Georgia’s Dangerous Game

Russian Roulette is a lethal game of chance in which a player places a single round in a revolver, spins the cylinder, places the muzzle against their head, and pulls the trigger, in the hope that the round does not reach the barrel of the gun and therefore fire.

Metaphorically, Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp, decided to play too.  The gun is Covid-19 and the players are residents of Georgia.  The data as of right now shows 608 new cases in a 24 hour period, and 20% of tests given showing positive with under 1% of the population being tested.  These numbers should be eerily concerning for any resident of Georgia with the State Governor opening it’s doors to the public as of April 24th.

While the rest of the world is playing it safe and enforcing stay at home orders, Gov. Brian Kemp sees an opportunity to stand out among the masses.  For all the wrong reasons.  Human safety is a worldwide concern with Covid-19 taking the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.  50,000 people in the U.S. alone have died because of this deadly virus and yet Georgia, home of Atlanta, decides to do what all doctor’s and scientists have warned against.

Opening too early will have a catastrophic affect on the state of Georgia for years to come.  The Atlanta Metropolitan area makes up most of Georgia’s population with roughly 6 million people.  It is a densely populated area.

As of 2018, Atlanta, GA had 12,800 total hospital beds, of which about 74% were occupied, potentially leaving only 3,340 beds open for additional patients. The bed count includes 1,620 beds in intensive care units, according to data from the American Hospital Association and the American Hospital Directory. Intensive care units are best equipped to handle the most acute coronavirus cases.

This means that when people stop social distancing and Covid-19 infections rise, Georgia will be the next NYC.  There is a potential for rapid increase in numbers because of Atlanta’s dense population.

So what happens when Georgia’s hospitals become too full, more people will die who didn’t have to.  Social distancing allows our hospitals to control the flow of patients and give the best care to the ones who really need it.  Without social distancing and stay at home orders, more people will get sick, more will need intensive care, and Georgia doesn’t have the ability to support the next wave that will come.

Never before in my lifetime has a politician had the ability to put my life at risk.  Never before has a politician been able to make the decision that would inevitably cause more death.  Gov. Brian Kemp decided to play a very dangerous game with the residents of Georgia, I pray that the bullet that is coming be stopped before it’s too late.