COVID-19: An Unprecedented Threat, a Historic Response

Excerpt

2020, the year of COVID-19, has been one of historic dimension, the pandemic having strained societal capacities across the globe. As a disease process, in contrast to a natural disaster, its immediate consequences center on health, concentrating the efforts of healthcare systems writ large. As an early epicenter of the disease, New York City was profoundly impacted, and its hospitals converted within days to institutions devoted to the care of patients suffering from the manifestations of a single disease. Anticipating the tremendous strain that would be placed on the city’s healthcare facilities, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) suspended its usual operations in mid-March and converted to the care of patients with COVID-19. In this special issue of HSS Journal, clinicians at HSS, across the country, and around the world chronicle their extraordinary experiences and document their research. …