SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Aug. 13, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — Intermountain Healthcare doctors are speaking out about the impact of spiking COVID cases on Utah’s hospitals and caregivers.
“On Thursday, the Utah Department of Health again reported a large number of new COVID cases — 1,243 — with hospitalizations continuing to rise,” according to a news release from Intermountain Healthcare.
“In the past several days, ICUs and acute care units at Intermountain Healthcare hospitals have exceeded 100 percent capacity. On Thursday, patient volumes were at 102 percent in Intermountain’s ICUs and 100 percent in acute care units.”
As a result, Intermountain is reviewing all options to ensure patients receive the best care possible, including potentially delaying non-emergency procedures and implementing stricter visitation policies, IHC said.
“As hospital volumes increase, caregivers are reporting they’re tired and fatigued to once again be faced with high patient volumes that include not only COVID patients, but also trauma patients and patients who’re receiving regular, non-COVID care,” the news release said.
Caregivers are reporting that the majority of hospitalized COVID patients have not been vaccinated, the news release added.
To see a recording of today’s COVID Community Update, featuring Dr. Eddie Stenehjem, Intermountain Healthcare Infectious Diseases Physician, click here.
