Officials with the University of Mississippi Medical Center say the current state of hospitalizations due to coronavirus infections is overwhelming the state’s healthcare system.
“We as a state, as a collective, have failed to respond in a unified way to a common threat,” says Dr. LouAnn Woodward, Vice-Chancellor of Clinical Affairs at the medical center.
She says Mississippians are not doing their part to prevent transmission of the coronavirus. Dr. Woodward says masks have become too politicized, and not enough people are trusting the reliable science of vaccines.
“This time last year in press conferences we all talked about ‘Boy if we can just get to that place where we’ve got a vaccine we can get to the other side of this.’ We have that vaccine, we have that tool, and we have not appropriately and fully used it and this is where we are,” says Dr. Woodward.
State officials have requested federal aid, as well as assistance from disaster relief organizations. The Christian non-profit organization Samaritan’s Purse is staffing the new mobile coronavirus unit in a parking deck at the medical center. Housed in tents, there will be 5 intensive care beds, and 27 “step down beds” for those with illness declining in severity. Dr. Elliott Tenpenny is with Samaritans Purse.
“The real need right now is for beds that can deliver high quality and high quantity of oxygen. So those beds will be able to deliver more than just basic just med-surge beds, more than 10-15 liters of oxygen. But the ICU itself will be able to take intubated patients,” says Dr. Tenpenny.
Health officials say the state will face severe logistical challenges throughout this week to ensure sure sick or injured residents are able to get medical care when they need it.
