As the holiday season moves into full swing, U.S. hospitals have begun to see an increase in the seven-day average of COVID-19-related admissions, with the highest percentage increases occurring in Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont and the Washington, D.C. Medical personnel are bracing for the worst as increased social gatherings and colder weather are expected to increase the COVID-19 infection rate.
This is exacerbated by the national shortage of trained personnel and ICU bed availability—the entire state of Texas only has 326 ICU beds currently available (for a population of about 29.2 million people).
Dr. Brian Weis, chief medical officer at Northwest Texas Healthcare System of Amarillo, Texas, remarked in early December that it wasn’t just a matter of an increased number of patients with COVID-19, but also that during one recent period, 32 of his staff were in quarantine themselves. He also said that on some days, they may have up to 25 people in the emergency room, just waiting for a bed.
“We don’t know how that’s going to affect us [after Thanksgiving] and then we’re facing Christmas,” Dr. Weis continued. “So, a lot of potentially ominous circumstances are coming up that could really raise these numbers even higher.”
Other states have experienced similar crises: Washington and Utah have cancelled elective surgeries; in Alabama, all ICU beds are occupied; in Nevada, the hospital association is urging people to stay away from emergency rooms.
