Louisiana hospitals are overwhelmed, but peak could be in a few weeks

The peak of the fourth and final wave of coronavirus in Louisiana could be in a few weeks, the state health director said today, calling the scenario “catastrophic” for hospitals already overrun with COVID-patients. 19 who must increasingly refuse people with other lives. threatening emergencies such as heart attacks or strokes.

Dr Joseph Kanter’s remarks to a state higher education board were the latest in a string of grim warnings from state and local health officials as infections fueled by the delta variant are increasing by the thousands and the number of hospitalizations in the state is hitting record highs daily.

And they came on a day when the state hit a new daily record for the number of hospitalizations, at 2,859. The number of newly reported virus-related deaths was 93 (80 confirmed and 13 labeled probable), the number of highest daily death since Jan.8, according to the health department.

Kanter pointed out that the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus is difficult to model, so it is difficult to determine when the latest wave of coronavirus in Louisiana will begin to wane. But so far the models have painted an “apocalyptic” picture.

“I can’t say when we’re going to reach the peak. There is simply no good modeling that inspires confidence to watch. I will say, God forbid if we don’t hit the peak in a week or two. It will simply be a catastrophic situation for hospitals. There’s just no way to keep that at bay, ”Kanter told the Board of Regents, the state’s leading higher education policy-making council, in an update as campuses are ready for returning students.

Statewide, about 45% of the population is vaccinated, below the national average. Authorities reported more than 6,000 new confirmed and probable infections statewide on Tuesday.

The state has set new benchmarks for COVID-19 patients hospitalized every day for nearly a week.

“It’s a really dire situation, not so much for the physical space. Hospitals will make physical space where they can. They will double rooms where they need to be, ”Kanter said. “There just aren’t enough trained staff in the state right now to care for all of these patients. “

Kanter said he was working in an emergency room in New Orleans last weekend. He described a patient with a heart attack who had to bypass six other hospitals because they had no space.

“This patient had to bypass six separate hospitals to come to us with a massive acute heart attack, which means the outcomes are going to be worse for this individual,” Kanter said. Read the full story.