Cartoon by Bill Bramhall, New York Daily News |
Kentucky Health News
As the number of Kentucky Covid-19 patients in intensive care set a record Wednesday, the state's health commissioner said the situation is worse than it looks because of staff shortages at hospitals, which are likely to get worse with vaccine mandates, and they should stop doing elective surgeries.
Kentucky hospitals set a record 466 Covid-19 patients in intensive care Wednesday; the previous record of 460 was set in mid-December. "That is a record that none of us wanted to set," Beshear said.
Asked by a hospital executive in the video conference about the possibility of a ban on elective surgeries, which Beshear imposed early in the pandemic, Stack said, "I don't anticipate that," but he suggested that hospitals should stop such surgeries. He said if a hospital calls him asking for staffing help, his first question will be, "When did you stop elective procedures?" and if they haven't, his reply would be, "Call back when you do."
Stack said hospitals are worse off than they were during the previous peak of the pandemic because they have lost so many employees. He said they are having to pay salaries that are unsustainable, and some "cannot get staffing at any price."
Dr. Steven Stack |
Stack, a physician, said "Some harm will now happen that is non-avertable," but he suggested that his listeners write pieces for their local newspapers and publish short videos that call out falsehoods, while being "professional, respectful and constructive."
Stack said he agreed to speak to the group because they are leaders in their communities, and "others who purport to be leaders" are spreading falsehoods and "actively injuring the populace. We have to call that out. . . . Society has to make a decision. . . . We're functioning as dysfunctional tribes at war with each other."
Three of the state's 10 hospital readiness regions are using at least 80 percent of their intensive-care beds: the far west, including Livingston, Lyon and Trigg counties, at 82.35%; the easternmost, from Lee County to Pike County, 86.03%; and the Lake Cumberland region, at 91.11%.
The state reported 3,576 new cases of the virus Wednesday, with 987, or nearly 28% of them, in Kentuckians 18 or younger. That brought the seven-day average to 2,907, the highest since Jan. 21.
The share of Kentuckians testing positive for the coronavirus, 12.59%, set a record for the second day in a row. It's gone up 53 of the last 54 days.
The statewide rate of new cases over the last seven days is 61.79 per 100,000 residents. The top 20 counties are: Clay, 227.6; Magoffin, 153.9; Union, 141.1; Laurel, 136.0; Floyd, 131.7; Whitley, 121.7; Bell, 118.5; Leslie, 117.2; Perry, 117; Logan, 110.2; Graves, 109.6; Wolfe, 105.8 LaRue, 105.2; Montgomery, 98.4; Henry, 98.3; Marshall, 97.8; Jackson, 97.5; Washington, 95.7; McCreary, 95.3; and Allen, 95.2.
The state reported nine more Covid-19 deaths. Beshear said eight occurred in the last week, and four were in Kentuckians in their 40s, including a Bullitt County man, 43; a Daviess County woman, 40; and a 41-year-old and 49-year-old from Jefferson County.
"We need you to take this seriously," Beshear said. "Go get your shot of hope right now. If you are unvaccinated, you are in more danger than you have ever been for serious illness in your lifetime, certainly in this pandemic."
Asked for advice about gatherings, Stack said they should be outdoors, and people should wear masks if they are close to each other. He said he postponed a Department for Public Health staff gathering that had been scheduled for this week due to the risk.
No comments:
Post a Comment