Wichita hospitals could hit capacity this month with COVID-19 patients, mayor says
Wichita hospitals could hit their capacities this month as the number of COVID-19 patients surge, the mayor said Monday.
Mayor Brandon Whipple’s warning comes as the Sedgwick County Health Department reports that “both hospitals,” presumably Wesley Healthcare and Ascension Via Christi, are converting rooms to intensive care units. But that action reduces the capacity for other patients.
“Just got off the phone with the leadership at our #Wichita hospitals & admitted patients for covid19 are the highest ever,” Whipple said in a tweet. “If these numbers continue at the same rate our hospitals will reach capacity in 2-3 weeks (sooner if we have a 4th of July bump).
“Please wear your mask.”
The Sedgwick County Health Department reported that there were 54 total patients with COVID-19 in Wichita area hospitals on Monday. That is an increase of about 69% from last Monday, when there were 32.
The number of ICU beds in use increased by 170% in one week. There were 27 patients in intensive care on Monday, up from 10 a week ago.
The approximate number of ICU beds available is now eight, which is down from 25 a week ago.
There were 43 patients under investigation by area hospitals. Those patients have symptoms of COVID-19 but have not yet been confirmed with a positive test. They may or may not have been admitted to a hospital. That number is up 39% from 31 patients last Monday.
The numbers represent the current hospitalizations at a single point in time. The county no longer reports cumulative admissions and discharges, which had been a weekly report until last week. The old reporting system did not provide an exact number for current hospitalizations or ICU capacity.
The area hospital status assessment was listed as “moderate” with a yellow exclamation point on the county’s dashboard.
Last week was the first time the hospitalization section of the dashboard indicated the hospital status was “moderate.” It had previously said “good” with a green check mark. The terms do not have definitions.
A county spokesperson told The Eagle that there is no specific list of criteria for determining the hospital status. The county manager decides the status after speaking with hospital officials about the situation.
Wesley Healthcare and Ascension Via Christi both announced last week that they would restrict visitors to their hospitals.
The move came after the county reported that “there has been an increase in hospital staff who have contracted COVID, or are being quarantined as a result of COVID.” The number of ICU beds available depends in part on staff availability.
This story was originally published July 13, 2020 at 4:23 PM with the headline "Wichita hospitals could hit capacity this month with COVID-19 patients, mayor says."