By Chris Miller, Assistant Editor, Facility Market

Queen’s Health Systems in Hawaii has run out of intensive care (ICU) beds as of Aug. 16, according to the Star Advertiser. The system has begun canceling elective surgeries and is diverting patients with emergency health needs to other hospitals.

The beds are being occupied by COVID-19 patients, as well as those who have suffered heart attacks, strokes and other traumas. The highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus has caused cases in Hawaii to escalate to twice the highest level observed during the height of the pandemic last year. A recent seven-day average showed that Hawaii has seen 652 cases a day, with 7.5 percent of tests coming back positive. At the beginning of July, the state was averaging 50 cases a day.

Experts believe Hawaii is headed for a healthcare disaster, according to Big Island Now. Almost 300 patients in the state were admitted due to a COVID-19 infection as of Aug. 13, and many hospitals across the islands are approaching full capacity. Several have begun adding bed space and requesting emergency personnel additions in the face of rising coronavirus infections that neared a couple thousand over the course of the past several days.

Statewide, 64 percent of ICU beds are occupied. About one-third of the occupied beds are COVID-19 patients. There are 52 COVID-19 patients on ventilators. As of Aug. 15, the national seven-day average of new cases is 130,710, according to CNBC. This is an increase of 20 percent from the previous seven-day average. The seven-day average for COVID-19 deaths nationwide rose to 687, up 36% from the previous average.

Many healthcare systems around the world are dealing with limited resources as the pandemic goes on. Planning for community spread of COVID-19 is necessary for maintaining services. There are a handful of ways for a facility to prepare for COVID-19 surges in healthcare environments, according to the CDC. Facilities can use the COVID-19 surge spreadsheet to estimate and respond to the surge in demand for hospital-based services. They can also have plans in place for cohorting patients and assigning dedicated staff. Other plans to reduce staffing shortages and assess the need for alternative care sites like emergency field hospitals should be in place. Finally, facilities can work towards resuming or maintaining services using a risk and benefit analysis for in-person care visits while improving telehealth.