As coronavirus cases in the Houston area surge, will the healthcare system be able to handle it
HOUSTON – A key question many are asking is
when there is an increase in the number of coronavirus patients, will
our healthcare system be able to handle the surge? Harris County Health
Authority, Dr. Umair Shah referenced this concern Thursday in a press
conference. Houston News
Officials say contingency plans are being
identified as coronavirus continues to ravage other countries. On one
hand, Houston is home to a one-of-a-kind complex medical center.
How will the healthcare system in the area deal with it
KPRC 2 examined the numbers.
Harris
County and some neighboring counties have about 12,700 hospital beds.
Approximately 10% are intensive care beds with the average occupancy of
those beds prior to COVID-19 at about 60%.
In Texas as a
whole, there are more than 45,000 beds, with about 10% identified as
intensive care beds. The occupancy rate for intensive care beds before
the virus was between 51% and 56%. Houstone Medical News
However, those
percentages will rise as a dramatic increase is expected with the number
of coronavirus patients. Multiple doctors told KPRC 2 they are deeply
concerned with what the future holds.
They are not the only ones.
“If
we all don’t do all do our part, from millennials to those older, to
our senior citizens, the health care delivery system in the State of
Texas, in the City of Houston, quite frankly the United States, cannot
handle the load.” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner in a press
conference Thursday.
Other sectors have started ramping
up. For example, ventilator manufacturer Hamilton Medical announced
Friday it is increasing production capacity by 50% from last year. The
company says it expects to double production capacity, a month from now.
Huston Government Statement on COVID-19
It is important to note that these are mechanical lifesavers. What about the flesh and blood kind?
"We’re
trying to find individuals all across the country willing to relocate
to some of these extremely hard-hit areas,” said Shawn Dargusch with the
medical staffing company GQR. Houston Political News Dargusch said GQR has assisted in staffing various Texas hospitals with nurses.
“It’s kind of scary right now," he said. Houston Distribution Service
On
major cause for Dargusch’s concern is that those on the front lines
have a higher percentage of exposure. This, along with the fact the
industry is always in need of more nurses. He said due to this virus,
recently retired nurses are coming back into the workforce and are
offering assistance.
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