Rising COVID-19 Cases Starting To Strain Hospital Resources, Staff
Hospitals across the state are feeling the strain of a growing number of COVID-19 cases but are managing to keep up with patient needs, the president of the Alabama Hospital Association said Tuesday.
“We are in a very precarious and potentially dangerous place right now in dealing with COVID cases,” said Dr. Don Williamson, a former state health officer who heads the Hospital Association. “Caseloads in hospitals are worsening fairly rapidly. Today we had 1,289 people in hospitals with COVID. Our seven-day average is now over 1,200 people a day. A month ago, that number was about 850.”
The growing number of people who are being treated in hospitals for the coronavirus is spread throughout the state, he said.
UAB had 83 patients under treatment for the disease on Tuesday. That compares with more than 100 patients a day at times during the summer. That number dropped below 50 several weeks ago before beginning a steady rise.
The Huntsville Hospital Health System, which operates eight hospitals across the Tennessee Valley, reported 222 COVID patients systemwide on Tuesday, half of them in hospitals in Madison County. It said 54 of the overall number were in intensive care units, with 22 on ventilators.
Williamson said about 15% of the ICU beds in Alabama hospitals are available.
“The biggest threat that we’re facing right now is not beds — it’s staffing,” he said “That’s because as COVID cases rise, patients with COVID need more intensive care than patients without COVID, so that takes more staff.”
The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 1,616 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the state’s total to 220,848 since the pandemic began in March. The agency’s dashboard showed 3,301 deaths from the disease.
Over the past week, the state has averaged 2,003 new cases a day — up from 1,241 on Nov. 1.
Hospitals so far have been able to maintain the personal safety supplies they need, Williamson said, but access will tighten as the number of patients grows nationwide.
Still, he said, the system will deal with the strain on supplies, facilities, staffing and other needs.
“We know we can handle up to 1,600 COVID patients in hospitals because we did that in July,” Williamson said. “When we did that, it created major stresses on hospital infrastructure. I would anticipate that happening again if we get to 1,600, but we will have capacity.
“Hospitals will make it work. It just gets increasingly difficult, the more patients with COVID you have.”
Bruce Pearl, winningest men’s basketball coach in Auburn history, announces retirement
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl announced his retirement Monday less than six months after finishing the Tigers' best season in program history with another trip to the Final Four. Pearl's 38-year-old son Steven Pearl, who has been on his father's coaching staff for all 11 seasons at Auburn, will take over as coach.
Jimmy Kimmel will be back on air on Tuesday, Disney says
The late night comic was suspended last week under pressure from the Trump administration after comments about Charlie Kirk's killing.
Unease grows at the Justice Department as Trump’s threats get even more blunt
President Trump is directing the Justice Department to prosecute his perceived political enemies, upending the career ranks and raising questions about selective prosecution.
Supreme Court allows Trump to fire — for now — remaining Democrat on FTC
At issue is whether the president has the authority to dismiss the heads of those agencies that are protected by Congress.
Climate change is delaying peak fall foliage. Here’s what to expect this year
Leaves typically start to peak in northern states by early October, but projecting peak foliage isn't an exact science. Here are some things you can do to get the most out of fall's colors.
400 entertainers co-sign ACLU letter supporting Jimmy Kimmel
Celebrities including Pedro Pascal and Selena Gomez wrote: "Our government has resorted to threatening the livelihoods of journalists, talk show hosts, artists, creatives and entertainers."
