MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Staff and space are strained at Berkeley and Jefferson Medical Centers as COVID-19 patients seek treatment.
“(There’s a) high census at both hospitals. At Berkeley right now we have 54 inpatients with COVID diagnoses. Sixteen at Jefferson, so that’s 70 total across both hospitals,” Vice President of Marketing & Development at WVU Medicine Berkeley Medical Center, Jefferson Medical Center Teresa McCabe said.
“Of the 19 patients in the ICU right now at Berkeley (Medical Center), 11 are in COVID patients, many on vents (ventilators)” McCabe said on Thursday’s Panhandle Live on the Panhandle News Network. “So there’s no way to say it other than, yes, the COVID patients we’re seeing at both facilities are sick, are very sick.”
She says some patients have to wait in the ER until a room becomes available.
“The emergency department is extremely busy. We’re boarding patients that either need to be transferred to a higher level of care or need ICU beds that we don’t have available,” according to McCabe.
The hospital system is offering monoclonal antibody treatment at both facilities on an outpatient basis. Patients must have a doctor’s recommendation in order to receive the treatment.
COVID-19 hospitalizations statewide were listed at 623 Thursday on the state’s coronavirus dashboard.
The latest report lists 196 patients being treated in intensive care with 117 on ventilators.
McCabe was a guest on Panhandle Live Thursday. Panhandle Live is heard weekday mornings beginning at 9:00 on 93.7/1340 WEPM and 93.5/1010 WCST. You can listen to the latest podcast on our Panhandle Live Spotify