Officials Raise Warning Flag For Mississippi Health Systems Amid Surge
A 50-bed field hospital will open and the state will get federal aid in the form of medical professionals, combating low staff numbers and a shortage of space. Surges are also reported in Iowa, New Orleans and Los Angeles County. Meanwhile, Florida settles a disagreement over its case count.
AP:
Mississippi Opening Field Hospital Amid Surge Of COVID Cases
Mississippi will open a 50-bed field hospital and the federal government will send medical professionals to help treat patients as COVID-19 cases continue surging in a state with one of the lowest vaccination rates in the U.S., officials said Wednesday. Many Mississippi hospitals face a crunch for space and staffing. The state health officer, Dr. Thomas Dobbs, expressed frustration Wednesday about people ignoring recommendations to get vaccinated and wear masks to slow the spread of the virus. Masks are required in some schools and optional in others, but some parents say mask mandates infringe on children’s freedom. (Pettus, 8/11)
Mississippi Clarion Ledger:
Mississippi Hospital System Facing 'Failure' If COVID-19 Cases Keep Going Up
"The rate of testing positive and rate of hospitalizations that we are seeing, if we continue that trajectory within the next 5 to 7 to 10 days I think we're going to see failure of the hospital system of Mississippi," said Alan Jones, associate vice chancellor for clinical affairs and COVID-19 clinical response leader at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, on Wednesday. It's not that there are no available beds in Mississippi, Jones said. There just aren't enough health care workers to appropriately staff them, he said. (Haselhorst, 8/11)
In updates from Iowa, Louisiana, California and Florida —
Des Moines Register:
Iowa COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations Climb With August Surge
The number of COVID-19 patients in Iowa hospitals is surging, according to federal data. On Wednesday, 328 adults and three children were in Iowa's hospitals with confirmed cases of the disease, an increase of more than 50% over the number of people hospitalized a week ago, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Another 80 adults and eight children were suspected to have the disease, but their infections weren't confirmed, according to the data. (Coltrain and Leys, 8/11)
New Orleans Times-Picayune:
Inside Ochsner's COVID Units, 'Rows And Rows' Of Coronavirus Patients Fight To Survive
The sixth floor of Ochsner Medical Center in Old Jefferson was once where patients awaited heart transplants and recovered from heart surgery. Now, in converted negative-pressure rooms that suck air in but don't let aerosolized virus particles out, teams of six yellow-gowned workers flip the sickest coronavirus patients from back to stomach every 12 hours, hoping to relieve some pressure from their strained lungs. In between, monitors beep and nurses give the patients baths and administer medication. Often intubated, paralyzed and sedated, what looks to be a peaceful sleep is actually an eerily quiet struggle to survive. (Woodruff, 8/11)
MediaNews:
28 Coronavirus Deaths Is Los Angeles County’s Highest Daily Toll Since May 1
Coronavirus has claimed 28 more lives in Los Angeles County, officials reported on Wednesday, Aug. 11, the largest daily human toll in the region since May 1. Leaders continued to scramble for mandates that push the entire region and the state toward what has been a thus-far elusive herd immunity. Wednesday’s deaths raised the total lost lives from the virus in the county to 24,833; the 3,498 new daily confirmed cases — most since early February — lifted that total to 1,335,332. After a period of relative latency, the virus has flourished since early July, as the rapid scramble to be vaccinated died down and more people intermingled, experts say. (Carter, 8/11)
Fox News:
How Did CDC Botch Florida COVID Numbers? State Deputy Health Secretary Responds
Florida Deputy Health Secretary Dr. Shamarial Roberson reacted to the CDC's inaccurate numbers regarding recent coronavirus cases rising in the state of Florida Wednesday on "Fox News Primetime." On Sunday, Aug. 8, the CDC recorded 28,317 new cases of COVID-19 until Florida Department of Health noticed that was nearly double the actual number in their records, which was close to 15,000. The CDC agreed to meet the department in the middle and revise the number to 19,000, after reportedly rolling several days’ worth of numbers into one. Roberson told Fox News that getting the data right is of grave importance. (Stabile, 8/11)