ICU space drops below 3% in Southern California
Imperial Valley hospitals issue warning to community
EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - Space in Southern California's intensive care units (ICU) has dropped to less than 3%. That prompted Imperial County health officials to join with the Imperial County hospitals Monday night in issuing a warning about the spread of coronavirus.
The region currently has only 2.7% availability in its ICUs. Bed space has plunged since the state implemented a stay-at-home order last week. At that time ICU space sat around 10.9%.
“COVID-19 continues to spread and is creating dire situations throughout the State,” said Dr. Stephen Munday, Imperial County Health Officer. “I can’t emphasize enough the need for everyone to do their part to curb the spread of the virus. A completely overwhelmed healthcare system would-be worst-case scenario that will result in unnecessary loss of life. We must do everything within our power to avoid that situation.”
Hospital leaders echoed Dr. Munday's statements.
“We are seeing very high numbers of COVID positive patients coming into the hospital. We are stretched. We are running out of beds, we’ve experienced staff getting sick, and are out of resources.” said Dr. Adolphe Edward, the CEO of El Centro Regional Medical Center.
Dr. Edward appealed to the community for its help.
“What we need to do is what the public health officials are asking. Please help us reduce the infection or we will be in a bad spot. Protect yourself, help reduce the spread, help us do what is being asked of you. We know you are all great citizens." he said.
Larry Lewis, the CEO of the Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District said frontline workers simply cannot handle this crisis on their own.
“It is truly going to require the joint effort of the entire community to stop the spread of this virus." said Lewis.
He said his hospital could soon be short of both beds, and staff unless people help stop the virus' spread.
“Our numbers at Pioneers reflect the surge in cases and have resulted in support staff being from the state being allocated to the hospital through the 24th of this month, in addition to the EMSA registry staff already assigned through January. At present our 12 ICU beds are full and six more patients are waiting for critical care beds in the Emergency Department. We ask that everyone do their part to help us stop the spread of COVID-19 and prevent the unnecessary loss of more community members.”
The hospitals and health officials urge the public to continue practicing the following guidelines:
- Stay at home except for essential activities (i.e., grocery shopping, picking up medication, attending medical appointments)
- Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
- When soap and water are not available, use a approved hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol
- Wear face coverings at all times in public spaces
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces
- Maintain a safe social distance of 6 feet from others that are not in your immediate household
- Avoid gatherings of any size that involve mixing with anyone outside of your immediate household
- Stay informed and follow recommendations from Public Health officials to help you protect the health and safety of your loved ones
