Here's How Chesco Hospitals Are Faring With Ventilators, ICU Beds

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — A new database created by the state shows how many ICU beds and ventilators Chester County has to deal with a potential coronavirus surge in the coming weeks. The hospital preparedness database, launched Wednesday, shows the level of available resources by county.

In Chester County, where there have been six deaths and 369 cases as of Wednesday afternoon, 155 ventilators remain available, the data shows. Currently, there 22 ventilators in use by coronavirus patients.

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Here is the full breakdown of hospital capacity in Chester County, according to the state data:

• Available Adult ICU Beds: 65
• Available Medical/Surgical Beds: 211
• Available Pediatric ICU Beds: 0
• Available Airborne Isolation Room Beds: 46
• Ventilators Available: 155
• Ventilators In Use (COVID-19): 22
• Ventilators In Use (non-COVID-19): 33

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According to the database, 1,898 Pennsylvanians are hospitalized due to COVID-19. Of those, 596 are on a ventilator. The state's hospitals have 5,141 ventilators. Of those, 1,606 are in use for both COVID and non-COVID patients. The state currently has 1,711 — or 40 percent — of adult ICU beds available.

You can view the database here.

Chester County remains the least hard-hit of the five-county greater Philadelphia region, with Philly, Delaware, Bucks, and Montgomery counties all seeing significantly higher numbers, as of Wednesday.

Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday signed an order to provide critical aid to hospitals with targeted protective equipment and supplies distribution.

He said the order is intended to ensure the efficient allocation and effective use of critical medical resources, such as N95 face masks, ventilators, respirators, face shields, safety goggles, disinfectants and other sanitizing solutions by hospitals in the state.

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Under the order, private, public and quasi-public health care providers and facilities, as well as manufacturers, distributors and suppliers of PPE, pharmaceuticals and other medical resources must submit current inventory quantities of PPE, pharmaceuticals and other medical resources.

The inventory must be submitted within five days. Health care providers and facilities are further ordered to provide written reports detailing facility health care needs and other pertinent information, he added.

“Combating a pandemic means we all have to work together and that means we need to make the best use of our medical assets to ensure the places that need them most have them,” Gov. Wolf said. “Today, I am signing an order that will allow us to transfer supplies and information between medical facilities to both high-population, high-impact areas and lower population areas that might not have as many existing medical resources."

Pennsylvania reported another 70 deaths related to the new coronavirus Wednesday. It followed the state's largest single-day death count, which was reported Tuesday when 78 virus-related fatalities were confirmed. Wednesday's new deaths bring the statewide total to 310.

But while the number cases continue to rise, the rate at which they're rising is slightly decreasing, state health officials said.

"We have seen a subtle flattening of the curve, which is good news," Health Secretary Rachel Levine said. She stressed Pennsylvanians "can not become complacent" and must continue social distancing efforts.

>>>Full coverage of coronavirus in Pennsylvania