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.”
NASA rolls out Artemis II craft ahead of crewed lunar orbit
Mission Artemis plans to send Americans to the moon for the first time since the Nixon administration.
Trump says 8 EU countries to be charged 10% tariff for opposing US control of Greenland
In a post on social media, Trump said a 10% tariff will take effect on Feb. 1, and will climb to 25% on June 1 if a deal is not in place for the United States to purchase Greenland.
‘Not for sale’: massive protest in Copenhagen against Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland
Thousands of people rallied in Copenhagen to push back on President Trump's rhetoric that the U.S. should acquire Greenland.
Uganda’s longtime leader declared winner in disputed vote
Museveni claims victory in Uganda's contested election as opposition leader Bobi Wine goes into hiding amid chaos, violence and accusations of fraud.
Opinion: Remembering Ai, a remarkably intelligent chimpanzee
We remember Ai, a highly intelligent chimpanzee who lived at the Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University for most of her life, except the time she escaped and walked around campus.
The near death — and last-minute reprieve — of a trial for an HIV vaccine
A trial was about to launch for a vaccine that would ward off the HIV virus. It would be an incredible breakthrough. Then it looked as if it would be over before it started.
