Why, Rhode Island? Dr. Ranney takes to Twitter…

Editor’s Note: We hear it multiple times a day – Rhode Island is the worst in the country. How can this be? We read and listen to experts, look at the datasheets, but sometimes the simple restrictions of Twitter can provide the most user-friendly way to try to understand it all.

Last night, Dr. Megan Ranney, MD, MPH, a popular local and national spokesperson on the pandemic took to Twitter, with a thread of at least 7 factors that have put Rhode Island where it is today.

Ranney identifies herself on Twitter as “Emergency doc, Brown Emergency Medicine; Director, Brown Center for Digital Health; Co-founder, Affirm Research & GetUsPPE; Board member, Nonviolence Institute, and CNN Analyst”. She has 73,400+ followers on Twitter.

Sharing Dr. Ranney’s comments, here:

1. We are a small state. Small variations in numbers have a big effect. Of course, this is the start of the explanation, but not the full picture…. because our rate keeps going up and up and up.

2. We are doing a LOT of testing. And the one place I will agree with DJT: because of tests, we will be identifying more cases. That said: our hospitalizations are also quite high (40/100K)

3. We have a LOT of college students per capita. When colleges came back, numbers piked, & seeded infections in the community that quickly (as per #1) spread in our small state, leading to where we are now.

4. We are a very tight-knit state. Family is *everything*. 2/3 of Rhode Islanders never move out of the state. And we know that our much-treasured family gatherings are often super spreader events.

5. We are the 2nd most densely populated state, with lots of multi-family & multi-generational homes. This leads to fast spread, simply because people can’t distance from each other.

6. We also have a lot of poverty, a lot of essential workers, & a lot of immigrants. And we know that economic & racial inequity are major drivers of transmission of the virus.

7. Most of our state’s indoor activities just closed last Monday (we won’t see decreases in counts due to these actions for at least 2-4 weeks) – and indoor restaurants remain open.

She also notes is some responses on Twitter:

We are FAR from the only state with in-person schooling. Our infection rates at schools – like elsewhere in the country – remain low & are not unique to RI. We may need to close in-person simply because of staffing issues…. but I do not blame our rate on our schools.

At the end of the day, regardless of the reason, our hospitals are overwhelmed & everyone knows someone who’s sick. We are calling for retired HCWs to volunteer, while allowing people to eat in-person at Denny’s. We are, frankly, in a very bad spot.

With no sign of slowing. I maintain faith in the RI Dept. of Health, in our allegiance to data, & in our willingness to do the right thing. But the time to act must be *now*.

PPS: An additional item to consider is that our *positivity* rate is rising partly because college students are not here any longer. (Our colleges were doing *1/3* of the testing in the state – with very low infection rates, after the early fall surge got controlled.).

Responding to a suggestion by a wedding venue vendor, Ranney notes that RI is a state of hospitality & food services.

You can follow Dr. Ranney on Twitter, at: @meganranney