ECRMC: ICU near capacity

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY)-The El Centro Regional Medical Center (ECRMC) announced Thursday morning that its intensive care unit is near capacity.

"For the first time this morning, we are actually opening up the new tent to admit patients," said Dr. Adolphe Edward, ECRMC CEO.

In June ECRMC received an Alaskan shelter tent from the state to be used as an outside ICU unit.

Edward said the ICU tent would help increase the hospital's ICU capacity and would help keep patients in the county that otherwise would have to be transferred out of the county to be treated for the virus.

With the reopening of restaurants in Mexicali, Dr. Edwards says to be very careful as he says ages 20-31 are the most popular age group to contract the virus in the valley.

The hospital has an ICU bed count of approximately 20 beds and the ICU tent outside has the capacity to fit an additional ten patients.

The hospital currently has 110 patients, 61 are being treated for the coronavirus.

As of Monday nearly 600 COVID-19 patients from the valley had been transferred to out of county hospitals.

Dr. Edwards continues to express his disappointment in seeing the community continuing to ignore the use of face masks.

Tune in to 13 On Your Side at 4 p.m. as Alexandra Rangel speaks to the county health department about COVID-19 capacity at our local hospitals.