We were told, a lockdown and isolation were imposed on populations in order to keep the hospital admittance of patients low. But even so, the sick will come, they said, and we need more hospitals to treat them all.
And so, the great field hospital building of 2020 commenced in the US. The Army Corps of Engineers contracted private companies to turn convention centers and other places into field hospitals. With tax payers money, federal spending for field hospitals amounted to over $660 million, according to NPR.
Of the 17 field hospitals, most haven't treated a single patient. Four aren't completed, and 9 have had 0 patients. The most used was predictably NYC with 1,095 total patients. After that it's 39 and 37 patients in Detroit and Chicago, respectively.
Some of the costs are staggering compared to others. For example, a 1,000 bed capacity in Detroit cost $9,452,813, while a similar 1,038 bed capacity in Stony Brook, N.Y. cost $155,500,000.
Surprisingly the most expensive cost was not in NYC, but it was in New York. The aforementioned Stony Brook field hospital was the most expensive. Next up was another New York location in Old Westbury, N.Y. which was $118,504,737. These are the only 2 that cost more than $100 million. Additionally, they both had 0 patients ever use the field hospitals.
The next most expensive was in Chicago, but for a lot less, at $65,526,533. At least they treated a staggering 37 patients, as previously mentioned.
Obviously, there wasn't planning done to see if these locations even needed field hospitals. Not even New York needed it, as the field hospital ships that were docked weren't even used as I recall. However, several governors praised the fact that none of them were even used in their states.
Despite having so many beds available in New York, Dr. Robyn Gershon of NYU's School of Global Public Health recalls how the message was to stay at home until you turn blue. Great advice from people who are supposed to look out for the health of others.
"The mantra was, 'Don't come to the hospital, don't go to the doctor, stay home, stay home till your lips turn blue. "Well, we now know that was a crazy set of advice."