(WSIL) -- A health official in Illinois' Region 5 says they're doing all they can to keep hospital 'capacity as high as possible'.
This comes after a report by theĀ Ā It's a fluid situation according to Arien Herrmann, the manager for Region 5's Hospital Coordinating Center.
During the interview with News 3, Herrmann tracked two available ICU beds: one in Mt. Vernon and another in Marion. But Herrmann says the number of available beds has fluctuated in the single digits for the last two days.
It's not because of space or equipment, Herrmann says, but because COVID patients are staying longer and staff is wearing thin. Herrmann says it's getting to the point where he may have to put on the scrubs to help.
Out of the 88 ICU beds in Region 5, 38 of them are filled with COVID-19 patients Herrmann says. The rest are filled with patients who suffered strokes, heart attacks or other serious conditions.
That means, Herrmann says, anyone seeking serious care could find themselves waiting a while.
"They're having to compete for these beds with patients that have serious COVID," Herrmann said. "We're doing everything we can."
Herrmann says hospitals have postponed elective surgeries and opted to use methods like telehealth to keep patients out of the ICU.
The focus now, Herrmann says is on managing resources. Herrmann says there have been discussions with the state to explore ways they can assist. Herrmann says the lack of ICU bed availability speaks to region's vaccination rate, the lowest in the state.
"It is not surprising that we find ourselves where we are because so many people are not taking this seriously," Herrmann said.
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