Ohio has record 5,000 coronavirus patients in hospitals

Ohio has a cumulative total of 421,063 cases of coronavirus, an increase of more than 6,600 from Sunday, according to data reported Monday by the Ohio Department of Health. Also, 30 deaths were recorded Monday, bringing the total to 6,429. Hospitalizations increased by 357, brining the total to 26,864.

Thomas said there are concerns about ICU capacity as more hospitals voice concerns about their ability to manage so many patients requiring intensive care.

“A third of the patients in the ICU across Ohio has COVID. One third of the patients on a ventilator in the ICU has COVID,” Thomas said. “They’ll crowd out other people who need that care if the numbers continue to rise.”

Nearly one-quarter, or 1,255 COVID-19 patients, are in Southwest Ohio, occupying more than 18% of hospital beds in the region. Of those, 301 patients are in the ICU and 196 on ventilators in the region. More than 2,050, or 30.15%, of the region’s hospital beds are open.

Registered Nurse Jamie Giere of Premier Health’s Upper Valley Medical Center in Troy also spoke during the press conference.

“Back in March we were seeing five, 10, 12 patients. Now it’s evolved into so much more,” she said.

People who would enter the hospital requiring 2 liters of oxygen “so very quickly they would require 8 liters, 12 liters … and ultimately wind up on the ventilator.

“We’re seeing healthy individuals and they decline so quickly. Now I feel like the COVID population has been getting younger and younger,” Giere said.

There is an emotional toll for health care workers, the patients and families, Giere said.

“When patients are COVID positive, they can’t have a loved one hold their hand. They can’t have a loved one by their side. You can see the fear in their faces and it’s heartbreaking,” she said.

“COVID is unpredictable. it’s throwing curveballs. We still don’t know what the long-term effects are for our patients,” said Dara Pence, RN of Riverside Medical Center in Columbus who also spoke during the press conference.

Coronavirus patients account for 18.15% of hospital beds in southwest Ohio. More than 2,050, or 30.15%, of the region’s hospital beds are open.

“This is one of the biggest waves we’ve ever seen” in COVID-19 cases said Stacey Morris, COVID unit nurse manager at Akron General Hospital. “Our numbers have just risen so drastically and so quickly.

“We need to slow it like we did before, and unfortunately we can’t do it without the help of everyone, masking, social distancing, hand sanitizing,” Morris said.

The unpredictability of the virus and that people in their 30s and 40s with no prior health complications do poorly is frustrating, she said.

“There’s no magic bullet to treat this right now,” Morris said.

Graduation parties, weddings, baby showers, funerals are among places where patients say they think they were exposed to the coronavirus, Pence said. Some patients have said they had a mask, but put in in their pocket after seeing others maskless. People need to have “COVID courage” to wear a mask and follow the other guidelines when others are not, she said.

Staff Writer Kristen Spicker contributed to this report.