COVID cases flood hospitals as we head into Thanksgiving break
As families prepare to gather over the Thanksgiving holiday, some hospitals across the country are being overwhelmed by COVID cases and staffing shortages, and the associated increase in gatherings during the holidays. Vacation can make the condition worse.
New York emergency department likely to close on Monday is caused by staff shortage after unvaccinated health care workers are not allowed to continue working due to a state regulation. Mount Sinai South Nassau’s emergency room in Long Beach will direct patients to its Oceanside emergency department.
Officials in Denver say hospitals are filling up, with about 80 percent of people hospitalized with COVID not being vaccinated. 9 News reported. Dr. Robin Wittenstein, CEO of Denver Health, said its system was on “the brink of collapse.”
“We are here today because so many people have chosen not to be vaccinated even though they are eligible,” said Bob McDonald, executive director of the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment.
The University of Iowa Hospital is also worried about hardship because of COVID and flu cases are increasing. In Dubuque County, the number of hospitalizations for COVID is even higher than it was a year ago before a vaccine was available.
“It’s cold out now, and people are going to stay indoors, and everyone is tired of this,” said Chief Health Officer Theresa Brennan. “People crave human contact. And so it’s likely that people will be less strict about gatherings, about wearing masks, about distance compared to last year.”
Hospitals in the frigid Upper Midwest, particularly Michigan and Minnesota, were also filled with COVID-19 patients, most of whom were unvaccinated.
While the availability of vaccines has made family gatherings safer, health experts are concerned that large groups in hotspots, especially those who are unvaccinated, can may make COVID worse during the holidays.
As for the holidays, “We encourage those who gather to do so safely after they have been fully vaccinated, as we have been saying for months now,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Also in the news:
►Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett urge residents to inject drugs to boost COVID-19 Tuesday when cases are on the rise, with an average of 267 cases per day and about three deaths per day in the county.
►Steve Burton, who starred in “General Hospital” for over 30 years, is leave the show because he failed to comply with the vaccine regulations, he announced on Instagram.
► Massachusetts hospitals experiencing capacity constraints were asked to reduce scheduled non-essential, non-emergency procedures under an emergency order following a pandemic staff shortage.
📈 Today’s numbers: The US has recorded more than 47 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and over 773,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global total: More than 258 million cases and 5.1 million deaths. More than 196 million Americans – 59% of the population – are fully immunized, According to CDC.
📘What we are reading: COVID has pushed a decades-long emergency medical service worker shortage in Michigan into a crisis. How long before people call 911 and will it take too long to get help, if any?
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Medical, educational, and transportation organizations dispute for exemptions from Tennessee’s new COVID law
Dozens of Tennessee Healthcare, Higher Education, and Consulting Organizations have applied for a formal waiver last week from a new state law that prohibits businesses from enacting COVID-19 restrictions.
The bill, signed into law by Governor Bill Lee earlier this month, prohibits most private businesses from requiring a COVID-19 vaccine or proof of vaccination. But the bill does fix the provision for organizations that risk losing large federal funds if they comply with the new Tennessee law, such as federal contractors, transportation agencies and care providers. health treatment of Medicare or Medicaid patients.
The Tennessee Comptroller began accepting waiver applications on November 15, and received 76 applications by the end of the week, although legitimate applications were slightly less due to some duplicate submissions and errors. So far, rejections are rare.
Of the 76 applications, five have been rejected and 44 are pending approval.
– Melissa Brown, Nashville Tennessee
Another big wave of COVID-19 headed to Kentucky?
Possibly, say some local health professionals who have track the gradual increase in new cases. The uptrend followed by a sharp decline in cases followed the summer rise driven by delta variation.
“I think… if you look at the entire country, we are clearly seeing another wave,” said Dr. Jon Klein, associate dean for research at the University of Louisville School of Medicine.
“If you look at the places that are increasing, I can hardly find evidence that we are an outlier,” said Klein, a member of the local health officials’ COVID-19 task force. “We just have too many unvaccinated people.”
New infections and the rate of COVID-19 positive cases have increased for several weeks after falling in mid-October.
On Monday, Kentucky reported 44 new deaths and 822 new cases – the highest Monday in four weeks. Saturday and Sunday – with 2,048 cases and 1,018 new cases – were also the worst Saturdays and Sundays in a month.
– Deborah Yetter and Sarah Ladd, Louisville Courier-Journal
Contribution: Associated Press