Hospital staff lost weight during a California virus surge

Los Angeles, CA — Medical staff are increasing as hospitals in California are scrambling to find patients’ beds in the explosive growth of coronavirus cases that could overwhelm the state’s emergency medical system. It’s getting thinner and thinner.

As of Sunday, more than 16,840 people were hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 infection. This is more than double the previous peak reached in July. A state model that uses current data to predict future trends could reach 75,000 by mid-January.

More than 3,610 COVID-19 patients were in the intensive care unit. All of Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley in District 12 in the north have exhausted their normal ICU capacity, and some hospitals have begun using “surge” spaces. Overall, the state’s ICU capacity was only 2.1% on Sunday.

In the hit Los Angeles County, Nerissa Black, a nurse at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, estimated that each patient provided an average of less than 10 minutes of care per hour. Not only bedside care, she said, it included wearing gear, charting, reviewing test results, and consulting with a doctor.

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“And because many people are waiting before receiving treatment, the patients who come to the hospital are more ill than ever, so when they come to the hospital, they are really really sick,” Black said on Sunday. Said. ..

Due to the huge number of incidents in the last six weeks, California’s death toll has never been higher. An additional 161 deaths were reported on Sunday, killing a total of 22,593.

Throughout LA County at the UCLA Health Santa Monica Medical Center, nurse Wendy Maced said that all 25 beds in her unit were filled with COVID-19 patients. She said another floor ward dedicated to orthopedic patients had been rebuilt to take care of people who tested positive for the virus. She said the nurses are working in longer shifts and more nurses are working. Approximately 5,550 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 throughout the county.

“The more patients you have, the higher your risk of making mistakes, especially if you’re in a hurry,” Macedo said on Sunday. “Obviously we are trying to avoid it, but we are only humans.”

Many hospitals are prepared for the possibility of distributing care. A recently distributed document among doctors at four Los Angeles County-run hospitals calls for a change in strategy. Rather than trying everything to save lives, their goal during the crisis is to save as many patients as possible. This means that people who are less likely to survive will not receive the same type of care as they normally do.

“The compromise of standard treatment is inevitable. The entity, system, or locale did not choose to limit resources. It is clearly that resources are not available to provide care in a regular manner. “The Los Angeles Times, a document obtained by Ross, reads.

The county’s director of health services, Dr. Christina Garry, said the guidelines weren’t in place as of Friday night, but given the surge and “the worst hasn’t happened yet.” He said it was essential to create.

Many hospitals have already implemented emergency procedures to expand staff and space.

The Corona Regional Medical Center in southeastern Los Angeles has remodeled an old emergency room to handle nearly twice as many ICU patients as normal. Because the emergency room is full of patients in need of hospitalization, we are using the space of two disaster tents to triage ER patients.

Fresno County, which was hit hard in central California, recently opened a new 50-bed alternative care site near a community community health center. Dan Lynch, director of emergency medical services in the county, said beds for COVID-19-negative patients freed up hospital space in the area where only 13 of the approximately 150 ICU beds available on Friday were available. I said it would be.

Lynch said he expects to use the Fresno Convention Center, which can accommodate up to 250 patients, given current demand.

Fresno and three neighboring counties have also taken an unprecedented step in sending emergency medical care over emergency calls to evaluate people. According to Lynch, if you can go to an emergency facility or wait a few days and talk to your doctor, you won’t be taken to the emergency room.

Some hospitals have canceled non-essential elective surgery, such as hip arthroplasty, which may require a bed that may soon be needed for COVID-19 patients. Others are spending more time on staff or moving patients to free up space.

Los Angeles County health officials announced on Saturday that they have changed their health orders to comply with a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling requiring places of worship to allow outdoor and indoor services, taking appropriate health and safety measures. Did.

On Saturday night, Apple Inc. announced that it would temporarily close all 53 stores in California due to the coronavirus outbreak. A state-wide curfew limits retail store capacity to 20%.

Supermarkets have been hit hard by the proliferation of viruses, adding to the strain on important services that remain open during the latest curfew. According to a Times analysis, of the six outbreaks in Food 4 Less in the Los Angeles area, three were recorded earlier this month and are related to the current surge. An outbreak is defined as three or more staff outbreaks in a 14-day period.