Triage aims to provide the greatest amount of good for the greatest number, but medical staff are grappling with how to stay true to this principle as coronavirus surges.

18 states are currently in what’s considered the “red zone” by the White House coronavirus task force, meaning they had more than 100 new cases per 100,000 people last week. Additionally, 14 states currently have more than 70 percent of their ICU capacity occupied.

Triage is fundamentally about balancing consequences. One of the terrible realities of triage is that decisions are zero sum: Treating one person usually means not treating another. So it’s important that before an emergency, medical systems have agreed on how these decisions will be made fairly, and have communicated those guidelines transparently both to health care providers and the public.

Read More