The Fire This Time

Wednesday of this week struck me as a significant milestone in the ongoing story of COVID-19.

At 6:46 that morning, UMMC’s available bed status was negative 31.  That means 31 new adult patients were admitted but waiting for a bed to become open.  These patients were in holding areas in the Emergency Department or in the PACU (post-anesthesia care unit) until intensive care or med-surg beds became available.  We have experienced a relentless bed crunch for some time now.

That same day, Mississippi reached a new high in hospitalizations.  Like UMMC, a dozen other major hospitals in the state reported no beds available.  Hospitals in neighboring states are also full.  On top of all that, the Mississippi State Department of Health reported a record 2,457 new COVID-19 cases.  That total shattered the previous high, 1,972, set only 11 days earlier.

And in case you’re wondering, none of these milestone statistics reflect what we expect will be a post-Thanksgiving surge in hospitalizations beginning about 10 days from now. 

Also on Wednesday, Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warned of a dark winter ahead.  “We are at a very critical time right now about being able to maintain the resilience of our health care system,” Redfield said.  “The reality is December and January and February are going to be rough times.  I actually believe they are going to be the most difficult time in the public health history of this nation, largely because of the stress that we are going to put on our health care system.”

To say that I am concerned would be an understatement.  From my perspective, I feel like I have been witnessing a slow-burning fire that is now beginning to grow into an out-of-control, five-alarm inferno.  We are all working as hard as we possibly can to put it out.  But we can’t do it alone.

Our health care workforce throughout the state is working hard.  Nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists and many others are doing their part and more.  It will be a long time before they recover from the trauma they have been living with during the last 10 months.

Vaccine developers are doing their part.  The speed with which safe and effective vaccines are being developed is astounding.  But widespread public vaccination is still months away. 

Unfortunately, some members of the public are behaving as if life is business as usual:  Gathering in groups, indoors, without masks.  Shopping without masks.  Attending holiday parties, weddings, funerals.  All of these activities are fueling community spread.

It is critically important that we continue to wear masks, distance where possible, wash our hands and avoid nonessential gatherings.  There is no “silver bullet” – all of these measures are important.

Even Dr. Redfern said the bleak forecast of the next three months is “not a fait accompli.”

“If the American public really embraces social distancing, wearing masks, not letting your guard down in family gatherings, limiting crowds, doing events outdoors rather than indoors, being vigilant about hand hygiene . . . (these activities) will begin to help us.”

At this point in the pandemic, we are in a difficult place.  For nearly a year now, we have brought all of our UMMC resources to bear on combatting the virus, and we will continue to do so.  Failure is not an option.  But our resources are finite. 

We must continue to do all we can to slow the spread of the virus.  We need all the people of Mississippi to once more join us in this fight.  To all of you here at UMMC, so many people are grateful and appreciative of all you are doing.  Keep the faith and continue the fight.  #UMMCStrong