Doctors worry about hospital capacity as virus cases surge
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Doctors are worried about hospital capacity in the Wichita area amid the latest surge in virus cases and the ongoing staff shortages.
The high number of COVID cases along with other patients who need hospital care is leading to long waits in emergency rooms across Kansas' largest city.
“You’ve got people waiting for days in emergency departments, sleeping on the floor or sitting in a chair for two days until a bed becomes available,” said Dr. Tom Moore, the lead physician in Wesley hospital’s COVID-19 unit.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Kansas has risen over the past two weeks from 1,674.14 new cases per day on Dec. 17 to 2,001.29 new cases per day on Friday.
Dr. Sam Antonios, Ascension Via Christi’s chief clinical officer, told the Wichita Eagle that the surge is also leading to unusually high wait times at St. Joseph and St. Francis hospitals.
“We have nearly 100 patients receiving care for COVID-19, straining our staff resources and the number of beds we have open for other types of care,” Antonios said.
Hospitals in Kansas are struggling to find enough nurses to care for critically ill patients because some intensive care nurses have been lured away by high-paying jobs in other states. Some health care workers are also leaving the profession after working long hours battling the pandemic for nearly two years.
Antonios reiterated that everyone should get vaccinated for COVID-19 and the flu to help limit the spread of those viruses and consider wearing masks when out in public.