The previous peak was 142,246 on January 14, 2021. During the Delta variant’s surge over the summer, the number peaked at around 104,000 on September 1.
In Virginia, Governor Ralph Northam declared a limited state of emergency on Monday as the number of intensive care unit hospitalizations more than doubled since December 1. The ordinance allows hospitals to increase their bed capacity and provides more flexibility in staffing, he said, adding that it also extends the use of telehealth as well as the expansion the number of health professionals who can administer vaccines.
In Texas, at least 2,700 medical staff are hired, trained and deployed to help with the push, joining more than 1,300 staff already dispatched across the state, the State Health Services Department said. of Texas in a statement to CNN.
Kentucky has mobilized the National Guard in support, with 445 members dispatched to 30 health facilities, the state said.
“Omicron continues to burn across the Commonwealth, increasing to levels we have never seen before. Omicron is significantly more contagious than even the Delta variant,” said Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, noting the previous variant which has spurred a wave of cases in the summer and fall months.
“If it spreads at the rate that we’re seeing, it’s definitely going to fill our hospitals,” he said, and Kentucky is “back to 134 available adult intensive care beds.”
In Kansas, the University of Kansas Health System, which has announced a record number of Covid-19 patients, “is moving staff from areas that can take over the support functions of direct patient care,” said UKHS Director of Operations Chris Ruder said. “So it can be running a lab, it can be just transporting patients. That kind of thing, we can use other people to help us.”
Mitigation measures such as compulsory masking are also being re-launched in some areas.
Delaware Gov. John Carney signed a universal indoor mask mandate on Monday due to increased hospital admissions as some hospitals “have over 100% inpatient bed capacity amid staff shortages crippling, “he said in a statement. Churches and places of worship are exempt from the mandate, while companies are expected to provide masks to customers and have signage on indoor mask requirements.
“I know we are all exhausted from this pandemic. But at the level of hospitalizations that we are seeing, the Delawaren who need emergency care might not be able to get it. It’s just a fact. time for everyone to participate and do what works. Wear your mask indoors. Avoid gatherings or expect to catch and spread Covid. Get vaccinated and, if you are eligible, do so. boost you, that’s how we’ll get through this wave without putting more lives at risk, ”Carney said.
Schools Face Omicron Problems
As Los Angeles prepared to return to school on Tuesday, around 62,000 students and staff had tested positive for Covid-19 and will be required to stay home, data from the Los Angeles Unified School District showed on Monday. which equates to a positivity rate of 14.99%. The positivity rate for Los Angeles County as a whole, by comparison, has climbed to 22%.
In Greensboro, North Carolina, the school district suspended school bus transportation for eight of its high schools starting Monday due to the “severe shortage of bus drivers made worse by increasing cases of Covid-19” , according to a statement from schools in Guilford County.
“As of this weekend, we didn’t have enough bus drivers to continue serving all the students, so we had to make some very difficult choices,” said Michelle Reed, school district director of operations.
To offset the pressure exerted on parents and guardians, the district has developed a partnership “which will allow high school students to take city buses for free,” according to the GCS press release.
Other sectors continue to be affected
According to the Solid Waste Association of North America, some municipalities have seen nearly a quarter of their garbage collection workforce become ill in recent weeks due to Covid-19, causing delays.
“This unfortunately coincided with the increase in waste and recycling volumes associated with vacations. However, we hope that as the volumes decrease and sanitation workers return to work, these delays will prove to be temporary.” Executive Director and CEO David Biderman said in a statement on Monday. .
Transit systems in major metropolitan areas such as New York and Washington, DC, have had to cut back on service with employees sick with Covid-19.
In Detroit, 20 to 25 percent of the SMART bus service is canceled or delayed, the agency said in a statement on Saturday.
And in Oregon, Portland buses are “facing the largest operator shortage in agency history” and have cut bus service by 9% as of Sunday, the service said.
CNN’s Jason Hanna, Rosa Flores, Claudia Dominguez, David Shortell, Pete Muntean, Melissa Alonso, Hannah Sarisohn, Cheri Mossburg, and Jenn Selva contributed to this report.