LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky’s fight with COVID-19 continues as the state set three single-day records on Monday. As Gov. Andy Beshear reported last week, the delta variant continues to drive up cases and hospitalizations in the commonwealth.
Beshear reported 1,893 Kentuckians in the hospital, 529 of which are in intensive care (up 23 from Sunday). He also said 301 people have been placed on a ventilator due to the virus.
“The next couple of weeks to the next couple of months are going to be very rough,” Beshear warned.
He said this spike in COVID cases led to it being the third-highest week since the pandemic began last March.
Kentucky also reported 2,596 new virus cases and 17 deaths – seven of those were people under 60-years-old. The positivity rate hangs at 12.87%.
Medical professionals around the commonwealth are seeing their resources stretched thin.
Dr. Jason Smith, chief medical officer at UofL Health, appeared via video message urging the Louisville community and the commonwealth to get vaccinated.
He said their medical facilities have seen numbers quadruple regarding the number of patients seen. There are more younger patients that are sicker, filling up their hospital beds and backing up patients in the emergency department.
"We're getting to a point within the city itself, they're going to have difficulties delivering care to those that need it," he said.
A horrible rinse-and-repeat cycle
Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center in Danville is one of many hospitals in Kentucky who have seen a rise in COVID patients at their facilities.
Steve Haines, a nursing director with Critical Care Services, explained to Gov. Beshear that the last two weeks at the hospital have been “horrendous.”
He said the medical center lost eight patients in 24 hours over the weekend and the hospital only had a three-bed morgue. The number of patient deaths left them “frantically scrambling” to rent a refrigerator truck to take care of those who died from the virus.
"The funeral homes couldn't pick them up fast enough," he said.
Haines explained that 95% percent of those who were intubated at the hospital were not vaccinated.
“We on put their families on FaceTime, we let them maybe have their last conversation with their family member – and put them on a ventilator,” he said. “It’s horrible because we’ll start fixing somebody’s lungs and they’ll get attacked by clots and they’ll clot off every single artery in their body and then they’ll pass away that way – left with tons of strokes.”
The hospital said when that person passes away from the virus, they would be sent to the morgue and housekeeping comes in, cleans the room only to prepare it for another person waiting for treatment.
Haines said it was a horrible “rinse-and-repeat” cycle and Danville is only three to four weeks into this new wave.
“We’re gonna do it, but it’s gonna take a monumental effort. It doesn’t matter how many nurses, therapists or physicians, pharmacists – anything else we have, it’s just not going to be enough,” he explained. “I really think we wouldn’t have to work so hard to help our community if more people were vaccinated.
As he closed out his video, Haines said it looks like there is no end but stressed vaccination is the only way. He broke down crying after speaking.
A call to the National Guard
Beginning Sept. 1, Gov. Andy Beshear is mobilizing the National Guard to provide hospitals and medical facilities assistance, especially to those who have been overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients and staffing shortages.
Beshear said there will be deployments in two week increments. The initial deployment will be 75 men and women -- five teams of 15 with each having two to three leads who will run an on-site operation.
The teams will start at these locations:
- St. Claire Regional Medical Center - Morehead
- Med Center Bowling Green
- Pikeville Regional
The National Guard will also take on other assignments including a mobile vaccination team, supporting local health departments and continued food bank support.
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