Hospitals in the United States are not prepared for the influx of patients because of the new version of the coronavirus - "Omicron", there is a serious shortage of beds amid expectations of increasing the number of those in need of hospitalization, writes The Wall Street Journal, citing of local health professionals.
According to the publication, the intensive care units are overcrowded with those in need of urgent treatment, in particular with cardiovascular and oncological diseases, as well as those infected with the "Delta" variant of the coronavirus.
In addition, doctors warn, the situation is exacerbated by staff shortages. For example, in one of the hospitals in Minneapolis, Minnesota, half of the beds are occupied by patients with various injuries, pneumonia and other cases requiring emergency hospitalization. As a result, doctors have had to send some patients home, and they would certainly have been admitted to hospital earlier.
Delays in providing the necessary assistance, experts warn, run the risk of serious complications. During the previous waves of the pandemic, some patients died without intensive treatment. In addition, the newspaper notes, another worrying factor is that people are postponing hospital visits for fear of contracting the coronavirus.
Last week, US President Joe Biden said Omicron would soon begin to spread in the country at a much faster pace. Currently, the majority of those infected with coronavirus in the United States are diagnosed with the Delta variant.
No comments:
Post a Comment