New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced at his Monday press conference that elective surgeries will again been banned upstate in Erie County starting Friday, December 4 because the region "has the most critical" hospital situation in the state. It's part of his "winter" coronavirus plan.
"If the situation continues to get worse, we'll stop elective surgeries in other parts of the state also," he added.
New measures from @NYGovCuomo today, part of the “winter” COVID-19 plan.
— Bernadette Hogan (@bern_hogan) November 30, 2020
3,532 people hospitalized as of Sunday. This number keeps rising.
New: 1) elective surgeries stopping Friday in Erie County. 2) DOH can implement an “emergency stop” on overwhelmed hospital systems. pic.twitter.com/nNQYCoD0Pu
Dr. Nicole Saphier, a radiologist and Director of Breast Imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth, is among the physicians scratching their heads at Gov. Cuomo's logic.
Cuomo is halting elective surgery in certain counties and encouraging hospital systems to do it. Claiming MALPRACTICE if hospitals allow themselves to get over capacity. Didnt he learn the lesson the last time when morbidity and excess deaths occurred from the delayed care? https://t.co/r6QmKlKlIX
— Nicole Saphier, MD (@NBSaphierMD) November 30, 2020
In some cases, delaying elective procedures "caused deteriorations in health, worsened quality of life, increased disability and decreased work capability for patients," according to a study published in the British Journal of Surgery, as well as resulted in a negative impact on patients' mental health.
This is just one of the many decisions that can explain why so many New Yorkers have referred to him as the Grinch this holiday season.
Cuomo is the Grinch. The Grinch that helped spread Covid into nursing homes and profited off their deaths by writing a book about leadership in the middle of a pandemic. https://t.co/7QhYq1IaSk
— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) November 30, 2020