One New Hampshire hospital said its emergency department has been at over 100% capacity this week because of rising COVID-19 cases.
Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover also said its resources are stretched because it’s short-staffed and there’s been an increase in other patients who had delayed getting medical help.
“COVID cases are a fair share of what we are seeing,” Stacey Savage, clinical director of emergency services, told Seacoastonline.com in a story Wednesday. “We have definitely seen more of an uptick recently and vaccination is what is going to save us. But we are also seeing people who have delayed care and are now coming in sicker than they expected to be.”
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Wentworth-Douglass admitted 20 COVID-19 patients on Wednesday, including 18 who were unvaccinated. The emergency department has a total of 33 beds among the hospital’s total of 178 beds, according to officials.
Savage said she is seeing more nurses and other staff leaving than ever before in her 20-plus-year career.
“I am most concerned about health care workers,” she said. “They are exhausted by the numbers of people we are seeing, but also exhausted emotionally, and mentally. They are concerned about contracting the virus. They are concerned for their families and their patients.”
