Arkansas is down to 8 open ICU beds as hospitals swell with covid patients
Category: News & Politics
Via: tessylo • 3 years ago • 21 commentsBy: Jonathan Edwards, The Washington Post
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Arkansas is down to 8 open ICU beds as hospitals swell with covid patients
A nurse checks on a patient in the covid-19 intensive care unit at NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital in Jonesboro, Ark., on Aug. 4. (Houston Cofield/Bloomberg News)
The Republican governor announced on Twitter that 1,376 coronavirus patients were hospitalized across the state, an increase of 103 people since Sunday. Both figures were records, and Hutchinson called them "very startling numbers."
The highly infectious delta variant continues to rip through Arkansas and the rest of the country. The South, with a higher share of its population unvaccinated, has been especially hard hit.
Hutchinson connected the two occurrences and said that more inoculations would ease the pressure on the health care system.
"Vaccinations reduce hospitalizations," he said.
Hutchinson's update came a week after the governor said he wished he hadn't signed a bill into law this past spring banning local officials from requiring people to wear masks during the pandemic. In March, as the number of coronavirus infections fell, Arkansas lawmakers let a mask mandate expire. About a month later, the ban against such mandates came across Hutchinson's desk.
Now, the governor has called on state lawmakers to consider reversing the ban during a special session so school districts can require students to wear face coverings when they head back to their classrooms later this month.
"In hindsight, I wish that it had not become law," he said at an Aug. 3 news conference.
Since then, the number of new infections has kept rising, jumping 21 percent in the state while deaths rose by 40 percent, according to The Post's coronavirus analysis. The resurging infection rates have health care workers in Arkansas and other states burned out, leading some to quit their jobs, The Post reported last week.
Hutchinson's reversal on mask mandates contrasts with other conservatives who have continued fighting government-led mandates to stem the virus's spread, which has been fueled by the ascendant delta variant. On Monday, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said on Fox News that officials should pass no mandates requiring people to wear masks or get vaccinated.
"Democrats . . . do not respect your liberty, they do not respect your right to make your choices," Cruz said.
"There should be no mandates," he added, "zero concerning covid."
On Sunday, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., called on people to "resist" measures to stop the virus's spread, including what he called the Centers for Disease Control's "anti-science mask mandates."
"We don't have to accept the mandates, lockdowns and harmful policies of the petty tyrants and bureaucrats. We can simply say no, not again," he said in a Twitter video. "They can't arrest all of us. They can't keep all of your kids home from school. They can't keep every government building closed."
Last week, President Biden denounced governors who had banned businesses and universities from requiring vaccines or rebuffed the CDC's masking recommendations. He pleaded with them to help or get out of the way, before specifically calling out Govs. Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott of Florida and Texas, both Republicans.
DeSantis recently signed an executive order barring schools from requiring masks while Abbott has prohibited local governments and state agencies from mandating vaccines.
"Their decisions are not good for their constituents," Biden said.
DeSantis has since doubled down, and on Monday threatened to withhold the pay of school officials who require students to wear masks.
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Hutchinson's update came a week after the governor said he wished he hadn't signed a bill into law this past spring banning local officials from requiring people to wear masks during the pandemic. In March, as the number of coronavirus infections fell, Arkansas lawmakers let a mask mandate expire. About a month later, the ban against such mandates came across Hutchinson's desk.
Now, the governor has called on state lawmakers to consider reversing the ban during a special session so school districts can require students to wear face coverings when they head back to their classrooms later this month.
"In hindsight, I wish that it had not become law," he said at an Aug. 3 news conference.
Since then, the number of new infections has kept rising, jumping 21 percent in the state while deaths rose by 40 percent, according to The Post's coronavirus analysis. The resurging infection rates have health care workers in Arkansas and other states burned out, leading some to quit their jobs, The Post reported last week.
Hutchinson's reversal on mask mandates contrasts with other conservatives who have continued fighting government-led mandates to stem the virus's spread, which has been fueled by the ascendant delta variant. On Monday, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said on Fox News that officials should pass no mandates requiring people to wear masks or get vaccinated.
"Democrats . . . do not respect your liberty, they do not respect your right to make your choices," Cruz said.
"There should be no mandates," he added, "zero concerning covid."
On Sunday, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., called on people to "resist" measures to stop the virus's spread, including what he called the Centers for Disease Control's "anti-science mask mandates."
"We don't have to accept the mandates, lockdowns and harmful policies of the petty tyrants and bureaucrats. We can simply say no, not again," he said in a Twitter video. "They can't arrest all of us. They can't keep all of your kids home from school. They can't keep every government building closed."
Last week, President Biden denounced governors who had banned businesses and universities from requiring vaccines or rebuffed the CDC's masking recommendations. He pleaded with them to help or get out of the way, before specifically calling out Govs. Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott of Florida and Texas, both Republicans.
DeSantis recently signed an executive order barring schools from requiring masks while Abbott has prohibited local governments and state agencies from mandating vaccines.
"Their decisions are not good for their constituents," Biden said.
Another goddamned shithead republican reversing his ignorance now. Too little too late you asshole.
This is what I heard on the news this morning and caused me to call him an asshole.
Do these idiots want everyone to get sick? How many deaths are enough for them to say "we have to do something"?
He did threaten that and a number of superintendents have told him to shove it and are going ahead with requiring masks for schools.
Good!
Why would people risk serious illness instead of doing a simple thing like getting a vaccination or wearing a mask? It is inexplicable.
Don't tell me what to do, John!!!!!!!!!!!
Because people are stupid John. That's what it comes down to. And we're seeing the consequence of such stupidity.
Yea! Back to school!
Not right now, they won’t. In a few months, if a few million people get shots, and after vaccinations take effect, all of which takes 5-6 weeks? Sure. But lack of pushing the vaccine has fucked your people and they will going on being fucked for a while. Nice job, asshole.
Sounds like states need to seriously reconsider the value and need for military field hospitals. Those are valuable resources that are going to waste not being used
That is a great idea. We also have hospital ships that could be used. One could be docked at Mobile and Pensacola. Close to where the pandemic is having the worst effects. And not just those 2 places. Those are the two that come to mind quickly
One of the two Navy hospital ships was docked at a pier in NYC during the beginning stages of the pandemic and it was barely used because the local hospitals would not send patients to them for some reason, so the Navy pulled it out and had it return to it's home port.
Hospital ships are a great idea! I remember when the USNS Mercy and Comfort were sent to CA and NY in March 2020 but their governors never used them. I hope Arkansas will, instead of putting their Covid-positive patients in nursing homes that aren't equipped to handle very ill patients.
Who said they'd be put into nursing homes?
Both the Comfort and the Mercy were barely used for a number of reasons and it wasn't that NY or CA didn't want to send Covid patients there.
If they are going to be used again then the mission and parameters have to be changed to meet the real requirements of the city of state needing them.
There is an excellent article on this but it's behind a paywall so no use posting the link.
I'm aware that Arkansas is in a real problem/danger area as is FL. the number of cases and deaths keeps rising with no end in sight. FL has numerous ports on both the Gulf and Atlantic side that the ships could be of great value if we keep heading in the direction we have been for the last couple of weeks.
Not I.
That was something I was unaware of. Arkansas has a huge river port, but I don't know if you could get a hospital ship up the Arkansas River