Hospitals in Massachusetts warned that the well being care system is "gasping for air" because the extremely contagious Omicron variant spreads, and the variety of folks hospitalized with COVID has significantly elevated in current weeks.

In a press release on Friday, hospital leaders with the Massachusetts Well being & Hospital Affiliation, which represents hospitals all through the state, issued "their most pressing message to the general public but, as the soundness of the system hangs within the steadiness."

"Each nook of our healthcare system is gasping for air. Each unit and hallway is full, procedures are being cancelled, and sufferers are ready in ERs for hours on finish for the care they want," the affiliation said.

"Now we have by no means been extra fearful for what's to come back if issues aren't rotated rapidly," it added.

Dr. Eric Dickson, the president and CEO of UMass Memorial Healthcare mentioned that the present surge "is totally different."

"As scary as issues might have been for suppliers within the early days of COVID, issues at the moment are a lot worse," Dickson mentioned in a press release.

"COVID-19 admissions have spiked by nearly 250 p.c since Thanksgiving, the ranks of the healthcare workforce have been depleted, and beds are stuffed with sufferers who're sicker than earlier than," he continued.

The affiliation urged members of the neighborhood to take motion by masking "always" in public, getting vaccinated, and avoiding emergency rooms for delicate COVID signs and testing.

"That is what it can take for Massachusetts hospitals to keep away from the worst attainable situations within the very close to future," Michael Dandorph, President and CEO of Wellforce, a Massachusetts well being system, mentioned in a press release.

"Suppliers and state leaders proceed to work as one and to do all the things of their energy to be right here once you want us. However these measures are merely not sustainable if they don't seem to be supported by public motion," he mentioned.

Massachusetts Hospital Leaders Say COVID Impacted 'Stability'
Hospitals in Massachusetts warned that the well being care system is "gasping for air" because the extremely contagious Omicron spreads, and the variety of folks hospitalized with COVID has significantly elevated in current weeks. Right here, a medical employee treats a non COVID-19 affected person, who's simply in a room in addition to rooms with COVID-19 sufferers, within the ICU ward at UMass Memorial Medical Middle in Worcester, Massachusetts on January 4. Joseph Prezioso

In line with information from the Massachusetts Division of Public Well being, there are at the moment 3,223 sufferers hospitalized with COVID-19 within the state together with 460 sufferers who're being handled in intensive care models (ICUs) and 279 sufferers who're intubated.

The state's positivity charge for COVID-19 testing is at the moment about 20 p.c, and there have been 12,864 new infections reported on Thursday.

Earlier this month, Massachusetts hospital officers warned about ICU mattress availability dropping amid the unfold of the Omicron variant. As of final week, ICU beds throughout the state had been nearing capability as Massachusetts' positivity charge practically doubled to almost 21 p.c.