COVID-19 surge straining hospitals around the US
Facilities scrambling to add beds and staff to meet the demand
BOISE, Idaho — Hospitals across the United States are starting to buckle from a resurgence of COVID-19 cases, with several states setting records for the number of people hospitalized and leaders scrambling to find extra beds and staff. New highs in cases have been reported in states big and small — from Idaho to Ohio — in recent days.
The rise in cases and hospitalizations was alarming to medical experts.
“It’s really worrisome,” said Saskia Popescu, an epidemiologist at George Mason University. Around the world, disease trackers have seen a pattern: First, the number of cases rises, then hospitalizations and finally there are increases in deaths. Seeing hospitals struggling is alarming, she said, because it may already be too late to stop a crippling surge.
“By the time we see hospitalizations rise, it means we’re really struggling,” Popescu said.
In Kentucky, the governor called the number of daily confirmed cases “grim,” forcing another round of preparations to expand hospital capacity.
“We are now going back to our plans about capacity in hospitals, looking — if we have to — at hotel options and the use of state parks,” Gov. Andy Beshear said during a recent briefing. “Ensuring that we have the operational plans to stand up the field hospital, if necessary.”
The governor reported 776 people hospitalized, including 202 in intensive care and 96 on ventilators. There were 1,312 new COVID-19 cases statewide Tuesday — the fourth-highest one-day total since the pandemic began.
Idaho reported its largest coronavirus spike, with new cases increasing by some 47% over the past two weeks. Idaho is currently sixth in the nation for new cases per capita, with a positivity rate of just over 15% — one of the country’s highest.
Still, Gov. Brad Little has resisted calls for a statewide mask mandate, saying it’s up to individuals to take the necessary steps — wearing masks, social distancing and practicing good hygiene — to stem the surge.
“As a health system, we’re all very concerned,” said Dr. Bart Hill, vice president and chief quality officer of St. Luke’s Health System, the state’s largest. “It’s indicative of anticipating we’re going to see more hospitalizations affecting an older population in the next two, three, four weeks.”
Since the virus was first detected, more than 41 million people around the globe have been infected and more than 1.1 million people have died. In the United States, there have been more than 8.3 million confirmed cases and almost 222,000 deaths. The sevenday rolling average for daily new cases has reached nearly 60,000 — the highest since July.
In some cases, spikes are happening as schools reopen and as Americans grow weary of wearing masks and practicing social distancing.
“At this point in the pandemic, everybody’s tired. Everybody’s craving human i nt e r a c t i on,” Popescu, the epidemiologist, said. “I worry this is a ripe situation for us to really
bubble over what we’ve seen.”
Winter is a busy season for hospitals as influenza and other respiratory illnesses ramp up with more people congregating indoors. “I worry a COVID wave that causes a heavy surge on hospitals that are already very busy will further add stress to a system that is exhausted,” Popescu said.
Coronavirus cases are rising so fast in North Dakota that it’s taking officials up to three days to notify people after they test positive, and as a result the state has fallen way behind on tracing their close contacts
who might have been exposed.
With its loose regulations, North Dakota has the country’s worst per-capita spread rate, with 1,224 new cases per day per 100,000 residents, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Nebraska began imposing new coronavirus restrictions Wednesday, after the number of people hospitalized remained at a record level of 380 for two straight days and the state reported 11 new deaths from the virus.
Cliff Robertson, CEO of CHI Health, said his hospital group is working to bring in nurses from other parts
of the country to handle the additional cases.
Over the past seven days, Nebraska has reported an average of 854 new cases per day, up significantly from two weeks ago when the state was reporting an average 525 cases per day, according to Johns Hopkins data.
The trend led Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts to announce new restrictions that took effect Wednesday. Hospitals now must keep 10% of their beds free for COVID-19 patients, and customers at restaurants and bars must remain seated at tables with no more than eight people.