COLORADO PREPARES FOR HOSPITALS TO FILL
The Colorado Hospital Association activated the state’s Combined Hospital Transfer Center for the first time Friday amid concerns hospitals will run out of staffers or hit patient capacity amid soaring COVID- 19 hospitalizations.
Colorado is preparing for the third wave of the pandemic to fill the state’s hospitals to capacity, a scenario Gov. Jared Polis said is becoming increasingly likely as new coronavirus infections set daily records.
The Colorado Hospital Association activated the state’s Combined Hospital Transfer Center for the first time Friday as some facilities in the state reported concerns about running out of workers or hitting patient capacity amid soaring COVID- 19 hospitalizations.
The governor outlined how the state is planning for hospitals to deal with exceeding their capacity during a news briefing Friday, including raising the possibility of a moratorium on elective surgeries if facilities continue to fill.
“We know that if our health care system is overwhelmed due to the increase in cases and growing hospitalizations then people will die who could have been saved,” Polis said.
“The worst- case scenario, which it is our goal to avoid, and we will continue to struggle to do so, is that so many Coloradans are sick that there’s not enough beds or staff or equipment and as a result more Coloradans will lose their life,” he added. “This was the reason for the strong actions in March.”
The announcement that hospitals are preparing for a surge came during a week that local public officials have said they can no longer contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. They also have asked state leaders, including at the Department of Public Health and Environment, to implement stricter interventions to stem the transmission of COVID19.
Still Polis remains reluctant to impose tougher restrictions, including a statewide lockdown. The governor, who was asked repeatedly during the news briefing about a stay- at- home order, has instead encouraged Coloradans to stay home and interact only with those in their households.
If people decide to join their family and friends outside of their household for Thanksgiving feasts, they should quarantine for
14 days beforehand to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to loved ones, Polis said.
“I don’t think that there’s anything that a governor can say or that a health authority can say that is more compelling than your love for your mother or father or grandparent or aunt and uncle,” he said.
“That is the compelling reason that I have confidence that the people of Colorado will make this a safe Thanksgiving,” he added.
Record- level coronavirus cases
Colorado recorded 5,689 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, the highest daily number since the pandemic began, although there was insufficient testing available in the early months.
The percentage of tests coming back positive over the past seven days is more than 12% — well above recommended 5% goal. The high positivity, along with hospitalizations, means transmission of the disease is increasing and that the rise in new cases is not simply the result of more testing.
On Friday, 1,159 people were hospitalized with confirmed cases COVID- 19, and 83% of the state’s intensive care- unit beds were in use. The number of patients with COVID- 19 dropped by 24 people from the day before, but it is still above the April peak of 888 patients, according to the state Department of Public Health and Environment.
About 10% of the state’s hospitals are reporting a potential intensive- care bed shortage in the next week. And 27% of hospitals could see a potential staffing shortage as well, according the state health department.
Hospital capacity is determined by the number of patients ( including those without COVID- 19), staff members available to treat them and supplies. The hospital association has said more hospitals are reporting that employees are becoming sick with COVID- 19 as the virus has spread rapidly through the community.
“As hospitalization numbers continue to grow, and as we expand the number of beds available for patients, the pressure on our employees and staffing increases,” said Dan Weaver, spokesman for UCHealth, in an email.
At HealthOne’s hospitals, which are not yet at capacity, there are not as many COVID- 19 patients in the intensive care unit as there were in the spring. That means there is less impact on supplies, such as ventilators, said Ryan Thornton, chief nursing executive for the system.
“That shift has really helped us to be able to see more patients because they are staying in the hospitals for less time,” he said.
The state health department is moving four more counties — Alamosa, Ouray, Eagle and Grand — to Level Orange, the secondhighest level of COVID- 19 restrictions. This means that by next week, 30 counties will be one level away from lockdown, according to the state’s color- coded- dial framework.
Clanning ahead
Polis also signed an executive order Friday that clarifies what will happen if hospitals continue to see a large influx of patients. The state’s three still- unused alternative care sites — St. Anthony North in Westminster, St. Mary- Corwin Medical Center in Pueblo and the Colorado Convention Center in Denver — will be activated as a last resort, he said.
“We are prepared to activate them if necessary, and we are a lot closer to that today than we were two weeks ago or we were four weeks ago,” he said.
Hospitals have to submit a plan with their maximum bed surge count to the state by Wednesday. They also have to submit their full surge plan to the state by Nov. 20, including how they plan to increase bed capacity by 50%, Polis said.
First hospitals will work within their facilities to find more space and increase staffing. Some hospitals did this in the spring, by turning other units into makeshift ICUs to care for critically ill patients with COVID- 19.
The Combined Hospital Transfer Center will help hospitals if they are full and need to transfer patients to other facilities in the state.
Hospitals at more than 70% capacity or that have less than a two- week supply of personal protective equipment will have to postpone elective procedures. These are scheduled, nonemergency surgeries.
Hospitals, including those belonging to UCHealth, already ave been postponing these procedures to free up staffers and bed space.
On Friday, UCHealth’s hospitals were treating about 280 patients with confirmed or suspected COVID- 19 infections, an all- time high for the health system, Weaver said.
“The best way the public can help our nursing staff, physicians and hospitals is to heed the warnings from public health officials. Wear a mask, wash hands, practice distancing and stay home if you feel sick.”