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SALT LAKE CITY – Hospitalizations have generally stabilized in Utah in recent weeks. However, at least one doctor expects intensive care units (ICUs) to be at maximum capacity for the next two months.
At a press conference on Friday, Intermountain Healthcare infectious disease specialist Dr Eddie Stenehjem said ICUs are treating more patients than they normally do.
“We expanded our intensive care unit to one of our heart floors and as a result we took a general medical floor and converted part of it to intensive care rooms,” Stenehjem said. “Now our COVID[-19] patients are overflowing in this intensive care unit and also in the cardiac intensive care unit, in the neuro-ICU. “
Dr Stenehjem credited Gov. Gary Herbert’s recent tenures on things like wearing masks to derail business.
But he expects to see more people in the hospital in the next few days because of Thanksgiving.
“We are anticipating this wave of infections to be probably quite large,” Stenejem said.
Hospital workers are also worried about Christmas gatherings spreading COVID-19 and leading to more hospitalizations.
Coronaviruses in general also tend to spread more during the fall and winter months.
Dr Stenehjem said another concern was the flu season. While they haven’t seen many flu patients in ICUs yet, the flu season in Utah typically begins in December.
Today, hospitals are moving patients to better manage the load.
“We have dozens of patients in Utah Valley, McKay [Dee]and St. George, Riverton, Altaview. All of our hospitals are basically operating at their maximum capacity from an intensive care perspective, ”said Stenejem.
He also encouraged the Utahns to continue to wear masks and not to go to social gatherings outside their homes.
He believes many Utahns took the advice of health officials and stayed home through Thanksgiving, which helped keep hospitalizations stable.
Utah reported 587 people in hospital with COVID-19 on Friday.
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