Will they? If the number of virus patients grows beyond the ability of the medical system to absorb, will there be any capacity?
Some lazy Googling told me that mostly non medical hospital and healthcare workers are being laid off. And dentists and other medical practices are shedding medical staff. Dentists have been forced to close in California, except for emergency procedures. But doctor offices and practices are allowed to stay open, and people are free to go in for checkups and visits. Heck my local vet's office is open and I took my pet in for a non-emergency (i.e. concerning but not immediately life-threatening) checkup. People have been avoiding the doc's office for non-urgent stuff out of caution and fear, not because it's forbidden.
> People have been avoiding the doc's office for non-urgent stuff out of caution and fear, not because it's forbidden.
I'm sure it's both. Either way, it matters. Hypothetically, if we can hit herd immunity fast, that fear would probably diminish quickly. I don't know if that's a good plan or not, but certainly it needs to be considered.