Rural America braces for coronavirus
Rural health systems are bracing for a surge in patients suffering from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, that could overwhelm small and underfunded hospitals in areas where populations are particularly vulnerable to serious symptoms.
The coronavirus outbreaks in the United States have been the most intense in major cities and suburbs like New York, New Orleans, Detroit, Seattle and the Washington, D.C., area. But experts in rural health say they know the virus is headed their way, and they worry that smaller communities are even less prepared to handle an influx of cases than their big-city colleagues.
“We just haven't seen big numbers, thankfully, but I feel like everything I say with COVID I should end with 'yet,’” said Jacqueline Barton True, vice president of rural health programs at the Washington State Hospital Association.
When the virus does come, those experts say they are concerned that the rate of severe and critical cases could be higher than in larger cities. Rural residents tend to be older, are more likely to have underlying conditions like hypertension and heart disease that put them at greater risk of serious symptoms, and in some regions they are more likely to smoke than are residents of urban areas.
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/491032-rural-america-braces-for-coronavirus
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