Some hospitals at stake as the US approaches highs in COVID-19 cases | Don’t miss this

Boise, Idaho (AP) — The United States is the latest ominous sign of the spread of the disease in the United States, with a surge in states from Connecticut to Rocky Mountain West, with new cases of coronavirus daily. Is approaching the record of.

Impact is felt in all sections of the country — lockdown from Friday at the Ogura Rasoo settlement in South Dakota, a petition by Florida health officials to cancel a child’s birthday party, from the Governor of Utah. A disastrous warning, and an increasingly desperate situation in a hospital in northern Idaho. Due to lack of space for patients, we are considering air freight to Seattle, Oregon or Portland.

“We basically closed the entire hospital floor. We had to double the room. We bought more hospital beds,” said Couterane Health Hospital Breathing. Dr. Robert Skoggins, a pulmonologist, said. “Our hospital was not built for a pandemic.”

The St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center in Twin Falls, southern Idaho, said it would not accept children because it was overwhelmed by coronavirus patients. Except for newborns, everyone under the age of 18 is sent by Boise 128 miles (206 kilometers) away.

Among the people in northern Idaho who joined Scogins at the Panhandle Health District Conference in Idaho was Walk Kirby, a board member.

“People are dying, they will continue to die and catch something like this,” Kirby said. “How many people don’t wear masks? The same people who don’t get vaccinated.”

Utah Governor Gary Herbert has declared Friday “a record day for Utah, but not a good one,” as the COVID-19 case reached a record high for the state.

“So far, our hospital has been able to provide good care to all COVID and non-COVID patients who need it,” he said. “But today we are at stake. If Utahan limits group gatherings and does not take serious steps to wear masks, our healthcare providers need it. We cannot provide quality care to everyone. “

Public health orders require masks in 21 counties, Herbert said, urging Utah residents to wear masks whenever they are outside their immediate home.

The 7-day moving average of new daily COVID-19 cases in the United States exceeded 61,140 on Thursday, compared to 44,647 two weeks ago. The record reached July 22 when the moving average was 67,293 in the midst of a summer outbreak, primarily due to virus surges in Florida, Texas, Arizona, and California.

The United States recorded 71,671 new cases on Thursday, with several states setting records in the Midwest and West.

The U.S. surge reflects a similarly widespread surge in Europe, where Rome, Paris and other major cities are curbing nightlife, as part of increasingly radical steps taken to slow the pandemic expansion. doing. French officials said the country has recorded more than one million confirmed cases of coronavirus since the outbreak of the pandemic, reaching that number in Western Europe after Spain.

The head of the World Health Organization warned that countries in the Northern Hemisphere are at a “significant turning point” as cases and deaths continue to rise.

“The next few months will be very tough and some countries are on a dangerous path,” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanomgebreyes said at a press conference on Friday.

Some of the latest developments in the United States:

South Dakota

In South Dakota, the Ogura Su tribe has ordered a week-long blockade of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in response to the surge in COVID-19 cases in the state. Until the morning of October 30, all non-mandatory trips will be banned and non-mandatory businesses will need to be closed.

The tribe posted on its Twitter page that as of Thursday, 391 active COVID-19 cases had been booked and had approximately 20,000 inhabitants.

The blockade took place as South Dakota surpassed 9,000 active coronavirus cases on Thursday and reported a record high of 973 new cases in one day.

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Florida

The highest health authorities, one of Florida’s most populous counties, have discouraged parents from hosting birthday parties for their children, regardless of size.

Dr. Raul Pino, State Health Officer at Orange County, said half of the 30 participants in the recent Sweet 16 party in the Orlando area were infected with the virus. Last month, Orange County High School was closed for two weeks after students attending a birthday party tested positive.

“These parties affect not only the people who participate in the activity, but all the other people they come in contact with when they leave,” Pino said. “If we do not act super-responsibly, we will continue to see the results.”

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Texas

In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott is sending more medical reinforcements to the El Paso region in response to the surge in coronavirus infections. The Texas Department of Health Services and the Texas Emergency Management Agency will provide more healthcare professionals and equipment this week.

El Paso County reported 3,750 new coronavirus infections this week, including 1,161 on Thursday. That number accounts for 17.5% of the 21,321 cases reported this week by 254 counties in the state.

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Idaho

Despite worsening medical conditions in northern Idaho, the local health commission has resolved to abolish local mask obligations. He acted shortly after hearing how the Kutenay Health Hospital in Kodarlane reached 99% capacity.

Kootenai is the third most populous county in the conservative state of Idaho.

Since the pandemic began, the state has experienced the largest coronavirus outbreak, with new cases increasing by 46.5% across the state in the last two weeks. Republican Governor Brad Little refused to take steps, such as demanding a mask throughout the state to slow the spread of the virus.

Dr. Josh Akane, vice president of St. Luke’s in the Magic Valley region, including Twin Falls and Jerome, said at a virtual press conference Thursday that he and other healthcare professionals were scared.

“The purpose of the intervention against the coronavirus was to prevent the hospital from being overwhelmed, where I say today that the hospital is overwhelmed,” he said.

The following Friday, his hospital announced a move to send young patients to Boise.

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New jersey and connecticut

The level of new cases remained low in the northeast, which was hit hard early in the pandemic, as new COVID-19 cases surged in the Midwest and elsewhere for some time. Several states, including New Jersey and Connecticut, have imposed a 14-day quarantine requirement on travelers arriving from dozens of states with a high percentage of positive tests.

But this week, prices in New Jersey and Connecticut have risen to the point of being subject to their own quarantine restrictions.

After some turmoil, the Democratic governors of New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York decided to keep the travel rules because the rates remained low, but did not add each other to the quarantine list.

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Clary reported from New York. Minneapolis Associated Press writer Amy Fority. Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, Brady McCombs in Salt Lake City, and Freida Frisaro in Orlando, Florida contributed to this report.