COVID patients treated in Coast emergency rooms as hospitals scramble to add beds, staff
The Mississippi Coast’s two largest hospital systems are out of beds and treating COVID-19 patients in emergency rooms as they scramble for additional staff to open new units for treatment.
The delta variant of COVID-19 is pushing hospitalizations past post-holiday highs, state records show.
Delta and low vaccination rates in Mississippi are responsible for the COVID surge, public health leaders say. The state is 2,000 nurses short and relying on federal assistance to treat patients.
Gov. Tate Reeves said he will issue no mask mandates for schools or the public, as children and younger adults die from the virus.
Reeves, who has received a failing grade for his COVID response from Sun Herald readers, also labeled “foolish” public health guidance that calls for vaccinated residents to wear masks indoors and in public spaces.
Reeves was maskless at a public event that he convened last week in Diamondhead, as were many legislators and state agency representatives.
Statewide, an updated hospital chart posted by the Mississippi State Department of Health shows hospitals have for the first time surpassed a COVID caseload of 1,500 patients. The state hit a hospitalization record Friday, when 1,552 patients were hospitalized with confirmed COVID infections.
Hospitals treating COVID patients in ER
In South Mississippi, Memorial Hospital, based in Gulfport, and Singing River Health System, based in Pascagoula, report they are treating COVID patients in their emergency rooms until hospital beds become available.
The University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, which is overseeing crisis bed management of hospitals statewide, has sent up two field hospitals in its parking garage. Emergency federal workers and Franklin Graham’s nonprofit Samaritan’s Purse are staffing the beds.
“The COVID-19 situation is worsening in our state,” UMMC medical school dean LouAnn Woodward said in a statement Sunday. “Last week saw record numbers of newly identified cases and hospitalizations — including pediatric cases — and the need for ICUs have been at all-time highs for weeks.
“Mississippi hospitals, health care providers and public health officials are doing all we can to respond to the growth in cases and number of people whose COVID-19 symptoms require medical care, but we welcome any assistance.”
Singing River Health System has added a COVID-19 unit at Ocean Springs Hospital and hopes to do the same at Singing River Hospital. The Pascagoula hospital has asked the state for assistance to staff the hospital with federal health-care workers Mississippi requested last week, said Sarah Duffey, media relations director for Singing River Health System.
Memorial Hospital’s plans were still being developed Monday and will be released as soon as they are available, communications manager Erin Rosetti said.
Rosetti said Memorial is treating 239 inpatients, with 12 COVID patients waiting in the Gulfport emergency department for beds and another 8 patients at its Stone County hospital. She said 31 patients are in ICU.
At Singing River hospitals in Pascagoula, Ocean Springs and Gulfport, 138 COVID patients are being treated, with 38 in ICU and overflow patients receiving emergency room treatment.
“Nurses are working extra shifts, working as much as they physically can,” Duffey said. “We’re extremely proud of our team who are sticking through it and coming to work every day and volunteering for shifts.”
“ . . . It’s pretty much all hands on deck.”
