This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.
Here’s why it’s a bad time to need a hospital bed even if you don’t have COVID-19
Beds for patients awaiting examination that are not suspected of being Covid-19 positive stand inside a converted chapel area at Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Community Hospital in the Willowbrook neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.
Listen
46:19
Omicron is surging. That means hospitals are filling up… again. Medical centers were already short-staffed. Now, things have progressed to the point that governors in 10 states have called in the National Guard to help.
That also means it’s a pretty bad time to need an ICU bed if you don’t have COVID-19. Dozens of hospitals across the country started the year by delaying routine surgeries… again.
That includes a much-needed heart surgery for Maggie Frye’s five-month-old son. He has a congenital heart condition, but his surgeries kept getting delayed. Then omicron hit.
He is just one ofmillions of people worldwide who have had surgeries delayed or canceled since the pandemic started. How can hospitals bounce back from omicron? What do all these delays mean for hospitals and patients?
Copyright 2022 WAMU 88.5. To see more, visit WAMU 88.5. 9(MDA1OTI3MjQ5MDEyODUwMTE2MzM1YzNmZA004))
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
