***Update**The Covid Wave is back...

[Jimy jenga]

So, I know this will fall on deaf ears here as there are a lot of people who think this is a hoax or just the flu, but my wife, who works for a large hospital system here in metro Atlanta, has completely maxed out its Emergency Department rooms due to an overwhelming influx of Covid-19 admissions. Mixed bag of Covid related and non-Covid related patients are on a wait list and delayed entry due to this. They are also filling up emergency surgery rooms with Covid patients to try to handle overflow. I guess the thing to note is that besides the travesty of having this Covid influx, there are people who are not Covid related that need emergency care but have to wait. This is about to get ugly again.

**update**

This Hospital is at full capacity. Opened up a shut down wing and it was filled up today. Yesterday 26 ICU beds available, as of 4:00 today, down to 7.

 

[FivePtsDawg]

So, I know this will fall on deaf ears here as there are a lot of people who think this is a hoax or just the flu, but my wife, who works for a large hospital system here in metro Atlanta, has completely maxed out its Emergency Department rooms due to an overwhelming influx of Covid-19 admissions. Mixed bag of Covid related and non-Covid related patients are on a wait list and delayed entry due to this. They are also filling up emergency surgery rooms with Covid patients to try to handle overflow. I guess the thing to note is that besides the travesty of having this Covid influx, there are people who are not Covid related that need emergency care but have to wait. This is about to get ugly again.

You're going to have some isolated hotspots here & there, but overall ER volumes are still below- and in many cases significantly below- pre-Covid levels. And everyone needs to keep in mind that hospitals are built to be full- they don't like a lot of empty beds, it's bad for business in our volume-based healthcare system. Plus, saying an ER is "maxed out" doesn't exactly tell the whole story in many cases. Hospitals & ERs go on diversion all the time, even without pandemics like Covid as part of the equation. Lots of ERs are always over what their capacity is supposed to be because they were designed for far fewer patients than they now see. WellStar Kennestone in Marietta is the busiest ER in Georgia, seeing over 145K patients each year. You know how many patients it was built to see? 60,000. That's why they're opening a brand new ER later this month with an annual capacity of 220,000, because they know they will get there eventually.

Again, just spouting off stories & anecdotes & figures without proper context can be a bit misleading.

 

[JungleRecon]

Same story at our hospital here. Went from 5 intubations on Friday to 25 by Sunday. It is definitely back at my wifes hospital.(not in metro Atl)

 

[Jimy jenga]

You're going to have some isolated hotspots here & there, but overall ER volumes are still below- and in many cases significantly below- pre-Covid levels. And everyone needs to keep in mind that hospitals are built to be full- they don't like a lot of empty beds, it's bad for business in our volume-based healthcare system. Plus, saying an ER is "maxed out" doesn't exactly tell the whole story in many cases. Hospitals & ERs go on diversion all the time, even without pandemics like Covid as part of the equation. Lots of ERs are always over what their capacity is supposed to be because they were designed for far fewer patients than they now see. WellStar Kennestone in Marietta is the busiest ER in Georgia, seeing over 145K patients each year. You know how many patients it was built to see? 60,000. That's why they're opening a brand new ER later this month with an annual capacity of 220,000, because they know they will get there eventually.

Again, just spouting off stories & anecdotes & figures without proper context can be a bit misleading.

Look man, nobody is "spouting off stories". I mean shit, can you substantiate where you got your stats from? I got mine directly from my wife, who is at the hospital right now. Her Director has to jump on a daily conference call with Gov Dumbass Kemp's office to report these exact facts. But whatever, you can call them "anecdotes" as you bury your head in the sand.

 

[stray]

So, I know this will fall on deaf ears here as there are a lot of people who think this is a hoax or just the flu, but my wife, who works for a large hospital system here in metro Atlanta, has completely maxed out its Emergency Department rooms due to an overwhelming influx of Covid-19 admissions. Mixed bag of Covid related and non-Covid related patients are on a wait list and delayed entry due to this. They are also filling up emergency surgery rooms with Covid patients to try to handle overflow. I guess the thing to note is that besides the travesty of having this Covid influx, there are people who are not Covid related that need emergency care but have to wait. This is about to get ugly again.

 

[Georgia Jim]

View embedded media

Sounds like the Foghorn at Vanderbilt....

 

[FivePtsDawg]

Look man, nobody is "spouting off stories". I mean shit, can you substantiate where you got your stats from? I got mine directly from my wife, who is at the hospital right now. Her Director has to jump on a daily conference call with Gov Dumbass Kemp's office to report these exact facts. But whatever, you can call them "anecdotes" as you bury your head in the sand.

Sure, here's where I get my stats on Kennestone. Sorry, meant to include the link in the first post:

https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta...kennestone-hospital-opens-new-er-in-july.html

Again, I'm not saying there aren't spikes in hospitalizations at individual hospitals or in parts of markets. But to extrapolate that out to act like or assume that it's happening everywhere- or will for sure in short order- is what caused the initial Covid panic that everywhere was going to look like NYC if we didn't shut down society completely, no matter the severe associated consequences.

I know a little about what goes on in ERs myself- I've worked for one of the largest groups of emergency physicians in the Southeast for almost 20 years. So I know about "maxed out ERs" and what that often means. To act like ERs or inpatient units or ICUs have never been maxed out prior to Covid is absolutely incorrect & smacks of fear-mongering. Hospitals typically operate their inpatient units & ICUs near capacity, and their ERs above their intended capacity- that's how they stay in business. Look what happened when we shut down society in March & April, including elective surgeries- hospitals (outside of NYC) were virtual ghost towns. ER volumes were down over 40% nationwide on average. Hospitals were laying off & furloughing people left & right. Many were on the verge of having to close if that kept up, especially rural hospitals that have been struggling as a segment of the healthcare system for years. Hospitals need patients, and usually are pretty full with them, Covid or not.

 

[Jimy jenga]

Sure, here's where I get my stats on Kennestone. Sorry, meant to include the link in the first post:

https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta...kennestone-hospital-opens-new-er-in-july.html

Again, I'm not saying there aren't spikes in hospitalizations at individual hospitals or in parts of markets. But to extrapolate that out to act like or assume that it's happening everywhere- or will for sure in short order- is what caused the initial Covid panic that everywhere was going to look like NYC if we didn't shut down society completely, no matter the severe associated consequences.

I know a little about what goes on in ERs myself- I've worked for one of the largest groups of emergency physicians in the Southeast for almost 20 years. So I know about "maxed out ERs" and what that often means. To act like ERs or inpatient units or ICUs have never been maxed out prior to Covid is absolutely incorrect & smacks of fear-mongering. Hospitals typically operate their inpatient units & ICUs near capacity, and their ERs above their intended capacity- that's how they stay in business. Look what happened when we shut down society in March & April, including elective surgeries- hospitals (outside of NYC were virtual ghost towns. ER volumes were down over 40% nationwide on average. Hospitals were laying off & furloughing people left & right. Many were on the verge of having to close if that kept up, especially rural hospitals that have been struggling as a segment of the healthcare system for years. Hospitals need patients, and usually are pretty full with them, Covid or not.

Ok, fair enough, However, I didn't mean to prove or say that it is now happening everywhere, but it is actually happening at a large hospital now, which is in alignment with the current revelation that not only cases are going up, but cases bad enough to go to the ER are starting to happen as well, even though with this report, I am only privy to one hospital.

 

[BigDawgs2010]

So, I know this will fall on deaf ears here as there are a lot of people who think this is a hoax or just the flu, but my wife, who works for a large hospital system here in metro Atlanta, has completely maxed out its Emergency Department rooms due to an overwhelming influx of Covid-19 admissions. Mixed bag of Covid related and non-Covid related patients are on a wait list and delayed entry due to this. They are also filling up emergency surgery rooms with Covid patients to try to handle overflow. I guess the thing to note is that besides the travesty of having this Covid influx, there are people who are not Covid related that need emergency care but have to wait. This is about to get ugly again.

Thanks protestors. The gift that keeps on giving.

 

[FivePtsDawg]

Ok, fair enough, However, I didn't mean to prove or say that it is now happening everywhere, but it is actually happening at a large hospital now, which is in alignment with the current revelation that not only cases are going up, but cases bad enough to go to the ER are starting to happen as well, even though with this report, I am only privy to one hospital.

I get that, I was just trying to point out that sharing some context around the typical operation of hospitals, ERs, ICUs, etc. can help people understand exactly what they're hearing & reading. And I agree that the recent uptick in hospitalizations (at least here in Georgia and several other states) is concerning, though I would be curious to see additional data & detail on the age & comorbidity status of these new hospitalizations. I also wonder how much of the increase in the number of "hospitalized Covid patients" is due to increased numbers of people coming back to the hospital with the reopening of elective surgeries and people just getting more comfortable going to the hospital again, and every patient now getting tested, and then anyone who tests positive (even if you're in the hospital for something totally unrelated to Covid) is counted as a "Covid hospitalization". Frankly I'm hoping this is the case, because if so, we likely won't see a corresponding increase in Covid deaths following these hospitalizations. But again, I haven't seen or heard any data around that, so if anyone has that, please share.

 

[OTSSDawg12]

Look man, nobody is "spouting off stories". I mean shit, can you substantiate where you got your stats from? I got mine directly from my wife, who is at the hospital right now. Her Director has to jump on a daily conference call with Gov Dumbass Kemp's office to report these exact facts. But whatever, you can call them "anecdotes" as you bury your head in the sand.

Lets just shut everything all down and print some more money. Perfect

 

[doofusdawg]

So, I know this will fall on deaf ears here as there are a lot of people who think this is a hoax or just the flu, but my wife, who works for a large hospital system here in metro Atlanta, has completely maxed out its Emergency Department rooms due to an overwhelming influx of Covid-19 admissions. Mixed bag of Covid related and non-Covid related patients are on a wait list and delayed entry due to this. They are also filling up emergency surgery rooms with Covid patients to try to handle overflow. I guess the thing to note is that besides the travesty of having this Covid influx, there are people who are not Covid related that need emergency care but have to wait. This is about to get ugly again.

two weeks after major protests... seems about right.

 

[ephesiandawg]

Sure, here's where I get my stats on Kennestone. Sorry, meant to include the link in the first post:

https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta...kennestone-hospital-opens-new-er-in-july.html

Again, I'm not saying there aren't spikes in hospitalizations at individual hospitals or in parts of markets. But to extrapolate that out to act like or assume that it's happening everywhere- or will for sure in short order- is what caused the initial Covid panic that everywhere was going to look like NYC if we didn't shut down society completely, no matter the severe associated consequences.

I know a little about what goes on in ERs myself- I've worked for one of the largest groups of emergency physicians in the Southeast for almost 20 years. So I know about "maxed out ERs" and what that often means. To act like ERs or inpatient units or ICUs have never been maxed out prior to Covid is absolutely incorrect & smacks of fear-mongering. Hospitals typically operate their inpatient units & ICUs near capacity, and their ERs above their intended capacity- that's how they stay in business. Look what happened when we shut down society in March & April, including elective surgeries- hospitals (outside of NYC) were virtual ghost towns. ER volumes were down over 40% nationwide on average. Hospitals were laying off & furloughing people left & right. Many were on the verge of having to close if that kept up, especially rural hospitals that have been struggling as a segment of the healthcare system for years. Hospitals need patients, and usually are pretty full with them, Covid or not.

I essentially read an article last week that stated the same.....said hospitals typically keep ER’s at full capacity as well as ICU’s

 

[BigDawgs2010]

two weeks after major protests... seems about right.

Yeeeuuppp

 

[Nathan868]

Same story at our hospital here. Went from 5 intubations on Friday to 25 by Sunday. It is definitely back at my wifes hospital.(not in metro Atl)

What hospital is this? 20 intubations in two days?? I find that hard to believe if not in the metro Atlanta area. How many of these would be COVID patients? My brother works in one of the biggest ICU departments in the state and he has never witnessed that. They currently have four patients on the vent because of COVID. At its peak in April they had 17 on the vent.

 

[doofusdawg]

What hospital is this? 20 intubations in two days?? I find that hard to believe if not in the metro Atlanta area. How many of these would be COVID patients? My brother works in one of the biggest ICU departments in the state and he has never witnessed that. They currently have four patients on the vent because of COVID. At its peak in April they had 17 on the vent.

It would be great if we could actually get some real accurate reporting from the news people on cases and hospitalizations. By using the protests as a benchmark then folks might be able to make some intelligent decisions on whether or not to have public gatherings based on the consequences of the protests. However... that would take work as well as an objective analysis on the media's part... lol.

 

[Professor Dawghair]

They currently have four patients on the vent because of COVID. At its peak in April they had 17 on the vent.

FWIW...

Statewide adult ventilator use is at 34% of capacity.

ER beds are at 51% capacity statewide.

 

[BigDawgs2010]

Same story at our hospital here. Went from 5 intubations on Friday to 25 by Sunday. It is definitely back at my wifes hospital.(not in metro Atl)

If this is at Floyd in Rome they do have a record 25 covid patients I heard but not on vents.

 

[litedawg1968]

My brother works at one of the hospitals here and he said you could drive a truck down the hallways and not hit a soul. We have had one death in our area in 3 weeks.

 

[JungleRecon]

What hospital is this? 20 intubations in two days?? I find that hard to believe if not in the metro Atlanta area. How many of these would be COVID patients? My brother works in one of the biggest ICU departments in the state and he has never witnessed that. They currently have four patients on the vent because of COVID. At its peak in April they had 17 on the vent.

If this is at Floyd in Rome they do have a record 25 covid patients I heard but not on vents.

No it isnt Floyd. There are other large Hospital systems outside Atlanta. Its AU.

 

[washdog]

So, I know this will fall on deaf ears here as there are a lot of people who think this is a hoax or just the flu, but my wife, who works for a large hospital system here in metro Atlanta, has completely maxed out its Emergency Department rooms due to an overwhelming influx of Covid-19 admissions. Mixed bag of Covid related and non-Covid related patients are on a wait list and delayed entry due to this. They are also filling up emergency surgery rooms with Covid patients to try to handle overflow. I guess the thing to note is that besides the travesty of having this Covid influx, there are people who are not Covid related that need emergency care but have to wait. This is about to get ugly again.

According to the stats put out today there are 12,000 plus hospitalized in Ga. out 100,000 cases. That doesn't seem like hospitals should be over whelmed. Two many don't know what their vitamin D level is.People need to get on the tonic water Zinc protocol. I have 4,400 people in my down line from all over the country none have contracted Covid yet. I guess they are just lucky

 

[Troubadawg]

You're going to have some isolated hotspots here & there, but overall ER volumes are still below- and in many cases significantly below- pre-Covid levels. And everyone needs to keep in mind that hospitals are built to be full- they don't like a lot of empty beds, it's bad for business in our volume-based healthcare system. Plus, saying an ER is "maxed out" doesn't exactly tell the whole story in many cases. Hospitals & ERs go on diversion all the time, even without pandemics like Covid as part of the equation. Lots of ERs are always over what their capacity is supposed to be because they were designed for far fewer patients than they now see. WellStar Kennestone in Marietta is the busiest ER in Georgia, seeing over 145K patients each year. You know how many patients it was built to see? 60,000. That's why they're opening a brand new ER later this month with an annual capacity of 220,000, because they know they will get there eventually.

Again, just spouting off stories & anecdotes & figures without proper context can be a bit misleading.

The U.S. is the world's hot spot.

 

[SD Jones]

According to the stats put out today there are 12,000 plus hospitalized in Ga. out 100,000 cases. That doesn't seem like hospitals should be over whelmed. Two many don't know what their vitamin D level is.People need to get on the tonic water Zinc protocol. I have 4,400 people in my down line from all over the country none have contracted Covid yet. I guess they are just lucky

The 12000 is actually a cumulative number. The total current number is. little under 2000. Many of those could be people who came in for elective procedures and tested positive (as all incoming patients are tested) and are coded as a hospitalized Covid patient.

Of course that also may not be the case. The data collection and presentation has been so sloppy nationwide you don't always have all the information and its not like the media is going to try and figure it out ...

 

[JungleRecon]

According to the stats put out today there are 12,000 plus hospitalized in Ga. out 100,000 cases. That doesn't seem like hospitals should be over whelmed. Two many don't know what their vitamin D level is.People need to get on the tonic water Zinc protocol. I have 4,400 people in my down line from all over the country none have contracted Covid yet. I guess they are just lucky

FWIW...

Statewide adult ventilator use is at 34% of capacity.

ER beds are at 51% capacity statewide.

There is no point in the ventilator stat anymore, vent=dead it isn't beneficial at all from what I am hearing.

 

[not so good]

Lets just shut everything all down and print some more money. Perfect

That's what rump did already

 

[PotimusWillie]

So, I know this will fall on deaf ears here as there are a lot of people who think this is a hoax or just the flu, but my wife, who works for a large hospital system here in metro Atlanta, has completely maxed out its Emergency Department rooms due to an overwhelming influx of Covid-19 admissions. Mixed bag of Covid related and non-Covid related patients are on a wait list and delayed entry due to this. They are also filling up emergency surgery rooms with Covid patients to try to handle overflow. I guess the thing to note is that besides the travesty of having this Covid influx, there are people who are not Covid related that need emergency care but have to wait. This is about to get ugly again.

I thought the wave was overrated from the beginning. You seldom see it anymore. The fans are more sophisticated now.

But if more wave is happening, good for the sport.

And yes, the wave was ugly, but heck, it’s just a wave.

 

[BigDawgs2010]

There is no point in the ventilator stat anymore, vent=dead it isn't beneficial at all from what I am hearing.

Then that one guys hospital is screwed!!

 

[JungleRecon]

What hospital is this? 20 intubations in two days?? I find that hard to believe if not in the metro Atlanta area. How many of these would be COVID patients? My brother works in one of the biggest ICU departments in the state and he has never witnessed that. They currently have four patients on the vent because of COVID. At its peak in April they had 17 on the vent.

"AU Health System added 69 new cases this week to reach 1,656 since its first cases on March 13, with 34 patients now hospitalized, spokeswoman Christen Engel said.

University Hospital reported 31 new cases to now total 556, with 51 patients being treated in the hospital, which nearly equals its high from earlier in the pandemic, spokeswoman Rebecca Sylvester said." From the Augusta Chronical yesterday afternoon.

 

[woofn]

So, I know this will fall on deaf ears here as there are a lot of people who think this is a hoax or just the flu, but my wife, who works for a large hospital system here in metro Atlanta, has completely maxed out its Emergency Department rooms due to an overwhelming influx of Covid-19 admissions. Mixed bag of Covid related and non-Covid related patients are on a wait list and delayed entry due to this. They are also filling up emergency surgery rooms with Covid patients to try to handle overflow. I guess the thing to note is that besides the travesty of having this Covid influx, there are people who are not Covid related that need emergency care but have to wait. This is about to get ugly again.

Keep an eye on the elderly and the ones with weakened immune systems. People getting covid is reportedly on the rise...of those, what is the % the virus is killing off people that are not immune deficient, have other medical issues. I think most people realize the virus is contagious, but it’s hard to bow down to the hysteria when we see things like gov of calif shutting down businesses, beaches, etc., yet keeps his personal winery opened to name one of thousands of other questionable shut downs. Btw, how many are now testing positive for antibodies, as more and more people get the corona and fight it off...is this a good thing in yo, or is it best to stay locked up in yo? There’s many who want the lock down ( @ least until after the election) and many that prefer to wait months or years for a vaccine.

 

[not so good]

I thought the wave was overrated from the beginning. You seldom see it anymore. The fans are more sophisticated now.

But if more wave is happening, good for the sport.

And yes, the wave was ugly, but heck, it’s just a wave.

That was hilarious there wall flower

 

[Joe Kings]

So, I know this will fall on deaf ears here as there are a lot of people who think this is a hoax or just the flu, but my wife, who works for a large hospital system here in metro Atlanta, has completely maxed out its Emergency Department rooms due to an overwhelming influx of Covid-19 admissions. Mixed bag of Covid related and non-Covid related patients are on a wait list and delayed entry due to this. They are also filling up emergency surgery rooms with Covid patients to try to handle overflow. I guess the thing to note is that besides the travesty of having this Covid influx, there are people who are not Covid related that need emergency care but have to wait. This is about to get ugly again.

Go Cry in your pillow baby
1980

 

[PotimusWillie]

That was hilarious there wall flower

Thanks not. I try to bring joy to the board.

 

[BigDawgs2010]

So how is this not ALL over the news? They don't miss very many chances at bad news.. Also, not to nitpick, but wouldn't full capacity be 26/26 ice beds full? Is y'all's hospital historically pretty good? Example, Cartersville hospital is pretty bad. Head they made some changes but up until a few years ago, it was awful.

 

[BigDawgs2010]

If you are that connected, which it sounds like you are, please get us some demographics of the hospitalized. Age estimations, comorbidity and completely healthy.

I am not trying to sound like a jerk, I would just like some context for these overrun hospitals. My BIL works at a hospital and went on vacation this week. He said they were seeing an uptick but again it was mainly old and frail patients.

 

[Whosyodawgy]

If you are that connected, which it sounds like you are. Get us some demographics of the hospitalized. Age estimations, comorbidity and completely healthy.

Using all those big words just confuses him. But then, since I said that, he'll ask someone to look them up for him.

 

[Nooga Dawg]

According to the stats put out today there are 12,000 plus hospitalized in Ga. out 100,000 cases. That doesn't seem like hospitals should be over whelmed. Two many don't know what their vitamin D level is.People need to get on the tonic water Zinc protocol. I have 4,400 people in my down line from all over the country none have contracted Covid yet. I guess they are just lucky

I drink about 5 gin and tonics a day plus 6,000 units of vitamin D does that count?

 

[JungleRecon]

If you are that connected, which it sounds like you are, please get us some demographics of the hospitalized. Age estimations, comorbidity and completely healthy.

I am not trying to sound like a jerk, I would just like some context for these overrun hospitals. My BIL works at a hospital and went on vacation this week. He said they were seeing an uptick but again it was mainly old and frail patients.

The people who usually have health problems are the people suffering, from what I have been told! Wife has mentioned, "frequent fliers" meaning, 70+ obese, uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes. Our conversations can be a little brash me being military her being medical but it sounds like, if it is fatal it is because you are old or because of the previous 10 years of decisions you've made, not because of Covid.

 

[mikul1]

The 12000 is actually a cumulative number. The total current number is. little under 2000. Many of those could be people who came in for elective procedures and tested positive (as all incoming patients are tested) and are coded as a hospitalized Covid patient.

Of course that also may not be the case. The data collection and presentation has been so sloppy nationwide you don't always have all the information and its not like the media is going to try and figure it out ...

They knew under 2000 were in the hospital, they just lie, why would you lie about this, unless your trying to change our government.

 

[Jimy jenga]

So how is this not ALL over the news? They don't miss very many chances at bad news.. Also, not to nitpick, but wouldn't full capacity be 26/26 ice beds full? Is y'all's hospital historically pretty good? Example, Cartersville hospital is pretty bad. Head they made some changes but up until a few years ago, it was awful.

Good questions, and I will try to answer to the fullest.
First, General hospital beds full and ED rooms, ICU beds were down to 7. I do not know the answers today as my wife is not privy to every meeting that happens.
Secondly, this is what is concerning. Everyday the hospital has a standing call with Gov Office. The numbers are reported, what Kemp does with the numbers? Who knows, but they aren’t getting out. Also, reminders are emailed weekly about private hospital information is protected by HIPAA and not to be shared with anyone outside hospital. I find it interesting that this information not released. Hmmmmm....

 

[Jimy jenga]

If you are that connected, which it sounds like you are, please get us some demographics of the hospitalized. Age estimations, comorbidity and completely healthy.

I am not trying to sound like a jerk, I would just like some context for these overrun hospitals. My BIL works at a hospital and went on vacation this week. He said they were seeing an uptick but again it was mainly old and frail patients.

So, my wife is in some, not all meetings with access to the numbers. Some times she is at a satellite location when the call occurs. Also, the demographics of the patients are not shared in this particular meeting.
And if I can also say, my wife is not a healthcare, frontline worker, she is on the business side of the hospital, and yes, even though she is not a frontline worker, her hospital makes her whole office report to the office. It is quite ironic that a hospital with intimate insight into this pandemic, mandates that her office not work from home. It is a source of extreme stress on our household.