As Louisiana reels from a fourth COVID-19 wave — with the highest single-day cases since the pandemic began — hospitals in the state are preparing for yet another public health crisis with Hurricane Ida battering the coast. The Louisiana governor said this hurricane will be one of the strongest to hit the state in more than 150 years. Gov. John Bel Edwards said evacuation of hospitals in threatened areas — something that would normally be considered — is impractical with COVID-19 patients. “That isn’t possible. We don’t have any place to bring those patients. Not in state, not out of state,” Edwards said.More than 2,600 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized across Louisiana, according to state data. The seven-day average has begun to decline in recent days, having reached nearly 2,700 hospitalizations — the peak from April 2020. Video above: Louisiana hospitals prepare for Hurricane Ida's arrival"We have been talking to hospitals to make sure that their generators are working, that they have way more water on hand than normal, that they have PPE on hand," Edwards said.Officials decided against evacuating New Orleans hospitals. There’s little room for their patients elsewhere, with hospitals from Texas to Florida already dealing with a spike in coronavirus patients, according to Dr. Jennifer Avengo, the city’s health director.At the state's largest hospital system, Ochsner Health System, officials ordered 10 days worth of fuel, food, drugs and other supplies and have backup fuel contracts for its generators. One positive was that the number of COVID-19 patients had dropped from 988 to 836 over the past week — a 15% decline.Some hospitals appeared to have evacuated their most critical patients ahead of the storm, as they prepared to lose power. According to The Advocate, the Ochsner Health System evacuated 17 of its most critically ill patients from three hospitals, with 100 patients remaining at those locations. In Mississippi, workers at Singing River Gulfport expected to have to raise flood gates to keep rising water out of the hospital that is full of COVID-19 patients, the vast majority of whom aren't vaccinated, said facilities director Randall Cobb.Complicating matters, he said, was that the hospital is short-staffed because of the pandemic and also expects to get a flood of patients suffering from ailments that typically follow any hurricane: broken bones, heart attacks, breathing problems and lacerations.“It's going to be bad. It's going to be really bad,” Cobb said.Located a few miles from the coast, the hospital has enough generator fuel, food and other supplies to operate on its own for at least 96 hours, he said, and it will help anyone who has a serious, life-threatening condition. But officials were trying to get the word out that people with less severe medical problems should go to special-needs storm shelters or contact emergency management.“It’s very stressful because it’s too late if we have not thought of everything. Patients are counting on the medical care but also on the facility to be available,” Cobb said.President Joe Biden approved a federal emergency declaration for Louisiana ahead of the storm. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said FEMA plans to send nearly 150 medical personnel and almost 50 ambulances to the Gulf Coast to assist strained hospitals.The Associated Press contributed to this report.
As Louisiana reels from a fourth COVID-19 wave — with the highest single-day cases since the pandemic began — hospitals in the state are preparing for yet another public health crisis with Hurricane Ida battering the coast. The Louisiana governor said this hurricane will be one of the strongest to hit the state in more than 150 years.
Gov. John Bel Edwards said evacuation of hospitals in threatened areas — something that would normally be considered — is impractical with COVID-19 patients.
“That isn’t possible. We don’t have any place to bring those patients. Not in state, not out of state,” Edwards said.
More than 2,600 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized across Louisiana, according to state data. The seven-day average has begun to decline in recent days, having reached nearly 2,700 hospitalizations — the peak from April 2020.
Video above: Louisiana hospitals prepare for Hurricane Ida's arrival
"We have been talking to hospitals to make sure that their generators are working, that they have way more water on hand than normal, that they have PPE on hand," Edwards said.
Officials decided against evacuating New Orleans hospitals. There’s little room for their patients elsewhere, with hospitals from Texas to Florida already dealing with a spike in coronavirus patients, according to Dr. Jennifer Avengo, the city’s health director.
At the state's largest hospital system, Ochsner Health System, officials ordered 10 days worth of fuel, food, drugs and other supplies and have backup fuel contracts for its generators. One positive was that the number of COVID-19 patients had dropped from 988 to 836 over the past week — a 15% decline.
Some hospitals appeared to have evacuated their most critical patients ahead of the storm, as they prepared to lose power. According to The Advocate, the Ochsner Health System evacuated 17 of its most critically ill patients from three hospitals, with 100 patients remaining at those locations.
In Mississippi, workers at Singing River Gulfport expected to have to raise flood gates to keep rising water out of the hospital that is full of COVID-19 patients, the vast majority of whom aren't vaccinated, said facilities director Randall Cobb.
Complicating matters, he said, was that the hospital is short-staffed because of the pandemic and also expects to get a flood of patients suffering from ailments that typically follow any hurricane: broken bones, heart attacks, breathing problems and lacerations.
“It's going to be bad. It's going to be really bad,” Cobb said.
Located a few miles from the coast, the hospital has enough generator fuel, food and other supplies to operate on its own for at least 96 hours, he said, and it will help anyone who has a serious, life-threatening condition. But officials were trying to get the word out that people with less severe medical problems should go to special-needs storm shelters or contact emergency management.
“It’s very stressful because it’s too late if we have not thought of everything. Patients are counting on the medical care but also on the facility to be available,” Cobb said.
President Joe Biden approved a federal emergency declaration for Louisiana ahead of the storm. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said FEMA plans to send nearly 150 medical personnel and almost 50 ambulances to the Gulf Coast to assist strained hospitals.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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