Durham, NC – Hospital beds in North Carolina are filled with coronavirus patients. Healthcare units are concerned about the need to rationale care over the next few weeks as hospitalizations increase.
“It’s just that there aren’t enough nurses to go and take care of all the patients,” said Johnston Chief Medical Officer Rodney McCaskill.
Durham VA Hospital on Fulton Street, just across from Duke University Hospital, is expanding its COVID ward to relieve the burden of other facilities in the area.
“Remember, we care for people without COVID, and on top of that, we have to take care of COVID-19. So it really does stretch, especially some of these smaller hospitals,” said UNC Health doctor David Wohl. .
In response, VA added another 15 beds in the COVID section.
“Even before the Christmas holidays, Durham VA decided to expand its bed capacity and open a completely new unit,” said Genevieve Embree, deputy head of the Public Health Bureau. “
The health care system has managed to reach hospitals like Duke to transfer more veterans in need. On Tuesday, more than 3,300 North Carolinians were hospitalized with coronavirus.
Recently released data from the White House show that 87 of North Carolina’s counties, including Durham, Orange and Wake counties, are “strong hotspots” for COVID-19.
VA also provides out-of-system vaccinations to Duke residents and medical students, amid recent post-holiday coronavirus cases.