MACON, Ga. — From "mild stress" to "extreme," COVID-19 kept Central Georgia's largest hospitals on edge this summer and fall.
The latest numbers showed their stress levels rising again in November.
For the first time, the federal numbers show how the pandemic affected each hospitals' bed capacity, how many COVID-19 cases they handled week-by-week, and how the virus taxed their intensive-care units.
Medical experts say the number of COVID cases in a facility affects services, staff and safety throughout the entire hospital.
One University of Minnesota expert told NPR this week that if the COVID level hits 50 percent or more, the stress on staff is immense: "It means the hospital is overloaded. It means other services in that hospital are being delayed. The hospital becomes a nightmare."
The numbers are limited. The federal agency didn't start collecting the national data until late July, five months into the pandemic. Central Georgia's two largest hospitals, Medical Center-Navicent Health and Houston Medical Center, didn't contribute complete numbers until September.
But the figures show COVID-19 hitting the region's smaller hospitals hard.
The numbers show:
- Fairview Park in Dublin, Houston Medical Center and Navicent Baldwin all hit stretches where COVID-19 patients occupied a quarter of their hospital beds.
Fairview Park is the most stressed, based on the federal numbers: Since July, COVID-19 patients have occupied about one out of every six beds.
- The pandemic has also put area intensive-care units under siege.
Navicent Baldwin and Fairview Park have both had several weeks this summer where three-quarters of their ICU beds handled coronavirus cases. The Minnesota report calls that "extreme stress."
The ICUs at Houston and Coliseum Medical Center both hit 40% this summer. That's considered "high stress."
- Navicent, the region's largest hospital, has had an easier time coping with the virus, the numbers show.
Through most of the pandemic, Navicent has refused to release numbers to the public on COVID-19 cases or how it's affecting hospital capacity.
But since late September, the Macon hospital has handled around 30 COVID-19 cases a week. That's less than 5% of their capacity, and the University of Minnesota calls that "low stress."
Just over 10% of Navicent's ICU beds have held COVID-19 patients. That's "moderate stress."
- The numbers also show that Central Georgia has fared better than other parts of the county, where hospitals filled 90% of their bed capacity or more.
Houston Medical Center hit more than 80% capacity in September; the others averaged 60-80% or less through the summer and fall.
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