Politics - News Analysis

Sanjay Gupta Says Up To 128,000 Could Die in Two Weeks: Trump Is Still Behind the Curve

Dr. Sanjay Gupta – America’s neurosurgeon – went on CNN’s Newday with John Brennan to join a health panel discussing the impact of the coronavirus. The panel noted that officials and governors across the country are begging for desperately needed ventilators to combat the effects of the virus. At that point, Gupta began running through the numbers and where they might lead, while expressing a combination of shock and outrage that Trump still appeared to be dragging his feet about the need for ventilators and where to get them. From Rawstory.

“I have been struck by this issue almost since the beginning, John,” the doctor replied. “This idea that we have to wait until we’re in crisis mode before we say, ‘Okay, now we need this thing’? This is what preparedness is all about.”

“It is all about sort of trying to be ahead of the curve,” he continued. “First of all, the picture we’re seeing is behind the curve, by definition, because it takes awhile for someone to develop symptoms, it takes a while for them to get tested. So you see the number goes up, they reflect exposures, 10 to 14 days ago probably.”

Gupta went on to explain the power of doubling time. We’ve all played this game, where you take a penny and double it, the next day two cents, double it and within a month you have hopelessly huge amounts of money. Gupta said we have similar rates of growth. Positive tests are not doubling in one day, … just two.

 “So when they look at these doubling times, they can say, ‘Hey, based on what we’re seeing here, if this doubling time maintains, that means we double in two days, we double again in two days after that, and so forth. Therefore we need x number of ventilators.’ Right now there is over a thousand people who have died in this country, in two weeks time, if the doubling time is two days, that turns into 128,000. So I’m just a little bit surprised that still at this stage when– John, you and I — I don’t know now. A few weeks ago, we were asking about ventilators and told we’re not really focused on ventilators now, to still be saying that in some ways is shocking.

Gupta’s entire point about pre-planning hits home particularly under this president, who has been “winging-it” his entire presidency. How many times have we heard that he wanted a one-page daily briefing? That he would “study” while on the plane for the summit meeting he was to attend? Pre-planning takes discipline, and focus, and Trump is renowned for neither.

Watch:

Peace, y’all

Jason

[email protected] and on twitter @MiciakZoom

 

 

meet the author

Jason Miciak is a political writer, features writer, author, and attorney. He is originally from Canada but grew up in the Pacific Northwest. He now enjoys life as a single dad raising a ridiculously-loved young girl on the beaches of the Gulf Coast. He is very much the dreamy mystic, a day without learning is a day not lived. He is passionate about his flower pots and studies philosophical science, religion, and non-mathematical principles of theoretical physics. Dogs, pizza, and love are proof that God exists. "Above all else, love one another."

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