Growing number of virus cases prompts concern about future surge in hospitalizations
OAKLAND, Calif. - Bay Area doctors on the front lines in community clinics and emergency rooms say they have seen an uptick in COVID-19 cases since Thanksgiving. That has prompted concern about a future surge in hospitalizations, as past data shows about 10% of people with COVID19 end up in the hospital.
Five Bay Area counties go into a stay-at-home order this week in a coordinated, pre-emptive move to stop the virus's spread before the region's available ICU bed capacity shrinks to the state threshold of 15% which triggers a mandatory stay at home order.
"From before Thanksgiving and after Thanksgiving, we have seen our numbers for a number of positive tests for COVID, more than double," said Lifelong Medical Care's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Michael Stacey, who says their community clinics have been COVID-19 test sites.
More infections are leading to more hospitalizations statewide.
"We’re now over 10,000 patients in our hospitals, 72% increase over the last 14 days," said California Governor Gavin Newsom at a news conference Monday.
Governor Newsom said Monday, the Bay Area region still has 25% ICU bed capacity. That is better than other parts of the state, but San Francisco has warned that ICU beds could be at capacity in the coming weeks, and Santa Clara County also had a warning.
“We have 50 empty ICU beds remaining in our county. That’s 50 beds for a county of 2 million people," said Dr. Ahmad Kamal, the Santa Clara County Director of Health Care Preparedness.
The nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said California health officials asked him about the stay-at-home orders.
"I said you know you really don’t have any choice," Fauci said in an interview with CNN.
Health officials say despite the stay-at-home order, anyone with non-COVID medical conditions should not delay getting care.
"That should not prevent people from coming to the emergency department," said Dr. Ronn Berrol, Emergency Medicine Director at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland.
Berrol says one thing that's helped hospitals is the community's efforts to reduce the usual surge of the flu.
People have done a good job getting vaccinated, not spreading it, wearing masks, so that's helped us avoid the double whammy we were worried about," said Berrol.
Some clinics are worried about staffing, though, if more frontline health care workers get infected or have to quarantine.
"Building surge beds, building additional hospital capacity is one thing but you actually need health care workers to staff those beds," said Stacey.
Newsom says California is using a contract staffing agency to bring extra help from out of state.
"We have 815 medical providers that we’ve requested. Most will be here within a week which is encouraging," said Newsom. "Four hundred thirty-five, specifically to support our ICU strikes teams.”
Jana Katsuyama is a reporter for KTVU. Email Jana at jana.katsuyama@foxtv.com and follow her on Twitter @JanaKTVU or Facebook @NewsJana or ktvu.com.