LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The FOCUS team has been watching these numbers and here's a graph that shows the increase.
On the left, you can see the number of beds used by COVID-19 patients this time two months ago. Follow those lines to the far right.
ICU admissions more than tripled; that's the orange line. And the number of patients in regular hospital beds nearly keeping pace.
Keep in mind there are many reasons other than the virus that someone may need medical care.
Counting non-COVID-19 patients, the Kentucky Hospital Association reported only about 27% of the total hospital beds in the state open and only about 14% of the total ICU beds free, as of November 11.
About 7% of those COVID-19 positive will need hospitalization to recover.
As case counts keep climbing, hospitalizations follow, and the more these numbers rise, the fewer resources there are to tend to other medical needs.
That is why, starting next week, UK Healthcare is closing some operating rooms to accommodate the increase in COVID patients.
Officials call this a proactive move that will allow them to redirect surgeons and nurses, no employees will be furloughed.
The reduction is estimated to last through December but will be evaluated weekly.
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