Democracy Dies in Darkness

In New York’s largest hospital system, many coronavirus patients on ventilators didn’t make it

New data shows many of those hospitalized had high blood pressure, obesity or diabetes.

By
April 26, 2020 at 10:25 p.m. EDT
In a tribute to health-care workers, first responders and essential workers, the Bryant Park Corp. created a heart on its newly seeded 1.1-acre lawn at Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan on April 22. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images)

Throughout March, as the coronavirus pandemic gained momentum in the United States, much of the preparations focused on the breathing machines that were supposed to save lives.

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) and President Trump sparred over how many ventilators the state was short. DIYers brainstormed ways to make modifications to treat more patients. And ethicists agonized over how to allocate them fairly if they ran out.