Mississippi hospitals near or at capacity to care for critically ill patients

In the governor’s live update Monday, he and State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs reiterated that the state’s hospitals are at or near capacity for critically ill patients.

Dobbs issued an order July 10 for hospitals to suspend any procedures that require an overnight hospital stay to increase the availability of beds. With rising numbers of COVID-19 cases, however, even that may not be enough.

As of Monday, the availability of intensive care beds was reduced to zero in many of the state’s hospitals. In Jackson, — the home of numerous hospitals including the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Baptist Hospital and St. Dominic’s Hospital — only one ICU bed was available.

“We may be at crisis standards of care within the next several weeks if we’re not careful,” Dobbs said, and he went on to explain what that would look like.

“It means a little bit different health care system. It’s putting people in open wards. It’s doubling up rooms. It’s housing people in places they don’t ordinarily stay for medical care,” he said, adding, “If we don’t see a decrease in transmission immediately, then it’s likely the health care system will be thoroughly overwhelmed.”

Dobbs said hospitals are taking care of ICU patients in their emergency rooms, converting those spaces because of the need.

“I got a call about sending a patient to Missouri yesterday because we couldn’t find a hospital bed for a certain patient in the surrounding states,” he said.

Dobbs called it “disheartening” to see pictures of restaurants that aren’t socially distancing, and large groups of young people partying “like there’s no tomorrow.”

“There’s a price for everything,” he added. “There’s no free lunch.”

With COVID-19, there is always a lag time of two or more weeks from action to reaction. A big party or gathering occurs where people aren’t wearing masks, and two or three weeks later, the results are increased infections. As infections rise, it takes a couple of weeks to see the impact in increased hospitalizations. Then, in turn, it takes another couple of weeks for the results to be reflected in increased deaths.

A good example of this is the outbreak centered on the Mississippi Capitol. During the session that reopened in mid-May, many legislators failed to wear masks or practice social distancing. By the end of June, reports starting appearing that dozens of lawmakers and their staffs had tested positive for COVID-19. Last week, at least two legislators were hospitalized. Monday, Dobbs said 45 people had tested positive in the outbreak, including 31 legislators. Many of those individuals are in serious condition.

The purpose of flattening the curve of COVID-19 infections, a concept that received a lot of attention as states closed businesses and issued shelter-in-place orders, was to ensure health care systems were not overwhelmed by large numbers of patients all at once. That concept has gone by the wayside.

In Mississippi yesterday, more than 1,100 people were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infections. Those numbers have had a steady upward trajectory since early June.

With a record number of new cases being recorded this month in Mississippi, it seems the end is nowhere in sight.