Durham, NC – Hospital beds in North Carolina are filling up with coronavirus patients. Healthcare facilities are concerned about having to ration care in the coming weeks as hospitalizations increase.
“There just aren’t enough nurses to care for all patients,” said Johnston Health’s medical director, Dr. Rodney McCaskill.
Durham VA hospital on Fulton Street, across from Duke University Hospital, is expanding its COVID ward so it can ease the burden of other facilities in the area.
“Remember, we are taking care of people without COVID and, in addition, we have to deal with COVID-19. So it really does extend, especially some of these smaller hospitals,” said UNC Health doctor David Wohl.
In response, VA added another 15 beds to his COVID-ward.
“Even before the Christmas holiday, Durham VA decided to expand its bed capacity and open a whole new unit,” said Genevieve Embree, deputy head of the Public Health Office. “The beds in this unit continue to expand. “
The healthcare system has managed to reach hospitals like Duke to transfer more needy veterans. On Tuesday, more than 3,300 North Carolinians were hospitalized with coronavirus.
Newly released data from the White House indicates that 87 of North Carolina counties, including Durham, Orange and Wake counties, are “sustained access points” for COVID-19.
VA is also offering vaccines outside its system to Duke residents and medical students amid the recent post-holiday increase in coronavirus cases.