Glad to see all the good news on vaccines. We've been pretty lucky here til recently, some comments from local hospitals:
Via Christys hospital president in Manhattan says "The number of people in the hospital with coronavirus here is surging, but so far the hospital’s capacity hasn’t been stretched too far.
The big question, according to the hospital’s leader, is whether staff members start getting sick." Full article
https://themercury.com/news/hospital...b09768ebb.html
The 2 hospitals in Pott County request commissioners to reverse course and adopt the governor’s executive order mandating the wearing of facial coverings in public.
The rising number of COVID-19 cases in the county has strained hospital resources and wearing masks is the best means of stemming the spread of the virus, administrators said.
“It’s basically an issue of staff and resources to run our hospitals and clinics,” said Todd Willert, CEO of Community HealthCare System, headquartered at Onaga.
The strain on hospitals also has affected people receiving care for other matters. EMS Director Hal Bumgarner said patient transfers are taking much longer due to the lack of ICU beds in communities such as Manhattan and Topeka. Last week, patients were transferred as far away as El Dorado and Nebraska, he said.
Steve Land, administrator of Wamego Health Center, said the rate for those tested positive for the virus has skyrocketed in the past two weeks — from 5% to 9% to 26%.
Leslie Campbell, Pott County health director, supported the position of the hospital administrators and said masks should be worn in public at all times.
“We’re having lots of transmission,” Campbell said. “We’ve had 50 new cases since Friday and there are probably another 150 cases we don’t know about.”
“Everyone’s being affected,” Campbell went on. “There have been more people in the hospital in the last three weeks than the whole time (since this started). Right now, wearing a mask would be the best thing."
FYI Pott County has never enacted a mask mandate only a mask recommendation.
https://themercury.com/news/pott-cou...002a70179.html
Stormont Vails CEOs press release includes: "We have hope that with vaccines on the horizon, we can eventually stop living this COVID-19 nightmare. But the next few weeks and months promise to be a continuation if people don’t wake up, realize that we are in a crisis and respond appropriately. Our healthcare team members need the help of everyone – and it starts with recognition that we are in a full-blown pandemic crisis and all of us set aside whatever it is that prompts us to act dangerously and commit to responsible behaviors. They aren’t difficult. Just do it! Wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands, avoid crowds and stay home when you can. Now." This was posted on Facebook so no linky-dink