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If a second wave of the novel coronavirus emerges in the U.S. this fall, medical experts said patients arriving in American emergency rooms will likely have an entirely different experience than what urgently sick patients saw earlier this year -- the benefit of hard-learned lessons from the deadly disease. “If there is a second wave in September, we will be protecting our patients and our staff in better ways, and will have the knowledge of the first wave to guide us in the best ways to treat patients,” said Dr. Bill Jaquis, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians. (Bhatt, Rubin, Abdelmalek, Mosk and David, 5/29)

Outside Charlotte, North Carolina, white drones that resemble tiny airplanes are being loaded with personal protective equipment and launched into the skies to help a local hospital respond to Covid-19. The drones, which have an 11-foot wingspan, fly over neighborhoods, a reservoir and an Interstate highway at speeds of 63 mph on their way to Huntersville Medical Center. Once there, a compartment in the drone opens, and a package falls toward the ground. A parachute on the package deploys so the deliveries land gently on a gravel lot as the drone returns to the hospital's distribution center for another mission. These deliveries will play out about 10 times a day. (McFarland, 5/28)

Adaptable and modular spaces will now be top of mind as healthcare providers retrofit and design their facilities, construction and design experts said. The COVID-19 pandemic has given health system leaders a new perspective as hospitals have adapted to accommodate an influx of patients. To be better prepared, hospitals will invest in flexibility: convertible and expandable rooms, advanced air-filtration systems, built-in storage spaces, wider hallways and virtual compatibility, among other improvements, experts said. (Kacik, 5/16)