SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – The holidays may be over, but their effects can be felt in the coming weeks.
COVID-19 cases continue to increase and ICU beds decline in the Greater Sacramento region. Data released by the state reflect the number of beds in the area that made it impossible to leave the order to stay home after three weeks.
“We are happy to still be here,” said Edward Roehr, one of Magpie’s owners in downtown Sacramento.
Roehr is grateful that the restaurant is still standing, thanks to creative adaptations and the support of regular customers. The restaurant is one of many affected by the stoppage and can only serve take-out food.
“For us, we are doing 20% of what we should be doing,” said Roehr.
Although he feels that the loss in sales cannot be compared to a loss of life.
“Doing what is safe will be the most important thing,” he said.
Deaths, hospitalizations and cases of COVID have increased in California in recent weeks. Currently, the ICUs in the Greater Sacramento region are 93% occupied, which forced the area to remain confined.
“Will we ever get back to normal?” asked Mark Shepherd from Sacramento. “That is the question.”
The answer – “normal” is probably still months away, but leaving the order to stay home may come earlier. To this end, the state relies on the projections of an area’s ICU capacity over a four-week period to make its decision.
Their projections are based on four main data: the current capacity of an area’s regional ICU, transmission in the community, case rates and proportion of ICU admissions.
A region can withdraw from the order when these four-week projections reflect an ICU capacity of 15% or more.
“It’s pretty obvious that we have no control over what’s going on,” Ron Stark said.
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Stark said he feels frustrated and worried about things to the point that it gets worse now that the holidays are over.
The space in the ICU is already narrow, with little room to grow. People like Shepherd are begging the public to listen to health officials and follow protocols.
“I think everyone feels, ‘Well, I didn’t get the virus, I won’t get it,'” he said. “You are wrong – you can, and it is very easy to understand.”
To get an idea of how quickly the ICU capacity in the area has shrunk, on Friday, the Greater Sacramento region had 11% of its ICU beds and, on Saturday, only 7% remained.