That question - or questions - these folk should be:
1. Who the fuck is going to intubate all these patients?
Outside of a medical student's (or possibly a resident) rotation in Pulmonary Medicine or Anesthesiology (about a month each), most doctors never have to intubate a patient again in their career.
How many available pulmonologists and anesthesiologists do you think are going to be free for all of these planned patients? And if they're not, how do you think
2. Who the FUCK do you think are going to look after all these patients once they're intubated?
Critical Care nurses do this now. Most floor nurses have never seen a ventilator, let alone cared for a patient on one. Sure, they'll rely on Respiratory Therapy to help calibrate the machine, but the overseeing of these patients?
Most critical care nurses have 1-2 patients when they're on vents. 3 at most, depending on the acuity.
Sooooooo.......let's say we, as a nation need 100,000 vents. Let's say half are in use. That's 17,000-50,000 nurses (just for vent patients) per shift. More, with those other patients too. Oh - and these nurses are not trained to treat patients on these machines. Oh - and there has been a national nursing shortage for well over a decade.
I'm sure you, as a patient or concerned family member, wouldn't even consider holding the hospital after a patients death that was due to inadequate staffing, training or equipment. (btw, my typing fingers are dripping with sarcasm.)
Yes, COVID-19 has disaster written all over it, in many ways. Just not the ways most American's are thinking. I would gather to say that extends to BLOTUS, Ms. Pence and even to a degree, Andrew Fauci. Ditto for each an every governor.
I can tell you - it's a concern at the hospital level. Right now it's not an issue, as there aren't enough ventilators to worry about the staffing and adequate training of said staff.
Those two above questions and my $0.02 answers might be enough for you to stay home, and wash your hands.
Oh - and hospitals still don't have enough PPE. My health system is recruiting volunteers to sew 100,000 masks in a two week period. Yes - THAT is where we are as a nation in terms of 'need'.
Good Luck All. We're gonna need it.
Song by: Maria McKee