Baker’s begging
crease in intensive-care patients since the Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving, public health data show.
As of Sunday, there were 1,919 people with coronavirus in hospitals and 387 in the ICU, according to the Department of Public Health COVID-19 dashboard.
“With the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, we, unfortunately, anticipate there could be another significant surge,” Baker said, noting “there is serious danger of overwhelming our health care system,” if that happens.
Should that happen, the Republican governor said “every option is on the table” and hinted at additional coronavirus restrictions, saying “we’re currently reviewing additional steps that we can take to minimize the impact.”
Statewide, hospitals are at 83% capacity on average, according to public health data. In Boston and Metrowest that number increases to 86%. A field hospital at Worcester’s DCU Center reopened earlier this month and the state has plans to open a second with Lowell General Hospital and Umass Lowell.
There are “conversations” for a third field hospital on the South Coast, but Baker made no mention of reopening Boston’s 1,000-bed emergency hospital that served COVID-19 patients over the spring and summer.
Baker says the surge is not receding and is putting “immense pressure” on the health care system.
Last Monday, Baker rolled back the state’s reopening to Phase 3, Step 1, a move not seen as strict enough by a consortium of area mayors who took coronavirus restrictions into their own hands, rolling back a step farther to close gyms, fitness centers, bowling alleys, arcades, museums, movie theaters, aquariums and indoor event spaces in cities including Boston, Somerville, Newton, Arlington, Lynn and Winthrop.