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Medical facilities throughout the country are turning away patients seeking walk-in appointments and experiencing an alarming worker shortage amid a rise in COVID-19 cases and the recent discovery of the Delta and Omicron variants. While many medical facilities are dealing with understaffing issues, some are also faced with an increase in patients, making it difficult to treat patients seeking immediate care.
Orlando Health Urgent Care Spot in Florida recently set up a sign warning patients aren’t accepting walk-ins as they have before, with those seeking care faced with the option of setting up an appointment instead, according to WESH 2. The state has reportedly
listed over 4 million confirmed COVID-19 cases since the onset of the pandemic.Several clinics in St. Louis County that allow residents to be tested for the COVID-19 virus also now require appointments after previously taking walk-ins. Even then, the St. Louis Business Journal reports, many can expect to experience a long wait time.
Approximately 75,000 people in America are currently hospitalized as a result of coronavirus. Per the CDC, both COVID-19 cases and related hospitalizations have been on the rise over the past month.
Citing understaffing issues in medical facilities, Carrie Saia, a hospital CEO in Kansas, said to Vox about the ongoing problem, “When you have a Covid patient who needs ICU care, those hospitals are turning away patients. We’re sending our patients farther away. Not because they’re full, they’re just out of staff.”
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Dr. Ryan Westergaard, a disease epidemiologist in Wisconsin, told PBS about the current state of hospitals, “We have very full hospitals which makes it more difficult to give people the highest level of care they need when people need it,” adding, “It can take a lot of resources, and the physical space isn’t generally the limiting step. We need to have healthcare professionals who can administer the care, manage ventilators, provide medications and monitor people closely.”
The CDC recommends that those infected with COVID-19 attempt to call ahead before making a trip to the doctor, saying, “Call ahead. Many medical visits for routine care are being postponed or done by phone or telemedicine. If you have a medical appointment that cannot be postponed, call your doctor’s office, and tell them you have or may have COVID-19. This will help the office protect themselves and other patients.”