The Coronavirus Pandemic Will Keep Killing People Across Rural America
In a normal year, hospitals in rural southern Missouri see a lot of snake bites and rolled ankles.
They’re ailments you acquire canoeing in the early autumn sun or “hold-my-beer-and-watch-this-ing” at night, as an emergency doctor in the area who requested anonymity because he had not been given clearance to speak on behalf of his hospital told The Daily Beast.
“Obviously, this year is really different,” said the doctor, who noted that he contracts out to several hospitals in the area, sometimes driving three hours from his home to serve rural communities coping with COVID-19 outbreaks. Although New York and Washington were dealing with overflowing hospitals and piles of body bags in March, the Missouri doctor told The Daily Beast he didn’t treat a coronavirus-positive patient until May.
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