On Tuesday some California districts saw intensive care units at full capacity, while others are approaching that level as COVID-19 cases continue to rise. At least three counties in the San Joaquin Valley have achieved 0% efficiency in the intensive care of their hospitals units, the highest outflow as the state’s agricultural hub in California. In Santa Clara County, meanwhile, conditions are rapidly deteriorating. Only 31 ICU beds remain – less than 10% of the district’s capacity – and a few hospitals are completely exhausted, officials said. “This is the worst we have ever seen, and it continues to get worse,” said Dr. Ahmed Kamal of Santa Clara County. With a population of approximately 1 million, Fresno County faces a dire situation, with its smaller neighbors Madero County, north, and Kings County, south. “Everything you ask about how much our hospitals have been affected, and how bad this situation is with our ICUs, is absolutely true,” said Dr. Rice Vohra, interim health officer at the Fresno County Department of Public Health. “We want everyone to stay home as much as possible, at least for the next few weeks, until we can bring this uprising under control. The ICU capacity of Joaquin Valley is 5.6% and that of Southern California is 10.1%. They are very important for acute patients of -19, who may require ventilators and round-the-clock maintenance. ICU patients … are overflowing in other parts of the hospital, ”Vohra said. “There are no official open beds available in ICUs.” Don Lynch, director of Fresno County Emergency Medical Services, said patients with severe Govt-19 cases can take open beds in the emergency department because ICU capacity is declining. He said the county expects to implement an alternative care site for overflow patients at the Porterville Development Center on Monday. The facility, which can hold 123 people, will start with 20 to 25 patients, while ICU staff will be waiting. When asked about staff shortages at hospitals in the San Joaquin Valley during a news conference Tuesday, California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr Mark Galli said it was very difficult to get extra staff when districts call for help. “We are doing what we can. But it is getting harder. We know staff is our main shortage of resources, ”said Galle. “Our demands are difficult to fulfill because of what is happening in the United States with COVID, across the state and across the country.” Nonetheless, with the severe shortage of ICU beds in the San Joaquin Valley, the area is prioritizing additional staffing, Galle said. Like other parts of the country, Fresno County is waiting to see the full effect of Thanksgiving meetings, which helped spread the virus. “I don’t think we saw the peak,” Vohra said. “I think the peak has not come yet. I am very worried that our hospitals will not be able to meet the demands placed on them.” The ICU shortage was a devastating blow to the district, almost 11 months later. Fights infection. Miguel Arias, chairman of the Fresno City Council, said he and his colleagues were working frantically to avoid reaching this stage. They have fined businesses for violating health orders, distributed safety equipment and cleaning supplies, and asked people to wear masks and maintain social distance. “Even so, on Monday, we arrived at a place where we had officially reached the center that we were all trying to avoid,” Arias said in an interview Tuesday afternoon.
Source