Midland Memorial Hospital reaches triple digital COVID capcity

MIDLAND, Texas (KOSA) -An increase of patients and a lack of staffing has filled Midland Memorial Hospital’s bed capacity.

In a news conference this Tuesday, the hospital says there are 21 patients sitting in their Emergency Department awaiting a bed. The longest patient has waited over two and a half days.

Midland Memorial Hospital says COVID is straining its healthcare system after seeing a rapid rise in cases now reaching over 100 covid positive patients.

“Of the 103 cases that are Covid patients, that are in-house, 70% of those are unvaccinated. So we have a total of 31 breakthrough cases that are in-house right. That’s 30 percent,” said Stephen Bowerman, Senior Vice President of Midland Memorial Hospital.

The hospital says during the Delta surge it saw patients mostly from the Permian Basin.

However this time around, 19 percent of the COVID patient population are from outside Midland County.

“We have patients from Las Vegas, from Albuquerque, from Harlingen, from El Paso, from Weatherford. So we have a lot more patients; it seems this around from outside the Permian basin that are in our hospital today,” said Bowerman.

Now, MMH is currently on diversion from other surrounding area hospitals and because of the increase of patients and decrease of staffing over the MMH has brought in 27 state frontline workers to help fight off the threat of COVID in the hospital.

“24 of those are RN’s three of them are respiratory therapist very helpful and will allow us to hopefully open a few additional beds on our six-floor in the next 24 to 48 hours,” said Bowerman.

Midland Memorial Hospital says it’s averaging one covid death a day in January.

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