Regional ICU Capacity Drops To Zero-Percent
Sonora, CA — Tuolumne County Health Director Michelle Jachetta has put out a statement regarding the regional ICU capacity.
You can read it below:
Today the state is reporting the San Joaquin Valley Region ICU capacity at 0%. This does not necessarily mean that there are zero beds available at any given time in this fluid situation, but it does represent a severe impact to the healthcare system locally and within our region.
It means staffed beds are limited for those who need care at our local hospital, and individuals requiring a higher level of care, whether for COVID or other health issues like heart attacks, strokes, and accidents, are not as likely to be able to transfer to a facility outside of the county because beds are full elsewhere. Transfers that are possible will take our ambulance teams out of service for the duration of those trips.
People may be treated in a surge tent or other adapted areas of a care facility or an alternate care site and/or have lengthy wait times to be seen.
If staffed beds become extremely scarce or unavailable, individuals may not receive the same level of care they would otherwise, and it may increase the risk of additional deaths in our community.
We can still take action to slow the spread of the virus and the impact on our healthcare system. As from the beginning, the best thing to do is reduce the number of overall cases. The best way to do that is to focus on the things each one of us can do:
-Wear a face covering
-Keep 6 Feet distance
-Wash your hands
-Stay in your bubble
-Stay home if you’re sick
