MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The number of overflow hospital beds for COVID-19 cases in Memphis could be scaled back based on information showing the curve is flattening, city COO Doug McGowen said Tuesday.
Local government and health leaders forecast a surge of cases in the Memphis area around late May or early June that will stretch the capacity of local hospitals, McGowen said.
Memphis area hospitals contain about 2,700 beds. Earlier surge projections calculated a need for about 4,000 beds, McGowen said.
Plans are still moving forward to turn the former Commercial Appeal office at 495 Union Avenue into a 400-bed hospital. Buildout will start as soon as a lease is signed, likely by the end of the week. Leaders hope the low-acuity hospital could be running in 30 days.
But there is no active construction happening at the Gateway shopping center in North Memphis, which was previously secured for the same purpose.
McGowen said all attention is now being focused on building out the Union Avenue site, which is closer to the hospitals in the Medical District. The shopping center could still be used for hospital beds if needed.
The change comes as McGowen says new information shows the number of cases statewide flattening, which may mean fewer extra hospital beds are needed locally.
“There have been some changes across the state,” McGowen said. “Originally there was the thought they would be building about 4,000 additional hospital beds. That has been scaled back based on some of the flattening of the curve and some of those projections that are showing we may not need as much for the surge.”
Below: Information from the state on the number of Tennessee cases reported daily
