DETROIT – The spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) to hundreds of residents in Metro Detroit has started to put a strain on hospitals in the area.
Hospitals such as Henry Ford in Downtown Detroit are nearing capacity. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer warned Tuesday that Beaumont Health is almost at capacity.
As of Wednesday evening, Henry Ford Hospital is reporting 304 positive cases in patients and another 107 people who are hospitalized while awaiting test results.
Click here to visit Henry Ford Hospital’s COVID-19 resource center.
Officials said the six-hospital network has two facilities nearing capacity: Henry Ford in Downtown Detroit and Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital.
“We had a significant surge, as you know, in Wayne and Oakland counties,” said Dr. Betty Chu, of Henry Ford, during a Wednesday afternoon conference call. “Today, our capacity is quite full in those two hospitals, especially West Bloomfield and the Henry Ford in Detroit.”
On a statewide scale, Whitmer reiterated her plea for everyone to stay home, because the health system is getting tighter by the minute.
UPDATE -- March 25, 2020: Michigan coronavirus cases total 2,295; death toll rises to 43
“This is highly contagious,” Whitmer said. “We’ve heard the terrible stories of people dying over the past few days. We need to stay home in order to give help to our healthcare professionals who are already bearing a too-heavy burden.”
The University of Michigan Hospital offered some positive news, reporting that it has given more than 1,100 tests with 71 positives and 398 results pending. Right now the system has two dozen patients, which it can easily handle.
Due to the donations program help over the weekend, officials at U of M Hospital have a good number of masks and gowns available. They have canceled elective surgeries and cleared out surgical suites to take more COVID-19 patients.
Other hospital systems are reporting to the state and aren’t interested in revealing numbers otherwise. As it stands, Michigan residents are bracing for more cases and hoping the system is flexible enough to cope.