(WXYZ) – Beaumont Health officials sound the alarm Thursday morning and urge the public to follow COVID’s safety guidelines and get vaccinated, as their hospitals and staff have reached “critical capacity levels.”
“Our COVID-19 numbers are rising faster and faster and it is very worrying and alarming to see this,” John Fox, CEO of Beaumont Health, said in a press release. “We are grateful for the knowledge obtained from the first two climbs. It has helped save many lives. We now also have effective vaccines. To reshape the curve, we all need to work together now: wear masks, wash our hands, avoid big meetings, practice social distancing, and get vaccinated. We can’t do it alone. We need everyone’s help right away. “
At a news conference Wednesday with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, MDHHS chief medical officer Dr. Joneigh Khaldun also mentioned the surge in Michigan hospitals.
According to Beaumont Health, the number of patients with COVID-19 jumped in Beaumont from 128 on February 28 to more than 800 patients currently. They note that they have exceeded the volume of last fall.
“The new variants of COVID-19 are more contagious. The patients we see are younger and some are sicker and need intensive medical care, ”said Dr. Nick Gilpin, Beaumont’s medical director of Infection Prevention and Epidemiology.
Dr. Gilpin also noted that younger patients appear to be waiting longer to receive care and arrive at the hospital with an “intense illness.”
The health care system says all Beaumont hospitals are open to all patients who need health care. This includes emergency visits, tests and surgery.
Additional coronavirus information and resources:
See a global coronavirus scanner with data from Johns Hopkins University.
See full coverage in ours Continuous coronavirus coverage page.
Visit ours The Rebound Detroit, a place where we work to help people financially affected by coronavirus. We have all the information on everything available to help you overcome this crisis and how to access it.