Salt Lake City — One out of every 10 Americans now being tested for the coronavirus has it, and in many cities just getting a test takes hours. Hospitals say they are now on the brink, treating a record 73,000 COVID-19 patients. With the situation now at a breaking point, more states and cities are cracking down, issuing new restrictions as new infections skyrocket.
“We are in a war right now, and the virus is winning,” Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said.
One by one, leaders in cities and states are sounding the alarm.
In Ohio, Governor Mike DeWine has announced a new curfew, which will run from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. for three weeks starting Thursday.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio warned: “A second wave is trying to assault New York City.”
“It is spreading right now every chance it gets in Chicago,” said Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner with the Chicago Department of Public Health.
Leaders and officials are trying anything to get the public to take warnings from health experts seriously.
“It is the real, real thing, and it is eating us alive,” West Virginia Governor Jim Justice explained.
Iowa’s governor, who once said mask mandates are just feel-good measures, is now making masks mandatory starting Tuesday. “If Iowans don’t buy into this, we lose,” Governor Kim Reynolds said. “Businesses will close once again.”
As lines to get tested stretch for hours at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium and outside a Massachusetts hospital, home test kits are being delivered in hard-hit El Paso, Texas, by drone.
More health experts are warning it may be time to cancel traditional Thanksgiving plans.
“If you have in your family vulnerable individuals ask yourself for this particular holiday season do you really want to take the risk?” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert.
New Orleans is not taking chances and is canceling Mardi Gras parades for the first time in 42 years.
Hospitalizations have risen fast in Utah. It’s a nightmare not just for those infected with the coronavirus.
“I want her back. I miss her terribly,” said Stephanie Deer, whose sister had a heart attack in October and needed critical care at a trauma center.
“The first thing the doctor told me is, ‘We’re trying to find a way to transport your sister, and we can’t find a room because of COVID,'” Deer added.
Laurie Pratt Terry was just 47 years old when she died. She shared a lifetime of memories with her sister and leaves behind her husband and 9-year-old son Griffin.
“If they’d been able to get her to that hospital faster, would she be here today?” CBS News asked.
“Yes, she would be here,” Deer responded. “I know that what happened to her was survivable.”
When told that there are people who still believe the coronavirus is a hoax, Deer said, “Whether they believe it or not is irrelevant, and the chances of them not being able to be treated are high right now, very high, and I don’t want that for anybody. COVID is the reason that my sister died, and she didn’t have the virus.”
The need for more medical professionals is also a concern. New data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests more than one-fifth of the hospitals nationwide that can take COVID-19 patients are expecting staff shortages this week.