Metro Detroit Beaumont hospitals have critical capacity amid COVID boom

Beaumont hospitals have reached critical capacity levels as COVID-19 infections continue to rise in Michigan, officials said Thursday.

Beaumont Health says its Metro Detroit hospitals and staff have reached critical capacity levels amid the virus surge. Officials announced Thursday morning that the number of COVID-19 patients in Beaumont hospitals has reached more than 800, exceeding the volume of patients seen during the last virus surge in the fall. The healthcare system allegedly cared for 128 COVID-19 patients on 28 February alone.

Beaumont officials and health workers are urging Michigan residents to “personally take immediate action to stop the spread of the virus.”

“Our COVID-19 numbers are climbing faster and faster and it’s very disturbing to see that,” said Beaumont CEO John Fox. ‘We are grateful for the knowledge gained by the first two increases. It helped save many lives. We also now have effective vaccines. To flatten the curve again, we all need to work closely together: wear masks, wash hands, avoid large gatherings, practice social distance, and be vaccinated. We can not do it alone. We need everyone’s help immediately. ”

More: Beaumont Health expands COVID units amid boom, and visitors need a vaccination card

A few weeks ago, the health system reintroduced visitor restrictions as the spread of the coronavirus increased rapidly throughout the region in an effort to protect patients and staff. No visitors are currently allowed in the rooms of Beaumont patients, which is either positive for COVID-19.

“The new COVID-19 variants are more contagious. The patients we see are younger and some are sicker and need medical help, ‘said Dr. Nick Gilpin, medical director of infection prevention and epidemiology at Beaumont, said. ‘It seems that some younger patients are also waiting longer to get care and think they can beat the virus. By the time they get to the hospital, we see serious illnesses with pneumonia, blood clots and serious lung injuries. This trend does not seem to be slowing down. ”

Beaumont’s announcement comes as several Metro Detroit health systems are sounding the alarm about dangerous hospital capacity due to the increase in COVID patients over the past few weeks.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said last week that about 18 percent of all COVID tests come back positive. With such many daily new cases, more people are expected to be admitted to the hospital within a few weeks.

“We are on track to see an increase in cases that is even greater than those we saw in the fall,” said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, medical chief of the MDHHS, said.

Hospitals evaluate and implement their training plans, including considering the cancellation of non-time-sensitive elective surgeries and preparing to ensure that they have the equipment, supplies and staff to care for both COVID and non-COVID patients , “Khaldun continued.

Despite the worrying virus statistics, the Michigan government, Gretchen Whitmer, maintained that the state would not impose any new restrictions, but would combat the surge against the surge of COVID vaccinations. National health officials disagree with this plan, saying the state of Michigan should “shut down” in response to the increased virus spread.

During a news conference Wednesday, Whitmer pushed coronavirus therapies in an effort to help residents infected with COVID-19 and prevent them from being admitted to the hospital. She says the therapies are not a substitute for COVID-19 vaccinations.

More: How Therapy Can Help Michigan’s COVID Cases

.Source

Share this:

Related