On the west coast of the United States, California’s overcrowded hospitals are setting up makeshift extra beds for coronavirus patients, and a handful of harsh Los Angeles County facilities are developing emergency plans in case they have to limit the number of people receiving life -saving attention.
The number of people hospitalized in California with COVID-19-confirmed infections exceeds twice the previous peak in the state, reached in July, and a state model predicts that the total could reach 75,000 patients by mid-January.
Plans for rationing care don’t exist yet, but they need to be set because “the worst is yet to come,” said Dr. Christina Ghaly, director of health services in Los Angeles County.
While vaccine shipments are being rolled out to many health workers and nursing homes across the country, it could be months before the shots are available to the general public. Until then, four hospitals run by Los Angeles County were weighing what to do if they couldn’t treat everyone due to lack of beds or staff.
Emergency technician Brenda de la Cruz, right, and RN Janet Hays work outside St Mary’s Medical Center in sorting shops while managing the 200-bed hospital overflow [File: Mike Blake/Reuters]
A document recently distributed among doctors at the four hospitals proposed that, instead of trying to save all lives, their goal could be to save as many patients as possible, meaning those less likely to survive would not receive the same. type of care.
“Some commitment to the standard of care is inevitable; it is not that an entity, system, or regional configuration decides to limit resources, but it is clear that resources are not available to provide care on a regular basis, ”the Los Angeles Times document said.
Many California hospitals have already implemented emergency procedures to stretch staff and space.
The Corona Regional Medical Center, southeast of Los Angeles, has converted a former emergency room to treat nearly twice the usual number of patients with ICUs. It also uses two disaster tents to select patients from the emergency room (ER).
Overall, the state’s ICU capacity was only 2.1 percent on Sunday. Some hospitals have canceled non-essential elective surgeries, such as hip replacements, that could occupy beds that may soon be needed for patients with COVID-19.
A patient in the COVID area of St. Mary’s Medical Center is seen through the window of a door in a temporary walled area inside the hospital during the outbreak of coronavirus disease in Apple Valley, California . [File: Mike Blake/Reuters]
Nurses say the collapse of cases means they have less time to spend with patients, many of whom are sicker than ever.
“The more patients we have, the more likely we are to make a mistake, especially if we rush,” said Wendy Macedo, a nurse at UCLA Health Santa Monica Medical Center. “Obviously, we try to avoid it, but we’re just human.”
California was experiencing “some of the darkest days of our COVID-19 rise,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said, but there was light on Sunday when a group of scientists and experts backed a vaccine developed by Moderna. The move paves the way for the distribution of the drug by California and other Western states that reviewed it separately from the Food and Drug Administration.
Pharmacy chains CVS and rival Walgreens began offering shots last week at some long-term care sites in Connecticut and Ohio, and both companies said they would expand their programs to 12 states starting this week. . These states include Florida, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon and Vermont, CVS Health said Monday.
CVS plans to make three visits to each site to give residents and staff their initial shot and then reinforcement. Expect to complete the program in about three months.
But with vaccines limited to mid-year, political leaders are asking people to stay home and put on masks.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has asked airlines flying to his state from the UK to have all passengers take a coronavirus test before boarding. At least one airline, British Airways, has agreed, the Democrat said.
Cuomo wants the U.S. government to temporarily stop flights from the United Kingdom due to the emergence of a new strain of the virus in that country.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Sunday announced new restrictions on social gatherings while refusing to apply a mask mandate despite requests from front-line health workers. Tennessee, one of the twelve states without a mask warrant, is experiencing the highest new per capita cases in the country.
Instead of a masked warrant, the Republican signed an executive order limiting public meetings to 10 people. However, places of worship, weddings and funerals are exempt.