all this attrition people quitting after two years, the pandemic and doctors and nurses and janitors out sick. So what is the impact of that on patients?

The impact is enormous. I got three for each and every Marilyn hopeful that several of our hospitals in Maryland have declared they meet the growing crisis standard. The care a lot is the doctors we talked. You said that they had already stopped doing or were considering stopping doing any sort of non emergency procedure. All these elective surgeries, our hospitals with curtailed surgery. The important surgeries like we think of them as elected in our view of breast cancer, and you need an operation, Nobody really think that collective really. They can be for quite serious conditions these and might include things like cancer, surgeries, transplants, hard surgeries and there being cancelled or postponed, because hospitals, just don't have the staff and the bandwidth right now. You're scenario, usually perfectly reasonable.

You have any reason: it's not gonna hurt you right. Now it's a little like it's getting bigger, but we should probably outbreak. When will you now? I come home from the Dockers appointment and I tell my family my got this thing in the head. If it burst, spread death like having a stroke that awful like this could be a big deal and then doktor call them and says you know what we're gonna wait another week or two like this. Now, single scenario. I can look through. My head were human being, can feel calm and collected about that. Another doktor returned two said that some of these surgeries are essentially killing themselves, because people are coming in four surgeries, theyve scheduled and testing positive for the virus, which means that the surgeries then have to be postponed and care is delayed,

oh, when hospitals get overwhelmed and staff get stretched really thin, the shortages of ambulances, everyone's care, suffers simple, hearted might not get into the hospital as much, but it is absolutely vital and crushed work with patients, a huge that upset the issue will be right when it comes to we glass, it's easy to get caught up in habits. They just don't sustainable new uses. Psychology based approach, helping you understand your mind and body for long term results, but just ten minutes a day new helps. You change your mind set, so you can build healthy habits that last sixty than of users, keep the weight off for a year or more lose the weight for good sign up here

Kyle at noon. Dot, com, slash the daily, that's an oh, oh, am dot com slash the daily I'm Bianca gave her. I'm an audio producer of the New York Times so shortly after the corona virus pandemic began. We talked to a twelve year old, named Tilly, whose grandfather had just died of corona virus. She so open and emotional about her grandfather. She wanted to remember him and tell the story of his life the fact that its part of my job to call children to hear what they think about the news here about how the news is affecting them is incredibly special and that third, is for anyone whose grieving or whose last someone in this pandemic were able to make up. So it's like that one because of subscribers to the New York Times. So, if you can, please subscribed to the New York Times the daily is the New York Times. Thank you so

We have explained how hospitals can be under such stress at this moment, even though COMECON seems to be presenting as a mild, version of the virus deal sense from your reporting. How long this will last Is there a world in which this is just a short term hit on the healthcare system, while in South Africa it took about three to four weeks for cases to peak, and then they started declining? It's not clear. Yet if the same pattern will hold here in the U S, but even if it does, we know that hospitalizations tend to lag about two weeks behind cases and deaths tend to lag about three weeks. and cases and here in the. U S right now, our cases are still rising, it doesn't look like we ve hit that peak, yet so most doctors, we talk too, unfortunately think that it's gonna get worse before it gets better. He, and even if the immediate crisis is short term

it could have lasting consequences. Delaying these elective or not emergency procedures could cause them to pile up, could cause patients to worsen. So one do eventually get medical care. They are secure and have worse outcomes Nick further worsen the staff shortages that already exist by driving more people out of the healthcare field the other reason to be concerned here in the. U S is that we still have a lot of people in this country who are on vaccinated and almost is not necessarily mild for them. So then are places where more people are vaccinated, more likely to fare better with this most recent search. So it's a lie. that hard to draw any conclusions about that right now and part of that is because of the patterns

of when and where Alma Kron arrived. First, as it happens, some of the areas of the country that got hit first and hardest and fastest with Almah Kron are areas that have pretty high vaccination rates, their places like New York, city, New Jersey, Massachusetts, which are highly vaccinated areas. So these are the places that are really seeing hospitalizations surgery out, while some of the less faction, it places in the country are a little bit behind. So we have to wait, for our time in and more data to make those kinds of community level comparisons, but we do know is that the overwhelming majority of patients who are getting severely ill and ending up in I see use, are the on vaccinated. Alma Kron can be quite serious for these patients, and doctors told us over and over again that these are the patients who are on ventilators. These are the patients they.

Worry about these are the patients who are dying How are you him yeah? Well, thank you for making time so I talked to a critical care, doc or a North Carolina, Doktor, Rhine, maids and he's a fall. Navy, captain who was deployed to Afghanistan and I'm last two never seemed like this before You know what I've been a war and- and this last week was a particularly poignant reminder of that and she said that what she saw recently, in the hospital- and especially in the I see you was among the worst weeks of his career and it actually reminded him of being back at war, and I also agree that the patient who cared for me are you or people with kitty transplants, their people,

west, leukemia and former people with cancer people, for whom immunization is what its protective, but there are less likely to benefit from the right they at its overwhelmingly, and actually people any this queuing younger than I have you know many more people on their fortys and fifties, and many some guy. It's a grim feeling watching people whore, you know your own age, maybe not that much older than you are dying of an entirely preventable and I think, there's a lot of frustration that America's not more vaccinated at this point, which could have sent it off the worst of this surge abusing good all. At the same time, it said infuriating and it is a lot of time very difficult would be empathy, Eddic, there's a doctor in the suburbs of Chicago Doktor, bad men who said this really explicitly.

So this is something that we're constantly getting emails from hospitals. Are you you gotta, keep her empathy up. You have to one you when you read the chart before you go the room you're like just shaking her head But then, when you go in there, you talk to the individual. You do definitely feel very sorry, but it didn't like it. It is day in our hundred car wreck on the road and the hundred first car, every business think slow down the streets or icy. Be careful. Wouldn't you wanna take some sort of precaution. So where does that leave doctor.

and hospitals. In this moment it leaves them in trouble. I think a lot of us think that will probably pull through this. I'm a crown wave just fine and most of us, especially those of us who are vaccinated and boosted probably well, but I don't think we can forget the told that this is taking on health care workers who have already been pushed to the limit and who are now being pushed even further by this surge. Let me that's the main story: how bad and how big? This really is. You know my colleague gesine, to a doctor in Maryland, Doktor gave Kellan, who said he's not even sure that Americans really know how crushed hospitals are right now, but

because they don't know doesn't mean it's not happening the last time and in the first really big crush you reach the people about fifteen hundred of robots for covert patient this morning or a twenty seven hundred within our review tutoring under the day like on them great six rapidly, just can't ever quite tat, your breath, but public doesn't know, and maybe they're just retired at this point as well the care. Thank you Emily very much thanks for having me the number of Americans hospitalized with covered nineteen, has now surpassed last winter, speak according to the: U S: Department of Health as it's Sunday, a hundred

Forty two thousand three hundred and eighty eight people had been hospitalized surpassing the previous regime set in January of last year, we'll be right back. Did you know that only nine percent of plastic is recycled, no matter how much we put in our bins? Grove collaborative, believes its time to ditch single use. Plastics were good. Grove creates an curates everything you need for a sustainable home like Grove Coast, concentrated cleaners and refilling glass bottles, their friend. Here too, the planet and twice as effective as leading natural brands join over too. Million household shopping, sustainably Grove go to Grove, Dotcom, slash the daily to get a free gift, said, plus free shipping. With your first order, that's grove, dot com, slash the daily here's. What else can eat No, today the bided ministration set on Monday.

Private insurers will soon be required to cover the cost of eight at home Corona virus tests a month. The requirement is designed to address the high cost of at home tests, which is discouraged many Americans from using them. Under the plan, people will be able to buy the tests at no cost from pharmacies approved by their insurance or by them elsewhere, and file for reimbursement. Today's episode was produced by Daniel that and ass the charter baby with from new safety? It was edited by Mark George unless a child features original music, by Marian Lozano and Dan Power and was generic by Marian Lozano. Our esteemed music is by Jim Burke and Ben Landsbergis of Wonderingly,

That's it for the daily. I'm antiquary I'll see you tomorrow. This podcast is supported by Amazon music. It's a polarizing world out there if you're, looking for real solutions. That can you I'd us there's a new weekly podcast tackling just that uncommon ground with Van Jones explores issues that affect us all from climate change to cancel culture than Jones knows. We can only make progress if we all work together. He welcomes guests like departure, Oprah, Andrew Yang and Megan Mccain on the journey to and on common ground with an uncommon ground on Amazon, music or wherever you get your pod casts.