MEMPHIS, Tenn. — As coronavirus cases in Mississippi soar, officials say hospitals are running out of intensive care beds.
Mississippi’s state health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs says the battle to contain the COVID-19 pandemic has gone from bad to worse, putting patient care at risk.
“Yesterday, five of our biggest hospitals in the state had zero ICU beds. Aero,” said Dobbs. “An additional four had 5% or less. An additional three had less than 10%. Our biggest medical institutions, who take care of our sickest patients, have no room to take care of additional folks.”
Dobbs did not name the hospitals running out of ICU beds, and the state health department has not responded to our request for the list.
Dobbs urged hospitals to activate their “surge plans” now to make sure there is additional room for an expected increase following the Fourth Of July holiday.
Key healthcare leaders agree “reckless social behavior” continues to drive case numbers and deaths up.
“We went from ‘shelter in place’ to really ‘wide opened,’ said Dr. Louann Woodward with the University of Mississippi medical center. “As we have eased up and as we have opened up, we are seeing a much more rapid spread of the virus across our state.”
