PHOENIX (AP) – Three Banner Health hospitals are congested as Arizona faces a surge in coronavirus cases, the top doctor at the state’s largest hospital chain said Wednesday. The hospitals in Banners Desert, Thunderbird, and University in the Phoenix area have more patients than they ‘are typically licensed to handle, said Dr. Marjorie Bessel, Chief Clinical Officer. System-wide, Banner’s intensive care units are at 160% of their typical winter peak, she said, and nearly six in ten intensive care patients have COVID-19. Non-emergency procedures like cancer surgeries and hip replacements have been canceled in some hospitals to keep beds open for patients battling the coronavirus. All Arizona hospitals have increased beds and staff beyond their normal licensed capacity under an executive order signed by Governor Doug Ducey earlier this year. To treat more people, they move two people to rooms designed for one person, expand to other areas of their buildings, or increase the nurse-to-patient ratio. Bessel reiterated her call for government action to limit the spread of the virus, praising Pima County and Tucson Mayor Regina Romero for introducing nightly curfews. She questioned Ducey’s Spring Ordinance, which bans local governments from imposing health restrictions that are stricter than their own. “The question of why the governor has not given the mayors the authority to make mitigation decisions that can most effectively contain the trend still needs to be answered scientifically,” said Bessel. She pleaded with people to avoid social gatherings, to wear a mask and to maintain social distance. “Most of you haven’t taken an oath to save lives,” said Bessel. “But today I ask you to join those of us who have done so that together we can save as many lives as possible during this pandemic.” Ducey wants the response to the pandemic to be consistent across the country, said spokesman CJ Karamargin . The Republican governor has repeatedly said he doesn’t want more people to lose their jobs and believes much of the current spread is related to small gatherings at home. said Karamargin. “We want to implement things that actually have an impact. And existing measures in Arizona would have a greater impact if enforced. ”In northwest Arizona, Mohave County hospital officials said the rise in the virus is putting a strain on the health system, not just with growing numbers of patients but with many tests being done by hospital staff positive, the Today’s News Herald reported in Lake Havasu City. From a community perspective, that has now carried over to our own employees, ”said Will McConnell, CEO of Kingman Regional Medical Center. He said 96 employees tested positive this month, 47 of them last week. About 40% are nurses, nursing assistants, and others who provide bedside assistance, McConnell said. On Wednesday, Arizona reported 6,058 new COVID-19 cases, the seventh straight day the number exceeded 5,000. There have been 54 new deaths attributed to COVID-19. The state coronavirus dashboard on Tuesday reported a record 4,163 patients treated for COVID-19 in all Arizona hospitals, including 972 in intensive care. The 673 patients using ventilators were nearing the record of 687 set on July 16 during a summer climb. According to the dashboard, only 8% of all hospital beds and 7% of adult intensive care beds nationwide were available in Arizona, so it’s too early to know if this is a real plateau or a temporary dropout related to data collection issues acts, said Dr. Joshua LaBaer, director of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University. He warned that Christmas parties could lead to a surge in infections. Arizona has the fourth highest rate of new virus cases per capita in the US in the past two weeks and the fifth highest rate of diagnosis in the past week in the past two weeks, while the moving average of positive tests according to data from Johns Hopkins University and COVID tracking Project has declined.
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