Choosing Whom To Save: MA Issues Guidelines For Coronavirus Surge

MASSACHUSETTS — State health officials released guidelines for a potential triage of coronavirus patients in the event that hospitals are overwhelmed by the demand for critical medical resources.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Tuesday issued the Crisis Standards of Care, which recommends that hospitals prioritize treatment "to result in the best possible health outcomes for the population as a whole."

"The overarching principle that will guide decision-making regarding use of critical care resources in this or any public health emergency is maximizing overall benefit to populations while handling individual cases fairly," the guidelines read.

The guidelines, which are not mandatory, recommend hospitals prioritize saving the most years of life. If a patient has a "very high risk of imminent death," the hospital is advised to treat only the symptoms.

Other patients would be assigned a score from 1 to 8 based on their odds of survival. Medical workers are prioritized, as are pregnant women "at or beyond the usual standards for fetal viability."

When scores are tied between two patients, younger patients would be given priority.

The guidelines say a number of factors should not be considered, including race, immigration status, sexual orientation, economic status and more.

The team assigning scores at hospitals should not include doctors or nurses treating the patient.

What could trigger a crisis scenario is a shortfall of supplies such as intensive care unit beds and ventilators, as well as shortages of medical staff. The MIT Technology Review says Massachusetts has the second-largest shortfall of ICU beds in the country, needing about 10 times more beds than it now has available to deal with the coming surge of COVID-19 patients.

Gov. Charlie Baker said Tuesday the state had received nearly 100 ventilators from the federal stockpile. He said the state has requested another 1,000 to 1,700.

The state is expecting a surge in COVID-19 patients during the next two or three weeks. Mayor Marty Walsh on Tuesday said Boston was already at the beginning of the surge, citing a 33 percent increase in cases the past three days.

Later in the day, state health officials announced the highest number of single-day deaths yet, a staggering 96. There were 1,365 new cases for a total of 15,202.

Related: New Projection Doubles Likely Death Toll In Massachusetts