US coronavirus: ‘Our health care system is literally at the breaking point’ as hospitals run out space due to Covid-19

The opposite area hospital might begin taking sufferers as early as this week.

“Even should you open a area hospital, you probably have tons of of employees who’re sick — which is what many states throughout the nation are at present dealing with — if you do not have nurses and docs and respiratory techs, even a area hospital is not going to avoid wasting you,” Ranney mentioned.

“Our well being care system is actually on the breaking level proper now, because of Covid-19.”

In West Virginia, state officers advised hospitals to arrange to delay elective surgical procedures because the Covid-19 numbers surge.

“Have a look at not doing the sorts of surgical procedures that may be delay,” state Well being and Human Providers Secretary Invoice Crouch mentioned Monday.

Crouch mentioned he expects the voluntary delay on surgical procedures to final 45 days.

West Virginia’s Covid-19 czar, Dr. Clay Marsh, gave this sobering evaluation: “Maybe the worst days are forward of us.”

Birx needs Thanksgiving vacationers to get examined

“If your loved ones traveled, you must assume that you just had been uncovered and also you grew to become contaminated,” White Home coronavirus activity power coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx advised CBS on Sunday.

She additionally really helpful these older than 65 get examined instantly in the event that they develop any signs.

“For those who’re over 65 or you could have comorbidities and also you gathered at Thanksgiving — should you develop any signs, you want to be examined instantly,” Birx mentioned.

November has been a month of unprecedented Covid-19 surge. Greater than 30% of all instances ever reported within the US occurred simply this month, in keeping with information from Johns Hopkins College.

Testing has additionally elevated, however not on the similar tempo as new instances. About 23% of all Covid-19 assessments had been carried out in November, in keeping with the Covid Monitoring Mission.

Now the large concern is overwhelmed hospitals — which inevitably results in extra deaths.

“There is not any means that the hospitals might be absolutely ready for what we’re at present dealing with,” Ranney mentioned.

“This is sort of a pure catastrophe occurring in all 50 states on the similar time. There should not satisfactory beds. There should not satisfactory employees. And due to the dearth of nationwide preparation, there are nonetheless not satisfactory provides.”

And that is earlier than any Thanksgiving-related infections and hospitalizations, which will not be recognized for days or even weeks.

Statistics reported within the days after the vacation may present a relative dip in Covid-19 instances, adopted by a surge attributable to a lag in authorities companies’ reporting over the lengthy weekend.

“Once you take a look at people who find themselves hospitalized immediately, they had been contaminated two weeks in the past, possibly extra,” mentioned Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor of drugs at George Washington College.

“After which it takes normally one other week for people to succumb to the sickness.”

(Extra) excellent news on the vaccine entrance

Moderna mentioned it plans to use Monday for emergency use authorization (EUA) of its Covid-19 vaccine.

The corporate will ask the US Meals and Drug Administration to evaluate expanded information exhibiting the vaccine is 94.1% efficient at stopping Covid-19 and 100% efficient at stopping extreme instances of the illness.

“That is hanging,” mentioned Dr. Paul Offit, a member of the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee. “These are wonderful information.”

An FDA advisory committee is scheduled to fulfill December 10 to debate the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, and on December 17 to debate the Moderna vaccine.

If all goes nicely, “we might be seeing each of those vaccines out and moving into individuals’s arms earlier than Christmas,” US Well being and Human Providers Secretary Alex Azar advised “CBS This Morning” on Monday.

Lt. Gen. Paul Ostrowski, director of provide, manufacturing and distribution for Operation Warp Velocity, mentioned he expects “a hundred p.c of Individuals that need the vaccine could have had the vaccine” by June.

“We could have over 300 million doses out there to the American public nicely earlier than then,” Ostrowski advised MSNBC.

Most states are struggling

As of Monday morning, a minimum of 43 states had check positivity charges increased than 5% — which means greater than 5% of assessments taken had been optimistic for coronavirus, in keeping with Johns Hopkins College and the Covid Monitoring Mission.

Some states are far exceeding that threshold — together with Idaho (44.35%), South Dakota (41.36%), and Iowa (40.26%).

California Gov. Gavin Newsom mentioned he’s contemplating “drastic motion,” together with reinstating a stay-at-home order, as projections present the surge of Covid-19 instances will trigger the state’s intensive care unit capability to be overrun by Christmas Eve.

Hospitalizations might double or triple throughout the subsequent month if there aren’t any main adjustments, he mentioned. They’re anticipated to achieve 78% of capability statewide with even increased numbers in Southern California and different areas, Newsom mentioned in a information convention.

“If these traits proceed, California might want to take drastic motion,” Newsom mentioned from dwelling, the place he’s quarantined together with his household.

However some elements of the nation are slowly returning to regular.

In New York Metropolis, as soon as the epicenter of Covid-19 within the US, public faculty college students as much as fifth grade will return to in-person studying in early December, Mayor Invoice de Blasio mentioned.

College students shall be examined weekly and oldsters shall be required to signal a consent kind for each pupil that can take in-person lessons, de Blasio mentioned.

Even so, the state had a check positivity price of 4.57% as of Monday — the very best price since Might, Gov. Andrew Cuomo mentioned.