This is Italy. But it's going to get way worse than this.Cozzoli/Fotogramma/Ropi via ZUMA

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Coronavirus countermeasures can flatten the curve of infections, but it’s now clear that they won’t flatten it enough. There’s just not enough time. So in addition to continuing efforts to reduce the infection rate, our top priority needs to be the construction of temporary hospital capacity. Ideally this would be intensive care capacity, but if that’s not feasible then we just have to come as close as we can.

This needs to start now. As in today. It needs essentially infinite funding. It has to be nationwide. Construction needs to be a 24/7 effort. We only have until June to be up and running. That’s ten weeks from now.

It’s time to stop screwing around. Donald Trump’s reelection checks can wait a few days. Job 1 right now is the construction of more hospital capacity.

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DONALD TRUMP & DEMOCRACY

Mother Jones was founded to do journalism differently. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after stories others don’t. We’re a nonprofit newsroom, because the kind of truth-telling investigations we do doesn’t happen under corporate ownership.

And we need your support like never before, to fight back against the existential threats American democracy faces. Fundraising for nonprofit media is always a challenge, and we need all hands on deck right now. We have no cushion; we leave it all on the field.

It’s reader support that enables Mother Jones to report the facts that are too difficult, expensive, or inconvenient for other news outlets to uncover. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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