Friday, October 16, 2020

Kansas City, Mo., hospitals turn away ambulances due to COVID-19 patient surge



https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/521440-kansas-city-hospitals-turn-away-ambulances-due-to-covid-19-patient-surge

By Kaelan Deese - 10/16/20 03:56 PM EDT


Kansas City, Mo., hospitals turn away ambulances due to COVID-19 patient surge: report
© Getty

Some medical facilities in Kansas City, Mo., have turned away ambulances due to an influx of hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients.

Metro hospitals and emergency departments reported Wednesday night high enough volumes of patients that facilities temporarily stopped accepting ambulances, a leading physician at St. Luke's Health System told The Kansas City Star.

Marc Larsen, operations director of St. Luke's COVID-19 Response Team, said the influx in cases affected eight facilities Wednesday evening. The official did not specify the names of the other facilities.

"We're bursting at the seams in the metropolitan area, and really across the state and the region," said Larsen, who is also an emergency physician.

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Three hundred miles west of Kansas City, more than 50 employees at the Gove County Medical Center in Kansas have been infected by the virus.

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According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the state has recorded 10,910 cases in the past seven days, with 62 new fatalities.

The data also shows the rate of tests coming back positive is at 18.3 percent.

The World Health Organization indicates that a test positivity rate of 5 percent or lower is a sign COVID-19 is well-controlled in an area.


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