(WXYZ) — Beaumont Health says health care is at “a breaking point” as the system is currently treating more than 750 COVID patients across eight of its hospitals.
According to a press release from Beaumont, 62% of COVID patients are unvaccinated and they said they’ve seen a 40% increase in the number of COVID patients in the past week. They also note that they have more than 430 Beaumont employees out sick with COVID symptoms.
“The omicron variant is one of the most contagious viruses we have seen in our lifetime. It’s more important than ever for the community to help contain the spread of this illness. Our health care systems are overwhelmed. If you have ignored our pleas for help before, now is the time to take action. We need everyone’s help to get through this fourth surge. Wear a mask. Get vaccinated. Get boosted,” Dr. Nick Gilpin, Beaumont Health’s medical director of infection prevention and epidemiology, said in a press release.
Beaumont says it’s requesting its hospitals to reduce elective surgical procedures, outpatient imaging and testing to focus more on the patients who require care in the hospital.
Dr. Gilpin is urging the community to get booster shots, noting that just 8% of patients currently hospitalized have received a booster shot.
According to Beaumont Health, the U.S. Department of Defense is expected to spend an additional 30 days at Beaumont Hospital in Dearborn; the mission was originally supposed to end on Jan. 2.
The DOD team reportedly consists of six registered nurses assigned to the Emergency Center, eight registered nurses assigned to the ICUs, two respiratory therapists, two advanced practice providers, in addition to DOD leaders.
“They’ve done phenomenal work alongside our amazing staff at Dearborn,” Beaumont, Dearborn Chief Operating Officer Tom Lanni said in a press release. “We were able to open additional beds in critical care, and our patients and staff have truly benefited from the expertise the DOD team has brought to our hospital. We feel fortunate to be able to work with DOD team members for an additional month.”
Beaumont also plans to release an ad asking for the community’s support to control this phase of the pandemic. The message is titled, “We’re at a breaking point.”
Beaumont says these are things the community can do to help:
- Get vaccinated.
- Get boosted.
- Wear a mask.
- Practice social distancing / limit gatherings.
- Stay home if you’re feeling sick.
- Talk to friends and family and encourage them to take action/get vaccinated/pay attention.
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.
https://www.wxyz.com/news/coronavirus/beaumont-reports-40-increase-in-covid-patients-over-past-week-says-health-care-at-breaking-point
