© 2024 WGLT
A public service of Illinois State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Peoria Hospitals Managing COVID's Stress Test on Beds, Staff Capacity

Kristin McHugh

Peoria-area hospitals are seeing more bed space used by COVID-19 patients, but it's been manageable--so far.

Dr. Samer Sader is chief medical officer for UnityPoint's central Illinois hospitals.

"We have had a significant increase in the numbers of patients who are requiring hospitalization," Sader said. "This has been going on for the last few weeks. Every few days, we seem to get a little bit better, and then we immediately have a bit of a spike again."

Sader said there aren't any significant bed or ventilators shortages, but maintaining that requires constant resource management by nursing and medical staff. And those employees also are under more strain, with--on average--anywhere from 100 to 125 staff out of circulation for COVID-19 isolation or quarantine at any one time.

"We all live in the same community," he said. "So when the numbers are going up, that is affecting our capacity to have all the staff that we want at the hospital to care for the patients. Our staff are also having infections."

Sader said contact tracing shows many of those infections stem from community spread, and to a lesser extent, co-workers--rather than the patients they're caring for in the hospitals.

Peoria City/County Health Department Administrator Monica Hendrickson said medical personnel also are following different quarantine protocols than members of the general public.

Sader said someone who works with a COVID-positive patient won't be asked to quarantine because they take precautions like masking, eye protection, and diligent hand hygiene. But if that exposure happens outside the workplace, more traditional quarantine practices still apply.

"If you had a close encounter at home where you were not following those precautions because it was your spouse, then yes, we are asking you to stay there for at least 10 days," Sader said.

Currently, the Illinois Department of Public Health reports 37 ICU beds available in Region 2, which includes Peoria, Bloomington, Galesburg, Rock Island, and LaSalle-Peru. A total of 363 of 474 ventilators are available region-wide.

As of Thursday, Peoria-area hospitals reported 168 COVID patients admitted; 49 were in the ICU.

There's no subscription fee to listen or read our stories. Everyone can access this essential public service thanks to community support.Donate now, and help fund your public media.

Copyright 2021 WCBU. To see more, visit WCBU.

Tim Shelley is the News Director at WCBU Peoria Public Radio.