MOLINE, Ill. — For months, doctors at hospitals around the Quad Cities have been warning that new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have been on the rise. Now, those same hospitals have reached a breaking point.
"We are facing in the hospitals in some areas a situation that's worse than it was a year ago," said Dr. Kurt Andersen, chief medical officer for Genesis Health System.
Doctors from Genesis and UnityPoint Health Trinity said Wednesday the situation in the community's hospitals has grown dire.
"We have not near the level of care we would normally have to take care of any problem, let alone COVID," Andersen said.
The problem now is there are no beds left.
"This morning, the percentage of the occupancy of ICU beds in the Quad Cities here is 120 percent," said Dr. Toyosi Olutade, the chief medical officer at UnityPoint Health Trinity.
Dr. Olutade said what's happening at UnityPoint is the same thing that is happening at Genesis hospitals.
"It's not easy to keep going on this long for 20 months plus in this nonstop pandemic," Olutade said.
And for Dr. Andersen at Genesis, the hospital's resources are running out.
"We have patients who are waiting for intensive care units for days in our emergency room," Andersen said. "We don't have any room, we have no bed available, there's no bed available in the region."
For both doctors, the solution is clear.
"There's no debate anymore. Vaccines are safe. Vaccines are effective," Andersen said.
Olutade said there is one gift community members can give to health care workers this holiday season.
"The best gift you can give is taking the necessary precautions, including vaccination, getting boosted and masking in indoor spaces" Olutade said.
Quad Cities doctors are pleading for help.
Genesis and UnityPoint doctors said Wednesday both hospital systems are reducing the number of elective procedures right now because those beds are needed for COVID-19 patients.