| Let's face it. There hasn't been enough medical equipment available in the right places in the U.S. right now to avoid debilitating shortages of life-saving products. And it's about to get worse. The coronavirus outbreak is threatening to overwhelm hospitals in New York and New Jersey, and heart-breaking stories are emerging about patients waiting in emergency rooms to be seen, struggling to breathe, while others are alone in isolated rooms on ventilators that may or may not save them. States dealing with sizeable outbreaks are starting to talk about triage committees, created to decide which patients will get increasingly scarce resources like intensive-care beds and ventilators. The tragically necessary mission of these committees is to find an equitable means of allocating life-saving care and to make sure no one cuts the line. It's a thankless task forced by a situation where there are few good choices. It's also terrifying for the loved ones of hospitalized patients, who have little say over what care their friends and family members receive. The doctors and nurses who are closest to the patients, though, get a reprieve. They won't be making the calls on who lives and who dies. That may be small comfort to overwhelmed medical staff in hard-hit areas. A triage committee is a last resort; what they actually need is equipment and resources. Our must-read in today's newsletter is a report from the U.S. medical front lines, where health workers and public officials are facing the same wave of patients that overwhelmed hospital systems in Europe and Wuhan, China. Our reporters talked to New York City doctors rushing from patient to patient, New Orleans residents wondering if the Mardi Gras celebration helped spread a growing outbreak; and a funeral director who doesn't know how he'll be able to help families say goodbye. Set aside some time to read it here. --Riley Griffin and Michelle Cortez | 
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