LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – A new video released Tuesday inside Kaiser Permanente’s Downey and Fontana Medical Centers shows the harsh reality of the latest wave of COVID-19 and the impact it has on hospitals.
A new video shows patients lined up in beds in hallways and even more waiting outside while connected to the oxygen tanks under the tents. (Permanent Kaiser)
The video shows patients lined up in beds in hallways and even more waiting outside while being tied to the oxygen tanks under the tents.
“I see people dying alone,” says a nurse in the video. “I see exhausted nurses, missing their families.”
The video, released by doctors across the country during a virtual pandemic roundtable, aims to encourage people to stop the spread of COVID-19 by staying home when possible.
“If people continue to gather for the upcoming holidays, we will ruin the hospital system,” said another health worker in the video.
Greg A. Adams, president and CEO of Kaiser Permanente, spoke Tuesday outside Downey Medical Center. He said that of the 278 patients currently hospitalized, 70% were diagnosed with COVID-19. In the hospital’s intensive care unit, this number jumps to 95%.
“As the number of hospital beds has continued to decline, we simply will not be able to keep up if COVID’s growth continues to rise,” he said.
State health officials say the current increase in coronavirus seen across California comes from Thanksgiving and beyond.
“Now we see today, through videos and testimonies, the real impact of what happened after Thanksgiving,” said Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Agency for Health and Human Services.
And when it comes to stopping the spread of the virus, health officials have again called on people to stay home and away from people as much as possible.
“We have a simple recipe that we would like to prescribe to everyone: don’t share the air,” said Dr. Thomas McGinn, vice president of Dignity Health.
Kaiser Permanente, which operates 36 hospitals across the state, reported Tuesday that it has exceeded 100% of its usual patient capacity.