San Diego County ICU at 0% – NBC 7 San Diego – Latest News

Hospitals have been pushed to the brink, forced to deal with escalating COVID-19 cases and to locate the beds needed to meet demand. Southern California is one of the hardest hit areas, with a staggering 0% ICU capacity for the region.

Last week, California Governor Gavin Newsom tried to ease concerns about the alarming increase, saying the number does not necessarily mean that intensive care units are maxed out and can no longer receive patients.

But where does UCI’s capacity sit in a region like San Diego? NBC 7 reached out to local hospitals to get a better idea of ​​the situation and learned that, like many other medical centers in the state, they are reaching their limits.

• Palomar Health said the number fluctuates but has reached capacity in the ICU, which means that some patients are waiting for a bed in the Emergency Department.
• Scripps said it is sitting at 82% capacity, adding that it is dealing with a higher volume of patients and has converted some beds to meet the need.
• Sharp said it has been close to 90% for weeks and has been trying to avoid running out of critically ill beds. However, officials said the limited capacity is not uncommon and typical during flu season. However, the long time in capacity is what is putting your system to the test.

Michael Kennedy, a nurse who works at UCSD and is a representative of the California Nurses Association, says he is seeing the increase and it is just the beginning.

“We haven’t spent even a few weeks on this surge and we’re already at capacity, already at that breaking point,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy added that nurses are feeling drained and that he is worried about the future, with hospitals overloaded. He said he hopes people will take time to reflect on whether it is worth getting together for the Christmas holidays.

“I’m just asking people to think of us, to think of nurses, patients, doctors, healthcare workers, when planning their vacation plans,” Kennedy said. “Just this week, think about the total stress we are under.”

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