Preparing for and responding to Covid-19’s ‘second hit’

While already sobering, Covid-19 mortality projections only account for a portion of morbidity and mortality we should expect from the current outbreak – patients directly affected by Covid-19. Largely missing from current discussions is the indirect impact on a much broader set of patients affected the epidemic – patients who will experience greater morbidity and mortality from a wide range of clinical conditions due to disruptions in the provision of health care and other essential services – what we are describing here as the ‘second hit’ of Covid-19.