News Room

During the Democratic debate on Sunday, Americans witnessed a rare sighting: Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden disputing potential solutions to the new coronavirus before an audience-free studio. This eerily quiet debate was fitting considering the current global pandemic that the world is facing. Even presidential candidates had to adhere to the new practices of social distancing, standing six feet apart, and limiting gatherings to no more than 10 people. 

As we in western Massachusetts begin to prepare for the inevitable coronavirus I would like to thank The Springfield Republican/MassLive for its excellent coverage, including how best to prepare. I teach regularly a course on Humanitarian Logistics and Healthcare at the Isenberg School at UMass and, as part of the course, I bring in practitioners to share their expertise and experiences on all phases of disaster management, from preparedness and mitigation, to response and recovery. I have hosted experts from MEMA, the National Guard, the Red Cross, BayState, among others, and even a field trip to the Amherst Fire Station. Their professional expertise gained from the trenches enriches the education of our students and provides very valuable lessons.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, a medical device shortage is “a period of time for which the demand or projected demand for a medical device within the U.S. will exceed the supply or projected supply for that device.” While medical devices range from low-tech supplies like gloves and gowns to sophisticated equipment like defibrillators and pacemakers, our reporting focuses on the former. 

Though no one knows exactly when it will happen, the coming onslaught of critically-ill patients sick with Covid-19 is expected to far surpass the bed capacity of many hospitals across the country. 

Economists have vastly under-estimated the economic damage from COVID-19. For example, on March 2, the OECD forecast that the Coronavirus would nick U.S. economic growth — trimming its 2% U.S. 2020 GDP growth forecast for the year to 1.9%.