The surge in Omicron could more than double the number of mainners in the hospital, the forecast said.

record number Mainers have been hospitalized for COVID-19, and health officials and epidemiological predictions show that their numbers have increased significantly amid the proliferation of highly contagious Omicron variants.

If state hospitalization is expected to peak on February 18, COVID-19 patients will need more than 900 beds. projection From the Institute for Health Metrics, University of Washington.It’s more than double the 413 Mainers hospitalization The virus on Wednesday set another record for the state.

The laboratory model is widely cited throughout the pandemic.That particular number Never pan outThis model highlights viral trends that healthcare providers can anticipate in the coming weeks as Omicron variants continue to spread.

The current model of the Maine Institute also shows that daily COVID-19 cases peaked in Maine on 31 January, with 19,041 people, about 1.4% of Maine’s population, actively infected throughout the state. It states that it is doing. It is estimated that 12,208 people have been infected as of Wednesday. This means an increase of 56% before reaching the peak.

Maine hospitals are already at stake, with a shortage of staff Significant figures Percentage of healthcare workers by COVID.

It’s unclear if peak hospitalizations are as bad as predicted, but experts believe that Omicron cases will increase significantly across Maine in the coming weeks, which could be disastrous for hospitals. I am.

According to experts, the clearest solution is for about 277,000 qualified mainners who have not yet obtained a single shot to be vaccinated.

Nirav Shah, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Maine, said he has followed the model of the Institute for Health Indicators since the pandemic began. Some predictions were “spot-on”, while others missed the mark.

“It will be a challenge in that number,” Shah said. “But we work with the hospital every day to make sure we are with the hospital as long as the hospital has the needs we can meet.”

Significant increases, whether or not hospitalizations are so high, will result in more hospitals moving into crisis staffing mode, Shah said. Under the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines released last month, Worker People who are actively infected with COVID are allowed to work in hospitals during critical staffing.

The only hospital in Maine Known What I’ve done so far: St. Mary’s community medical center in Lewiston has allowed COVID-positive employees to work in a severe staffing shortage that constitutes a critical staffing under federal guidelines.

Mr. Shah said St. Mary’s had not contacted the Maine CDC about the shift and noted that it was not legally required under “self-enforcement” federal guidelines.

Five hospitals within the Northern Light Health System of 10 hospitals are currently in emergency staffing and are one step below critical staffing. Ellsworth Main Coast Hospital, Dover Foxcroft Mayo Hospital, Greenville CA Dean Hospital, Waterville Endorheic Hospital, Sebastic Cook Pittsfield Valley Hospital. Northern Wright’s chief human resources officer, Paul Borin, said Wednesday that no one was at stake.

“COVID-positive employees are not working,” he said.

The state has experienced record hospitalizations and case rates in recent weeks, but Maine is still saw The second lowest coronavirus infection rate in the United States in the past week.

However, states often experience regional and national viral trends after a few weeks in other states.

Dr. Gavin Ducker, who oversees primary care physicians in the Northern Wright system, said Maine usually follows the trends seen in its populous neighbor Massachusetts after a few weeks. Massachusetts saw an unparalleled outbreak of coronavirus among the largest in the country, data It seems to indicate that the virus has peaked in the Boston area.

“We’re probably in a very rocky moon,” Ducker said.

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