KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Health officials with the University of Tennessee Medical Center said the COVID-19 situation in East Tennessee is accelerating, and they are getting more concerned.
Dr. James Shamiyeh with UTMC gave his fourth data update about COVID-19 on Thursday. In it, he said the hospital has 155 COVID-19 patients. There were 23 more patients over the past week, and 114 more patients over the last 30 days.
The last peak in COVID-19 hospitalizations was at 140 on Dec. 30, 2020. There are now more people fighting COVID-19 at UT Medical Center than ever before.
"The main point today is that the situation is accelerating and we are becoming increasingly concerned," he said.
He said that in December, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations grew by around one patient per day. Now, Dr. Shamiyeh said that they are taking in around three patients per day and that the rate is not showing any signs of slowing down.
According to data, 87 percent of COVID-19 patients are not fully vaccinated. the average age of people in the ICU is 56 years old.
He also said more than a quarter of all beds at UT Medical Center are being used by patients with COVID-19. Those beds could be used for patients who need surgery or for other medical needs.
"To summarize, our hospital and the other hospitals in the region are either at or have exceeded their prior peak of COVID-19 patients," he said.
In the past, he said health experts estimated that the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations would peak at around the second week of September. However, he said experts are less confident in that estimate and they don't know how high the number can go.
UT Medical Center will apply to keep Tennessee National Guard members who have helped them manage the surge in COVID-19 patients, and plan on asking for more people to help. They also opened two surge areas, which has placed increased demands on the hospital's staffing.
"I think there is this general sense that, in this type of situation, healthcare will just figure it out," Dr. Shamiyeh said. "While we're very good at doing this and we try as hard as we can, but we came to the realization this week that there probably is a ceiling to what we can do in terms of what we're able to staff. Healthcare is truly not an infinite resource at this point."
He said that the choices of people across society are contributing to the rise of COVID-19 cases, as people make decisions based on individual values. The consequences of those decisions collide in the healthcare system, he said.
He encouraged people to get vaccinated, wear masks and wash their hands regularly to stop the surge of COVID-19 cases.