A reason, but not the primary reason, or even a big one, to what I have read.
The pathology is different, as it attacks the respiratory system directly. Lack of testing and vaccines have more of an effect at slowing transmission.
Been in hospital with elderly father for the last few days, so if this hasn't been posted it should be:
NUMBER OF ALL HOSPITALS IN THE U.S. IN 2017
6,210
NUMBER OF ALL HOSPITAL BEDS IN THE U.S. IN 2014
909.2k
OCCUPANCY RATE OF NONFEDERAL HOSPITALS IN THE U.S. IN 2015
65.5%
https://www.statista.com/topics/1074/hospitals/
Setting aside the likelihood of the number of beds being less due to rural hospital implosion in the last few years:
1-.655=.345
.345*909,200=
313,775 beds available TOTAL in the USA. That is it. Less than one tenth of one percent of the population in the US.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world...ctors-covid-19
Italy which is a few weeks ahead of us on that curve is now overwhelmed. Their doctors are literally having to choose who to treat and who not to, because they cannot treat everybody. They have roughly the same rate as the US (77% occupancy on roughly the same beds per capita total. by latest stats-2013)
The US, as it is much larger geographically, will have a harder time managing that capacity. A bed in Oregon, will do no good to someone in Louisiana. Our slack is going to be even worse than it seems due to this factor.
Because of the fatal delay by the Trump administration to implement widespread testing that, even now, isn't wide enough to detect cases, that spread has been fast, and is still almost certainly ongoing.
We are on the same curve as italy, and for that matter Iran, whose mass graves can be seen from space.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...s-victims.html
... and Trumps response:
Put his real-estate developer son-in-law, who failed at everything else, up to, and including middle-east peace, in charge.
His disastrous visit to the CDC where he did worse than throw paper towels, and his pathetic, incomplete, confusing, and moronic speech the other day have been judged by the markets, which tanked after he failed to be either truthful or decisive/effective.
He is going to, again, give a speech today. Based on his pattern, it will also be neither truthful, nor effective.
Trump has finally met a crisis he cannot lie his way out of, and it shows.