If you were given this bed when you went to the hospital, would that make you concerned?
Not gonna lie, I’d be a little worried.
During this pandemic, some people have taken the opportunity to create some new products to help with the fight against the virus that has caused global lockdowns and over 300,000 deaths worldwide.
Online platforms like Zoom and GoToMeeting have adjusted their platforms for high-demand use so that more people can work remotely and have kids continue the school year with online classes. We’ve discovered that while it’s clearly not for everyone, it’s not so bad.
We’ve seen actual innovation, though. Just a couple of examples include the doctors in Oregon who created a 3D printed ventilator for $10 and an app that helps with “social distancing” by limiting the number of customers in stores by creating “virtual queues.” It’s a win-win for businesses and consumers.
But some “innovations” just sound like a bad idea from the get-go.
Like this cardboard hospital bed that can be turned into a coffin. It is specifically designed for COVID patients.
A factory in Colombia is making hospital beds that can be turned into a coffin if the patient dies
These dual-purpose beds are designed for #COVID19 patients
All the latest #coronavirus news here 👇https://t.co/VAjyXIw6P2 pic.twitter.com/1SoZmzDoeZ
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) May 14, 2020
Would you let your loved one be put in that?
Now, I’m not against a sign company looking to meet a need in the community and repurpose their facility for that.
BUT… there’s just so much wrong with this.
First, having a hospital bed that converts into a coffin is just ghoulish. We don’t send people to the hospital expecting them to die. There is no hope left when someone is put in a bed that could instantly be converted into their coffin.
Second, it’s made of cardboard. That’s dehumanizing. This isn’t a small pet that you bury in the backyard in a shoebox, these are human beings not Speedy the Wonder Hamster that your third-grader is crying over.
Remind me, what happens when cardboard gets wet? Because that could be a problem. You clearly can’t clean someone on this thing, and what about feeding? What happens if someone spills water on it? The biggest problem that I see is that the body itself contains fluids like blood, saliva, sputum, urine, and other things, all of which can spread disease. Even if this thing was treated to be “waterproof” you’d have to toss it the minute bodily fluids touched it and in a hospital setting that would be in pretty short order.
This is a clear case of “didn’t think that one through” and “didn’t consult with a single medical professional.”
But you know that morons in government are going to see this as a brilliant and much-needed innovation in the midst of a pandemic.
Speaking of morons in government…
These bed/coffin combo units might be Governor Cuomo’s new state-mandated nursing home beds–because that completely fits with his policies. Maybe he’ll add in blankets that can double as a body-bag since he’s already sending body bags to nursing homes.
[Quick Update from the author: I think I’m being unfair to Governor Cuomo who has rescinded his disastrous policy that forces nursing homes to take COVID-positive patients now that thousands of people senselessly died. I should also include the other governors who sent COVID-positive patients into nursing homes but have not rescinded the order like New Jersey’s Phil Murphy and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, as well as those simply covering up the data like California’s Gavin Newsom.]Note to the creators of this horrific hospital bed/coffin hybrid…
Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean that you should do it.
