San Luis Obispo County hospital leaders are ringing the alarm that the COVID-19 pandemic on the Central Coast is seriously underestimated.
According to French Hospital Medical Center’s director of ICUs, Dr. Mark Soll, some local ICs have no beds available this week. He, along with other hospital leaders, wants to let the community know that the dramatic increase in COVID-19 hospital and ICU admissions is putting a lot of strain on our hospitals.
“Things are really escalating in the hospitals and we are starting to scramble to find beds to place patients in,” said Dr. Soll.
He explained that all 11 IC beds in his hospital are full, with six COVID-19 patients and five others. The staff is also stretched very thin.
“You see all these people complaining that we’re merging with Southern California with their 85% occupancy. Well, we’re just as bad, if not worse, than much of Southern California,” Soll said.
He says our region is extremely vulnerable, adding that the Central Coast already has half the number of hospital beds than most of the country, it is already a busy time of the year, partly due to the flu and other conditions of the respiratory system, and we are in a pandemic.
He adds that the governor’s mandate to stay at home is necessary for our area.
“A lot of people are protesting it as unnecessary on the Central Coast because we’re in so good shape. Well, they don’t know what they’re talking about. We’re not in good shape,” Soll said.
He says they are planning an emergency ICU at the French hospital for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients. The problem with that, he says, is that there aren’t enough staff to take care of the patients.
“You can only ask people to work 150 percent for so long and right now it’s okay and everyone is willing and able to do that, but at some point it breaks down,” Soll said.