How COVID-19 is closing in on Alabama healthcare workers

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Found this in my internet wanderings tonight... 3 Pulmonologists handling 150 ICU patients in multiple hospitals as other partners out with COVID.  Having success with monoclonal antibodies.

How COVID-19 is closing in on Alabama healthcare workers
 

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,,,“Today, our group is seeing 150 people in the hospital, Thrasher said. “Not all of those are COVID but the vast majority are and many of these are on ventilators. That pretty much takes up the whole day in the hospital.”

Lately, that task has been even harder. Four of Thrasher’s partners and one nurse practitioner have COVID-19. Only three doctors remain to handle a patient load about 50 percent higher than last Winter, Thrasher said.

“Normally at this time of year I would be at the hospital 7 or 7:30 and have a tough day and have tough weekends,” Thrasher said. “Normally I would expect our group to have about 100 patients a day. Today, as of right now, it’s 150.”

...Recent advances in treatment have improved outpatient care for people with COVID. Thrasher estimated that about two-thirds of the patients he treats at home would have been hospitalized over the Summer. He credits monoclonal antibodies for much of that improvement, but limited supplies have restricted the treatment to high-risk patients age 65 and older and those with co-morbidities....