Some Illinois hospitals running low on beds due to COVID-19
CHICAGO - Several hospitals in northwest and central Illinois are running out of beds because of the coronavirus pandemic, officials say.
About a half dozen hospitals operated by OSF HealthCare had 90% of their beds or more filled Tuesday, chief operating officer Dr. Michael Cruz told the Chicago Tribune.
OSF’s St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria was at 97% occupancy, its St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford was at 96% and its St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington had no available intensive care unit beds, Cruz said.
OSF has been transferring patients to other hospitals and moving staff as needed, Cruz said. It’s also having some patients stay in emergency room beds until ICU spots become available.
Statewide, 2,288 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Monday night, up from 1,648 about two weeks earlier, the Illinois Department of Public Health said.
Amita Health was also near capacity at some of its 14 acute care hospitals in Illinois because of COVID-19 and other factors, said Dr. Stuart Marcus, its chief clinical officer and executive vice president.