Alarming rise of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Mississippi
The Mississippi State Department of Health hosted a health briefing focusing on incoming federal assistance, record-breaking case numbers, and alarming ICU capacity.
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 to surge.
Many hospitals face a crunch for space and staffing and Mississippi has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation.
The field hospital should open by Friday in a parking garage at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
That will help with an influx of patients, including those transferred from smaller hospitals. MSDH Senior Deputy and Director, Office of Health Population Jim Craig said, “As of 8 this morning there were 10 ICU beds that were open briefly with 238 patients on hold in emergency rooms around the state. Working with the federal government to see what type of aid we can bring to our state to meet some of those staffing needs. Our partners at the Federal Veterans Administration have provided to us five ICU beds at the Biloxi VA and five ICU beds at the Jackson VA to place into rotation in the COVID system of care.”
Dr. Thomas Dobbs says to expect a crisis standard of care in hospitals and he doesn’t foresee any decline of COVID cases for the next few weeks.
