If it gets bad, Colorado doctors have a plan for who gets lifesaving coronavirus treatment — and who doesn’t

In northern Italy, just two weeks ago, doctors found themselves inundated with patients sickened by the new coronavirus.

One large hospital had roughly 500 patients positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. As many as 90 new patients with COVID-19 symptoms arrived each day. The onrush of patients overwhelmed the hospital’s medical supplies, protective equipment for workers and, most importantly, ventilators needed to keep many COVID-19 patients alive. And the scene was the same at every hospital across the region.