As hospitals prepare for tension, NM breaks virus records »Albuquerque Journal

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“The rate of the surge is quite different from what we saw in this pandemic,” Dr. Jason Mitchell, Chief Medical Officer of Presbyterian Healthcare Services, said at an online press conference. “This is a phrase that encourages serious action for us as a community.”

He said Thursday that hospitals are likely to engage in their “crisis standard treatment” sometime next month if the state’s viral prevalence continues.

In December, Mitchell said he could call on all available doctors to retrain and set up MASH-style tents.

Healthcare leaders are also closely monitoring the number of ventilators used by COVID-19 patients, said David Scrase of Human Services Secretary.

But critical standard treatment is not inevitable, Mitchell said. He said New Mexico has not yet passed a turning point, avoiding rallies and limiting COVID-19 infections if residents wear masks severely.

“We are at a very important point,” Mitchell said.

Hospitalization for corner virus reached state records on Thursday — 323 patients, or more than three times the beginning of the month. This number may include out-of-state residents admitted to New Mexico, but other states have accepted patients in New Mexico to offset visitors admitted here. As such, health officials say the state is not a net importer of patients.

Dr. David Gonzales, Chief Medical Officer of Christus St. Vincent Health System, said hospitalizations for other causes than COVID-19 also increased the burden on hospitals.

“This leads to a packed home throughout our state organization,” Gonzales said. “As we grow, we may have beds, but there may not be personnel for those beds.”

Approaching capacity

Seven hub hospitals in New Mexico occupied 288 intensive care units on Thursday. The state baseline capacity is 290 ICU beds for coronavirus patients.

Moving to emergency standards — postponing elective surgery and closing other units — could increase capacity to 439 ICU beds.

In the crisis, capacity could reach 623 beds “by drastic measures,” health officials said.

Statistical modeling by state health leaders shows that if current trends continue, New Mexico will exceed its emergency standards in mid-November and even its critical capacity in early December.

A possible strategy, according to Mitchell, is to set up a tent to accommodate the patient in a unit similar to a mobile surgical hospital.

3 more died

New Mexico is also approaching the death of 1,000 coronaviruses.

Health officials reported three more deaths on Thursday, including the death of a woman in her twenties from Sandoval County. She had a fundamental health condition.

Men in the 70’s and 90’s also died.

According to state statistics, the death toll has now reached 994 citizens since the arrival of COVID-19 in March.

In New Mexico, Corona Rivas infections are on the rise in all age groups and some people in the state, Scraise said.

Increasing cases will occur as New Mexico significantly expands testing. The state conducted about 8,983 tests a day last week. This is about twice as many tests as immediately after Labor Day.

However, the number of new infections is not just the result of increased testing. The percentage of tests that returned positive also increased, reaching about 9.5% last week, up from 3.4% at the beginning of the month.

According to Mitchell, New Mexicans have succeeded in slowing the rapid growth of the incident in the past. It is important to wear a mask, wash your hands and keep a safe distance from others.

“It’s time to stay in the COVID bubble and keep it as small as possible,” Mitchell said.

Scrase had another suggestion. Being at home on Halloween.