Doctors warn hospital beds are rapidly filling up in Ohio

SANDUSKY — With hospital beds in Ohio filling up rapidly with COVID-19 patients, doctors and hospital officials pleaded with Ohioans Monday to wear masks and take other steps to slow the pandemic. "I can't imagine what January is going to look like if people aren't willing to make those tough choices," said Dr. Andy Thomas, chief medical officer at OSU Wexner Medical Center. Ohio reported 2,553 hospitalized patients Monday. Ohio exceeded 2,000 patients only last Thursday, Thomas noted. The rapid increase of COVID-19 patients going to the hospital is the best answer to people who still try to minimize the severity of the pandemic, said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, who has just been named as the chief medical officer for the state health department. "We have unprecedented hospitalization numbers, and it's not just in one community," Vanderhoff said. "That is a future that is hard to argue with." Firelands Regional Medical Center reported Monday it now had 19 COVID-19 patients. That's not a record — at one point in July, Firelands had 21 patients — but the recent rise has been rapid and hospital officials don't know if Firelands has reached a peak. There were six coronavirus patients in Firelands on Nov. 2, eight on Nov. 4 and 13 on Nov. 6. Ronda Lehman, president of the Lima market of Mercy Health, said at present the problem is not enough beds but the strain the pandemic is putting on health workers. She said her hospital has gone from 17 to 75 patients in a few weeks, and "it is not sustainable." Similarly, Dr. Robert Wyllie, chief of medical operations at Cleveland Clinic, said more than 300 Cleveland Clinic staff were out sick Monday. They aren't getting coronavirus at work, they are getting it in the community, he said. Other local hospitals report similar numbers, he said. The rapid increase in hospital patients is threatening to hamper care for other serious conditions such as heart attacks and car accident victims, Thomas said. "Please, worry about your neighbor. Worry about the person who goes to church with you," Thomas said. The doctors said people should avoid the usual Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings and said they continue to hear reports people have let down their guard and are ignoring prevention rules. Thomas said school officials report parents wear their masks when sitting in the stands at sports events, then take them off when people get together for pizza parties after the game. "I'm imploring you to dial it back. Gather less," Lehman said. Your home is "not magically safe," said Dr. Rick Lofgren, president and CEO of UC Health. Wyllie said Monday's good news about the apparent effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine is a good reason to follow safety rules and hold out for a short time longer. Doctors hoped for a vaccine that was 70 to 75% effective, but the Pfizer vaccine apparently is more than 90% percent effective. "The end looks like it's in sight," he said. "Now is the time to wear a mask and socially distance." Erie County had 1,497 COVID-19 cases as of Monday, up 60 from Friday, according to an update from the Erie County Health Department. The county has had 55 deaths from the disease. Other county totals Monday from the state health department: Sandusky County, 1,017 cases, 25 deaths; Seneca County, 990 cases, 15 deaths; Huron County, 913 cases, 16 deaths, and Ottawa County, 783 cases, 30 deaths. Ohio has had 254,974 cases as of Monday and 5,524 deaths. The state reported 4,706 new cases Monday. The U.S. has now topped 10 million cases, with 10,044,002 cases as of Monday and 237,860 deaths, while the world has had about 50.7 million cases and 1,260,990 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins tracking website.