Coronavirus has affected every single person in the world. It has made doing simple things, such as going to get groceries, much more complex. You must wear a mask, stay far apart from others in the store, and at times even wait on a line to enter the store because of a limit as to how many people can be in the store at once.
The author of the New Yorker article says the largest problem about caring to Cvid-19 patients in Texas is not what most people assume it is. People think the biggest problem is that there are not enough bed, ventilators, and rooms for patients who need them. The author explains how the biggest issue is that there would not be enough nurses to care for the patients, saying “Our scarcest resource is humans.” The author states that normally the nurse to patient ratio can be 1:5, but since they have to be more on top of the Covid-19 patients, it is closer to 1:4, and in the ICU, 2:1, which puts a greater strain on the nurses to check up on everyone.
The medical community in Texas have handled the spike in cases relatively well. They have enough resources needed to treat the patients, except when it comes to people. The hospitals have been trying to get as many nurses from other divisions to help out in the ICU, which may not be what they specialize in.Despite trying to get as many as they can, the ratio is well above 1 nurse for every 2 patients. The people of Texas must social distance and wear their masks if they want the reproduction number of the virus to go below 1.
Citizens’ individual choices can greatly impact society in the time of a pandemic, like we’re in now, in many ways. If someone is supposed to quarantine but think is it really such a big deal, they are putting others in danger. This is also true for if people decide to social distance, and when it comes to wearing masks in public. If everyone would social distance and wear a mask in public, the number of cases of Covid-19 would surely go down, so it all depends on the individuals’ decisions.
The ideals of “freedom” and “independence” can clash with the necessities of communal effort in a national crisis because people can say I have my own rights and my own freedom to make whatever choices I want to make. They can say I don’t want to wear a mask, and I won’t. Thinking like that can be disastrous, because at the end of the day everyone has to follow the guidelines laid out for us on how to beat the pandemic. One person can delay the end of the pandemic by being selfish.
The differences between individuals and subgroups of a population clashed and came together in Hotel Corona because at the end of the day, everyone has the virus. They’re all stuck together in a hotel, so why not make the best of it. They are all treated equally in the hotel, which could have also led to the people putting their differences aside. They didn’t care about who was what religion, which led to everyone having a great time.
Something that we can learn from the people staying in Hotel Corona that could make our lives and society less difficult is that we’re all human. Even though we can have our differences, whether it’s religion or other beliefs, life would be easier if we all came together interacted with one another. As it’s mentioned in the podcast, at first it can be tough. In the beginning, everyone sat with their own kind. Once one person has the guts to go against the tide and bring everyone together it can lead to many great things.
I like how you pointed out how the people staying at the Hotel Corona were able to get close. Israel is a country with a vast population and through the hotel, the individuals were able to put their differences aside. They all have COVID, and they will have to see each other’s faces daily, so might as well use that time. It teaches us a lesson, that we are wasting time isolating ourselves from people who have differences and at the end of the day, it is us who are missing out on the opportunity to learn and interact with one another.
I disagree with your point that the medical community in Texas have handled it well. They are understaffed and underutilizing the materials that they have. I do agree with your point about if people choose to not wear a mask it can end up disastrous. We must all take it upon ourselves the act responsibly and look out for one another’s; in a situation like this you would rather be safe than sorry.
I agree with you on your point of the problem of people being selfish and hurting society, but unfortunately this is the United States and being selfish is in the foundation of the nation.
I thought you summed up the article very well. I liked the section when you give your input on the contrast between public safety and individual freedom because you gave clear points. It’s an interesting point that you made that maybe people did a good job treating each other equally in Hotel Corona because, in terms of the hotel, they were all treated equally.