Stitt: More hospital beds needed to treat virus patients

By:  Daisy Creager The Journal Record April 1, 2020

OKLAHOMA CITY – As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Oklahoma jumped by 154 and deaths increased by seven, Gov. Kevin Stitt said Wednesday the state will need up to 6,800 hospital beds to treat coronavirus patients at the peak of the pandemic.

Stitt also extended his “Safer At Home” order until April 30 and included all counties, rather than just those with a confirmed case. The order requires nonessential businesses to shut down and the elderly and medically vulnerable to stay indoors.

In a virtual press conference Wednesday, Stitt said the state is working with researchers at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University to model a timeline for the virus’s spread, which he said “is not an exact science.”

But based on current projections, if the spread peaks sooner rather than later, the state will have enough ventilators but will need 4,000 to 6,800 hospital beds.

The governor’s office has said there are little more than 1,700 beds potentially available for virus patients.

That’s not going to be enough.

If the number of cases peaks in the latter part of the predicted range, the state will be in need of more ventilators, Stitt said.

To improve accuracy of predictions, the governor lifted COVID-19 testing restrictions, saying the state now has 13,600 test kits, with OSU’s lab alone capable of administering 2,300 tests per day.

Six testing stations are open throughout the state, with seven more to open by the end of the week.“

Anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 or who has come in contact with someone with COVID needs to be tested this week,” Stitt said. “As we get more testing, as we get more data, (the) cone of uncertainty will start to narrow.”

Stitt said the state has received its full allotment of federal personal protective equipment, which will be reserved for those actively treating COVID patients, hospitals with ICU beds, first responders and COVID patients. The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management has logged dozens of requests for PPE from across the state and more are flooding in, he said.

As information comes in and researchers are able to provide more information about what to expect about the virus, the state is coordinating closely with the health care community, said Kayse Shrum, Oklahoma secretary of science and innovation. “It’s going to require all of our health care systems, our hospitals across the state working together in a concerted manner and in a plan that allows us to provide the right care to the level of patients that’s needed.

As we put our plans together, we are working with the health care community to make sure we are going to be moving forward in a coordinated fashion so we can take care of Oklahomans,” Shrum said. Jerome Loughridge, Oklahoma secretary of health and mental health, said the state’s plan involves establishing two COVID-19 response centers, one in Oklahoma City and one in Tulsa, with plans to prepare hospitals in concentric circles outside of those areas for a 40% surge in patients and build field hospitals outside of those areas.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Corps of Engineers are analyzing sites to build field hospitals to bolster the state’s response, with a report on locations expected in the next 24 hours. “We have multiple layers of response here that, when taken in total, we believe accommodate all the demand we will have both hospital beds generally and ICU beds more particularly,” Loughridge said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.