CLAYTON, Mo. – More people are being admitted to St. Louis area hospitals with COVID-19. The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force says that hospital admissions have increased from 109 yesterday to 144 today.
This is a new daily admissions record. This is a record 8th straight day of admissions over 100 people.
Once people are in the hospital they are staying there. Over the last seven days, 829 patients have been admitted and only 760 have been discharged. Since November first the area has more than doubled the COVID-19 patients in our local hospitals. There were 416 COVID-19 patients in hospitals on November 1 and there are 838 today. That is 238 more patients more than just eight days ago.
The rolling seven day average of hospital admissions has doubled since November 1.
Task Force leader Dr. Alex Garza told FOX 2 on Monday that hospitals have broken the threshold for the percentage of patients who are in our ICUs.
“We are probably under-testing the number of people who are positive in our community,” he said.
Garza made a call to government officials on what the task force feels would alleviate the hospital crowding situation.
“Every day that we wait is a missed opportunity to save lives and return to a more normal situation,” he said. “First, we ask for a statewide mask mandate across Missouri.”
The decision not to implement a statewide mandate has caused controversy as local leaders and health officials in the metro area deal with rural patients in major hospitals.
Garza also asked for a state plan on more staff and space to care for patients who they know are coming to hospitals in the near future.
Dr. Alex Garza will be on FOX 2 news at 6:00 pm. Tune in to see the latest report.
