An Alabama Man Dies After Being Turned Away From 43 Hospitals At Capacity : Coronavirus Updates : NPR
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
September 13, 20211:18 PM ET
Scott Neuman
Ray DeMonia, 73, was born and raised in Cullman, Ala., but he died on Sept. 1, some 200 miles away in an intensive care unit in Meridian, Miss.
Last month, DeMonia, who spent 40 years in the antiques and auctions business, suffered a cardiac emergency. But it was because hospitals are full due to the coronavirus — and not his heart — that he was forced to spend his last days so far from home, according to his family.
"Due to COVID 19, CRMC emergency staff contacted 43 hospitals in 3 states in search of a Cardiac ICU bed and finally located one in Meridian, MS.," the last paragraph of DeMonia's obituary reads, referring to the Cullman Regional Medical Center.
"In honor of Ray, please get vaccinated if you have not, in an effort to free up resources for non COVID related emergencies ... ," the obituary reads. "He would not want any other family to go through what his did."
The challenge for DeMonia's family members to find proper care for their loved one comes amid the latest surge in COVID-19 cases that have strained many ICUs to the breaking point once again as the highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus spreads. Although some people infected after vaccination do require hospitalization, a study released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that unvaccinated people were far more likely to become infected, to be hospitalized and to die from COVID-19.
"Looking at cases over the past two months, when the delta variant was the predominant variant circulating in this country, those who were unvaccinated were about 4 1/2 times more likely to get COVID-19, over 10 times more likely to be hospitalized and 11 times more likely to die from the disease," Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC's director, said last week at a White House briefing.
ICU capacity in Alabama has been maxed out in recent weeks, and COVID-19 patients occupy about half of the intensive care beds, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Speaking last week, Dr. Scott Harris, the head of the Alabama Department of Public Health, said the state was continuing to experience "a real crisis" with ICU bed capacity.
"We have had a little bit of a plateau over the last week. I'm very thankful for that," he said, adding, "The numbers aren't great. But the numbers at least have not continued to go up."
DeMonia's daughter, Raven DeMonia, told The Washington Post that it was "shocking" when the hospital told the family there were no ICU beds anywhere near Cullman, a town of about 16,000 some 50 miles north of Birmingham.
"It was like, 'What do you mean?' " after learning that her father would be airlifted to Mississippi, she told the Post. "I never thought this would happen to us."
NPR attempted without success to reach the DeMonia family.
A Cullman Regional Medical Center spokesperson, who declined to give specifics of Ray DeMonia's case, citing privacy concerns, confirmed to NPR that he was transferred from the hospital but said the reason was that he required "a higher level of specialized care not available" there.
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Who didn't see this coming. How sad that anti vaxers are taking up the available beds for non covid emergencies.
Anti-vaxxers killing people, pisses me off to no end.
Sad case and there was another similar case a few weeks ago when a guy in his 40s died because of hospitals being full because of covid.
Sadly, I don't think that this will be the last of this.
And sadly, now we have thousands of people cramming into football stadiums...
Frickin morons.
Makes no goddamned sense. But football must go on. The priorities in the US are so fucked up.
Morning..maybe it is time they set up a certain number of beds for co vid and once they are filled.. that's it..
Send them home with an oxygen bottle and their families can look after them and it will be in the hands of the God's.. that's all they could do in India.
If they can't be bothered to get vaccinated, then don't expect a hospital bed.
For non covid patients at least then they can have a fighting chance with their ailment..feel so sorry for this man and his family..
We are desperately low on oxygen too.
Morning split..is that America wide or just certain States??
Have not heard that before...did not think that could happen over there...
Be interesting to know what our situation is as well...
If an ambulance has O2 they can pick up cardiology patients but they have to check hospital by hospital
if the hospital has enough beds and O2 because the COVID patients need so much O2
I have an Inogen System. It makes its own O2.
I agree with you. if the covid patient was eligible to get a vaccine and didn't, without a legitimate health endangering reason verified by a doctor, the hospital should be allowed to turn them away. I'm in favor of a free vaccine final deadline for those adults eligible. after that deadline passes, let pharma charge them whatever they want for it. as an added kicker, let the health insurance companies off the hook for the medical cost coverage of covid for those going unvaccinated.
Afternoon, Shona! Hope you are well.
I heard something on the news about the National Guard being mobilized to set up medical tents/hospitals for the over flow. I would rather non-vaxxed COVID patients get the hospital tents and cots and vaxxed people get the lumpy hospital beds with good care.
Morning trout...yes all good thank you... two States here are battling outbreaks...mine Victoria and New South Wales... Melbourne on average 400 infections and Sydney about 1,400...the rest of the country is virus free.
Had my two vaccines and follow the protocol like the vast majourity here. I live 350 kms from Melbourne so will be just a matter of time before it reaches here again. Not had a case for over 12 months in this part of the State..
So all good and we just keep going, much the same as everyone else over there..enjoy your day...
Keep safe!
Fret not. This is the price of Freedom!
Not sure it is possible to get those who still refuse vaccinations (unless they have antibodies already) to accept reality until they are on death's door or they lose a friend / loved one to the virus.
Thank you for acknowledging that fact, maybe if the Administration would acknowledge that we could start moving forward rather than "got the shot or get fired" mentality. You can get tested for antibodies which is what people who have had Covid should do.
Sure, spend $75.00 to $45.00 to see IF you have antibodies instead of getting a free vaccine /s
Your health insurance might pay for the test once. Medicare & Medicaid pay for one test.
And your health insurance might just tell you to fuck off...you can get a free vaccine. Don't bother us anymore
One infamous anti vaxer who would purposely go the places like WM and Target to harass the employees and customers for wearing masks has died from covid related pneumonia. I guess there is a cure for stupid after all.
It's pretty sickening that the blithering idiots who wont get the vaccine because they don't trust the medical profession to develop a vaccine trust the same profession to cure them of the disease the vaccine is to protect them from.
~90% of those hospitalized with Covid are unvaccinated. This should tell everybody that the vaccines work. But, you can't fix stupid.
I was banned from that group on the vine. Haha
Here, it is 98%.
I've been fine for two years, wearing a cat flea collar.
Back in May, I had to call 911 for extreme abdominal pain, (bowel obstruction...hunk of prime rib got wedged in there somewhere...)....anyway.. Medics show up, throw me in the back of the meat wagon and start making phone calls. Every ER within 70 miles was full. Of what? Anti-vaxxers that have covid. Finally, they got me a bed in hospital that was 45 minutes away. Mind you, this is a basic life support wagon, they can do nothing but check my vitals and tell me how sorry they are that I don't feel well. It was a high priced Uber, nothing more. For the record, a BE can kill you. They put me, literally, in the storage closet, where I rolled around on the bed in agony for over 4 hours. Again, too busy looking after covid patients. How do I know? The nurse told me that anti-vaxxers are 90+% of their business, (that night).
Long story short, I was there for three days, then went home.
Thanks goodness you survived!
And clogged up the hospital plumbing at the same time!