Local hospitals in northern Indiana are running out of beds for COVID-19 patients and face a looming “catastrophe” if cases and hospitalizations continue to surge, officials said Wednesday.
The situation has limited their capacity to care for people with other illnesses.
And it has led Gov. Eric Holcomb to pull Indiana back from Stage 5, placing the state on more restrictions for social gatherings, school activities and recreational sports, while reinforcing the state’s mask requirements.
Elkhart General Hospital is struggling to provide extra space for COVID-19 patients.
Click here to read the full report from Joseph Dits in the South Bend Tribune.
Memorial Hospital in South Bend may have space for now, with a surgical area that recently was converted to an ICU unit, but its toughest challenge is securing the staff needed – including nurses and doctors. Many are fatigued by long hours and a long pandemic. Some have been infected by the virus, said Dr. Dale Patterson, Memorial’s vice president of medical affairs.
“We are using them all now,” he said.