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Hospitals in the areas of Santa Clara County hardest hit by the coronavirus are filling up quickly and almost to capacity, forcing a daily rush of phone calls between administrators to make sure there are beds available, have officials said Wednesday.
Intensive care units at hospitals serving eastern San Jose and southern parts of the county, including Morgan Hill and Gilroy, are 93% full, and none have more than five beds available on Tuesday, Dr. Jennifer Tong, Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Santa Claus. Clara Valley Medical Center. Elsewhere in the county, intensive care units had an 84% capacity, she said.
“These numbers are very worrying,” Tong said. “This means that hospitals in our hardest-hit communities have the fewest beds available for those in need. Our hospitals across the county are working together, making phone calls, at least daily, to redistribute patients as needed, to ensure that we continue to provide safe, high quality care to all who seek it.
Hospitals affected include the Regional Medical Center, Kaiser-San Jose and the three county-run hospitals: Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, O’Connor Hospital and St. Louise Regional Medical Center, Tong said.
Officials said there were 287 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Santa Clara County on Tuesday and a total of 1955 inpatients overall, filling about 88% of the total capacity of hospital beds in the county. . Tong said that with the surge in COVID-19 cases, the county was on track to exceed capacity as of mid-December.
The grim news comes after a weekend in which Santa Clara County announced new restrictions to help slow the spread of the virus, including reduced capacity at retail stores, a ban on professional contact sports and for youth and a 14-day quarantine requirement for travelers over 250 km.
“The reason for putting in place a quarantine requirement for people returning from outside the area is to try to avoid some of this growth of cases and to try to contain this spiraling growth of case, ”said James R. Williams, county council.
County officials could not say on Wednesday whether they had issued citations for violations of the new quarantine requirement, which took effect on Monday, but urged travelers to follow the rule and report the violations via the county website.
“Most of the laws in our society require us to do the right thing,” Williams said. “But there is an application.”
Tong said some hospitals – public and private – have suspended elective surgeries due to the crush of coronavirus cases.
“At this point, every hospital makes these decisions,” Tong said.
The grim figures from the hospital came amid encouraging news as the county presented its required plan for administering vaccines when they become available. Tong said the plan will soon be posted on the county’s website and cover the logistics of vaccine distribution.
“The plan describes at a high level how we are going to engage the community,” Tong said. “Our top priority is the safety and health of the people who live and work here in Santa Clara County. One tool that helps us achieve this top priority is a safe and effective vaccine that has been rigorously evaluated for safety and efficacy by the federal government and the State of California. We hope to achieve this goal based on what we have seen so far. “
But Tong added that it will take time to distribute the vaccines and that people must continue to follow safety protocols for social distancing, wearing masks and avoiding gatherings outside their homes.
“We must all continue to do our part to stay safe while we wait,” Tong said. “Many countries, states and counties want access to vaccines, and like everyone else, we will receive a limited supply first. Others will come with time. It may take several months before anyone who wants to be vaccinated can get one. “
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