LOS ANGELES - As Los Angeles hospitals continue to be overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients, hospitals may begin rationing care and would force healthcare providers to determine the type of care a patient will receive based on available resources.According to the New England Journal of Medicine, even a conservative estimate shows that the health needs created by the pandemic go well beyond the capacity of U.S.
hospitals.In May of this year, the NEJM was already warning that unless the curve of infected individuals was flattened over a very long period of time the COVID-19 pandemic would likely cause a shortage of hospital beds.