Governor Beshear says COVID hospitalizations, those in intensive care and patients on ventilators are all at record highs since the coronavirus pandemic struck Kentucky in early 2020. During his COVID briefing Monday, the governor said it’s looking more and more likely that some hospital systems will be overrun.
He noted that hasn’t happened up to this point. Steve Haines is the nursing director in critical care services at Danville’s Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center.
“Over the weekend we lost eight patients within 24 hours. Actually, we only have a three-bed morgue at the hospital. So, we actually over-whelmed what we have. We were kind of frantically scrambling to try to rent the refrigerator truck and take care of these people,” said Haines.
St. Clare Medical-Healthcare Chief Medical Officer Dr. William Melahn said over half the inpatient care at the Morehead hospital is dedicated to COVID patients. Melahn also said there’s not enough reserve at the facility to handle any other disaster that could happen.
Governor Beshear anticipates a special legislative session to address certain state of emergency orders. He noted those include prescription relief, expanded food stamp benefits, and workers compensation. The governor said the Supreme Court ruling stating the legislature’s measures to limit his authority set the ground rules.
“That’s the law. The position that we put forth, I still think is right, but we lost. I lost. So, I’m going to do the very best I can in the framework that’s been provided. I can still work my tail off every day with the tools that I have to protect people the very best that I can,” explained Beshear.
While the new coronavirus cases reported at 2596 were the highest for a Monday, according to the governor, it’s less than half of the one-day peak found in January. But, again, the number of coronavirus patients hospitalized, in intensive care, and on a ventilator are all high marks.
If you appreciate access to this important content during this globalpandemic, please help us continue to provide public service journalism and information to Central and Eastern Kentucky communities. Please make your contribution to WEKU today.
