Hospitals in Santa Clara County are hitting a breaking point as county officials warn the current surge of COVID-19 is overwhelming the health care system.
COVID-19 hospitalizations have spiked dramatically since the Thanksgiving holiday, from 221 on Nov. 25 to a high of 727 on Jan. 6. The number of COVID-19 patients in ICU beds hit a high of 173 on Dec. 31 and is now at 159. Currently, just seven of 317 standard, staffed ICU beds are available.
At a press conference Wednesday, county officials urged residents to follow health guidelines to curb the spread of the virus.
More than 100 people a day are being admitted to hospitals in the county, says Ahmad Kamal, the county’s COVID-19 director of health care preparedness.
“Patients are waiting in the emergency rooms to be admitted, because there are not enough beds for them,” Kamal said.
The number of patients is overwhelming health care workers, as some are shifting their ordinary duties to only take care of the critically ill.
“This means hospitals are canceling surgeries,” Kamal said. “Hospitals are canceling outpatient visits. These all have an effect, and we cannot have it continue.”
You can follow Santa Canta Clara County hospitalization data on this dashboard.
