Northeast Ohio Hospitals Hit Hard By Coronavirus

CLEVELAND — Nearly 300 caregivers at the Cleveland Clinic are currently away from work due to the coronavirus, officials revealed this week.

During a news conference on Monday, health leaders from around Ohio discussed the state's spike in hospitalizations related to COVID-19. There are currently over 2,500 hospitalizations statewide. More than 50 percent of those hospitalizations are in Zone 1, which is in northern Ohio, stretching from Toledo through Cleveland.

Health officials said there are enough hospital beds, personal protective equipment (PPE), medication and ventilators to care for the influx of new patients. Approximately 25 to 30 percent of hospital beds are unutilized in Zone 1, health officials said.

However, Zone 1's caregivers have been hit hard by COVID-19. Nearly 300 staffers from the Cleveland Clinic are out due to coronavirus.

"It's not because they're catching COVID in the hospital. What we're seeing is they're catching it in the community," said Dr. Robert Wyllie, of the Cleveland Clinic. "What we're asking everyone to do is double down. Now is the time to wear a mask and socially distance - if not to protect your family and friends, do it to protect the caregivers who protect COVID patients and other hospitalized patients."

The incoming chief medical officer for the Ohio Department of Health, Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, said Ohio hospitals may have to begin postponing acute care for non-COVID patients.

"If we don't control the spread of this virus, we won't be able to care for those who are acutely ill without postponing important, but less urgent, care. We anticipate that this kind of shift could happen in a matter of weeks if trends don't change," he said.