Iowa reached a new peak in COVID-19 hospitalized patients on Tuesday with 463. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, of those patients 114 were in intensive care and 44 were on ventilators.

At Tuesday’s Washington County Board of Supervisors meeting, Washington County Public Health Director Danielle Pettit-Majewski and Emergency Management Coordinator Marissa Reisen provided some insight on the hospital resources in the 17-county region. Pettit-Majewski said, “We currently have 356 beds available in Region 5, which is about 18% of our total.” And Reisen added, “I’ll throw in there that zero of those available beds are at the University [of Iowa Hospital].” Reisen explained that it is constantly fluctuating, and people will receive the care they need but may be diverted or discharged to another facility for some treatments.

Pettit-Majewski said as of Tuesday there were 85 COVID-19 hospitalized patients in Region 5 with 29 people in ICU and 14 people were on ventilators, “And right now we have 52 ICU beds in the region. So, as Marissa [Reisen] said, a lot of those are going to be diverted from the University to other hospitals across Region 5.”

As of Tuesday, Washington County has had 562 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, 11 deaths, and 413 have recovered. People are encouraged to wash their hands frequently with soap and water, wear a mask in public, avoid close contact with people outside of your household, and stay home when you’re sick to prevent the spread of illness.

CLARIFICATION: Reisen further explained that a surge plan has been developed and is available if needed at the University of Iowa Hospitals. While they are experiencing high patient numbers, they still have the capacity to treat patients in need at the University and find appropriate care throughout the region.
10/15/20