MD Needs 2K To 3K Health Care Workers For COVID Hospital Surge

ANNAPOLIS, MD — The youngest Marylander to die from the coronavirus was 1 year old, according to Gov. Larry Hogan, who outlined a series of actions the state was taking to address an increase in hospitalizations and deaths from the virus statewide.

"Sadly, we have lost our youngest victim, a 1-year-old boy, to this deadly virus," Hogan said at a news conference Tuesday.

The child's death was reported Monday by state health officials as coronavirus hospitalizations surge. In Maryland, 1,583 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, as of Tuesday, Dec. 1, up from 523 patients on Nov. 1.

Coronavirus-related hospitalizations increased by 51 percent over the past two weeks, Hogan said, and are currently at the level they were May 10.

“We can expect to reach a new record high for hospitalizations in the coming days,” Hogan said.

Hogan said he was focused on providing care for the sick and addressing staffing needs at Maryland hospitals, 21 of which are at least at 90 percent capacity.

"The current surge is not only increasing the burden on our system," Hogan said. "It is also affecting our health care workers who are already spread thin and operating under immense strain and stress."

The problem was not going to improve in the short term, according to the governor.

"It's going to continue to get worse over the next at least several weeks," Hogan said. "The worst part of this crisis is still ahead of us, over the next month or two," based on projections.

The governor outlined ways the state was encouraging people to step into health care roles and maximize resources. About 2,000 to 3,000 people are needed to fill positions in the next few weeks to address the demand for health-care workers, according to state officials.

"We are laser-focused on taking actions in an effort to prevent the overburdening of our health care system," said Hogan, who laid out these measures to battle the surge:

• Health care professionals who want to help can go to www.marylandmednow.com.
• School nurses who are not in schools, health services staff and other county employees will be asked to help staff the state’s testing and vaccination sites.
• Hospitals must submit a surge plan by Dec. 8 and “should begin making adjustments on an emergency basis,” Hogan said, such as reducing elective procedures that require a bed or ventilator and transferring patients between facilities.
• Hospitals and nursing homes will be encouraged to free up nursing staff by using unlicensed individuals to perform certain less critical tasks.
• Colleges and universities will be encouraged to develop emergency policies to award academic credit to students willing to serve in health care during the pandemic and allow health care students in their final semester to leave early to serve.

As the state looks to staff its health care facilities, there are steps the public can take to help.

"Marylanders, we need to get our second wind," said Dr. David Marcozzi, a member of the state's coronavirus task force. "Yes, we're tired. But we're also battle tested. We know what to expect, and we're ready for it."

He encouraged people to continue taking care of their health by receiving care as needed.

“You don’t want to survive this pandemic only to have your other medical conditions worsen," Marcozzi said. He encouraged people to keep up with their regular medication and follow public health guidance.

"There are safe vaccines on the way," Marcozzi said. "When it's available to you, go and get one."

The governor said that the first batch of vaccines will be from Pfizer and Moderna, a "tiny fraction of what we need," covering half of the front-line health care workers.

"The good news is, they have great vaccines, and they're years ahead of schedule," said Hogan, who added Maryland will get them "relatively fast." Vaccines will require difficult decisions, Hogan said, and he expects his next news conference to focus on the implementation.

"This is going to be a little bit of a slow takeoff," Hogan said of vaccinations, which he likened to coronavirus tests, which began with about 50 tests a day and are now administered in the tens of thousands daily. Hogan said he expects the vaccines will follow a similar trajectory and end up being deployed in large volume.

A surge in hospitalizations mid-November prompted Hogan to call for these changes at an earlier news conference, measures that took effect Nov. 20:

• Bars and restaurants had to close by 10 p.m. nightly except for carryout and delivery to prevent flouting of public health orders
• Retailers, organizations and religious institutions were limited to 50 percent capacity.
• Collegiate stadiums and racetracks could not allow fans.

In addition, the Maryland Department of Health restricted visitation in hospitals and ramped up testing requirements at nursing homes.

See Also:

• New COVID Policing Unit To Launch In Maryland On Thanksgiving Eve
• More Than 1 Million Opt In To MD COVID Alert Notifications
• Hogan Introduces COVID Rules In MD Ahead Of Anticipated Hospital Surge
• Amid Warnings, Hospitals Prepare For Wave Of COVID Patients
• MD Coronavirus Hospitalizations Jump By 65 In One Day