Coronavirus crisis: Bay Area hospitals start reporting first Christmas-related cases, doctors brace for holiday wave

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) – The holidays are over, but now Bay Area doctors are reporting the first cases of COVID-19 at Christmas gatherings.

It’s a new year, but the Thanksgiving wave has spread through 2021 and now doctors are holding their breath to see a week after Christmas what another wave might look like.

“We still see the Thanksgiving numbers and that’s really why it’s so scary. We haven’t seen the Christmas numbers yet and we haven’t seen the New Years for sure,” Dr Peter said. Chin-Hong, infectious disease specialist at UCSF.

An increase in cases after three vacations at the same time could mean extreme stress on the medical system. UCSF’s Dr Peter Chin-Hong says they are still waiting for more data.

CA CORONAVIRUS: Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department raids 5 ‘super-spreader’ New Years Eve parties, making 90 arrests

“It’s because a lot of people are closed for the holidays in terms of labs, so they don’t release those numbers until people reopen next week. So what will likely happen next week is a huge increase in cases, ”said Dr. Chin-Hong.

In March, medical experts gathered to discuss a plan to respond to an unprecedented increase in cases. Dr Peter Chin-Hong says these meetings have equipped them for what could take place in the coming weeks.

“We were all together to decide how to divide the ventilators, did we have enough ventilators in the area and how to make some of these tough decisions about who to get into the ICU hospital and who won’t, depending on who. ‘they will or not? I’m afraid we have to use some of these decision rules that were split by these groups early in about two weeks, ”Dr Chin-Hong said.

At Zuckerberg General Hospital in San Francisco, Dr Colwell said this week that they have experienced the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the past 10 months with 52 cases at the peak.

“So it was a predictable 10 day to 2 week pattern where you will see people start getting sick, symptoms, 5 days after the holidays,” said Dr Christopher Colwell, chief of emergency medicine at the Zuckerberg General Hospital and Traumatology. Center.

MORE: San Francisco is extending home order indefinitely. Will the rest of the Bay Area follow?

Dr Colwell reported the first cases of COVID-19 at Christmas gatherings this week and began to implement his contingency plan.

“We have opened a new floor reserved for COVID patients and that means we are more limited in terms of elective procedures and the surgeries are going to be more limited to these really urgent and emerging surgeries,” said Dr Colwell.

As the chief of emergency medicine at Zuckerberg General Hospitals, Dr Colwell is concerned about the impact another potential surge could have on his staff.

«Une grande partie de mon temps essaie maintenant de résoudre ce problème avec tout notre personnel qui fait cela depuis 10 mois et, honnêtement, nous sommes tous épuisés», a déclaré le Dr Colwell.

Ce qui donne de l’espoir à ces deux experts médicaux au milieu d’une poussée, c’est un vaccin: “Il y a de la lumière au bout du tunnel. Le vaccin est une merveilleuse nouvelle alors que nous entrons en 2021 et il y a de l’espoir”, a déclaré le Dr Colwell.

Si vous avez une question ou un commentaire sur la pandémie de coronavirus, envoyez le vôtre via le formulaire ci-dessous ou ici.

Obtenez les dernières nouvelles, informations et vidéos sur la nouvelle pandémie de coronavirus ici
HISTOIRES ET VIDÉOS CONNEXES: