Multiple Region Hospital Beds Filling / Alarming Younger Crowd Showing Severe Symptoms
Region News has been actively trying to keep up with the influx of patients this week being treated for possible COVID-19 symptoms at area hospitals. Sources at all Region Hospitals are reporting a handful of positive cases being treated but a much larger number of patients are currently being treated that are still awaiting test results. Test results are currently running up to a week behind so most of the new cases you see pop up in the IDOH map are from last week. Tests are taking average of 2-7 days to get results back.
Pastor Jeff Spencer also the School City Of Hammond Bus Driver is still awaiting his results after he was sent home from Community Hospital to quarantine at home to make room for more critical patients. His wife who was one of the first positive cases in Lake County is still is in critical condition at Community Hospital. His daughter as of 8:30pm Tuesday was headed back to the hospital to get admitted has her conditions have worsened, Spencer said in a post. This quarantine at home is a growing trend across the country to try to eliminate the overload to our medical system. Also most are not being tested for their symptoms because they don’t meet severe criteria. Most experts agree that we will be seeing a peak in cases over the next two weeks. Illinois is preparing for the overload by utilizing hotels, tents, and other means to house patients as they come in. As a personal opinion here in Lake County we would not be surprised of at least 1k cases that are not reported.
Most hospitals are opening new ICU wings as well as new quarantined areas for the influx of patients. As first responders continue to bring in more patients daily with severe symptoms the need for more PPE is being stated by all working the front lines. Some nurses have been told to reuse their masks, spray it with Lysol, and even were told to bake the mask in the oven. None of which is recommended. Some area front line workers are using whatever they can find to cover their faces. In Illinois multiple ER nurses and doctors are now testing positive for COVID-19 according to NIISSA reports. The lack of PPE across this country has become a huge problem on top of an already big problem of not enough space and equipment in our country’s medical system.
There is also an alarming trend happening of the amount of younger people between the ages of 20-40 years old that are coming in with serious conditions. Initial thinking across the country was that the virus was only affecting the older population and many middle aged people brushed the pandemic off as it wouldn’t affect them that much and symptoms would just be similar to a cold. That thinking is quickly being proven false in the last week especially in the Region. RNS has received anonymous tips of middle aged people with extremely low oxygen levels that proved to be fatal this week in a few cases. One local city has had multiple ambulance runs in one shift of middle aged cases that were classified extreme. These cases have yet to be reported officially due to testing results still pending. Once the testing begins to catch up from this week we can expect a big influx in the state numbers as well as deaths in the Region unfortunately. Chicago Media is now reporting refrigerated semi trailers have been brought in to the Cook County Medical Examiners Office for an expected overload of cases. Today was the deadliest day in the US with 164 deaths.
If you take anything from this article take the seriousness of the situation and be mindful of the Governors orders to Shelter in Place, Continue to wash hands, do not touch your face, and keep social distancing 6 feet apart. If you are sick stay home! If you believe you are showing symptoms of Covid-19 contact your physician via phone and follow their orders. You will not be tested without a doctors order.
God bless the “Region”.