It was just a matter of time, and the time is here. San Jose Regional Medical Center has no more ICU beds available, for COVID patients or for anyone else.
And the rest of the county may not be far behind, with just one bed available for every 63,000 people.
More than 400 people are now hospitalized with COVID-19 in the county, higher than at any other point in the pandemic, and hospitalizations have surged by 75% since the day before Thanksgiving.
“We are experiencing a very significant surge impacting every individual who lives in our county. It is the most worrisome that we have had since the beginning of the pandemic,” said County Health Officer Dr. Sarah Cody at the Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday.
With the Thanksgiving surge well underway, the situation is dire. Dr. Cody said anonymous cell data shows that many residents ignored public health guidance and spent the holiday in Los Angeles County, one of the hardest-hit areas of the state.
“I am sad to report we are down to 31 beds and this is 9.5% of our capacity. It is the worst that we have seen and it’s continuing to worsen,” said Dr. Ahmad Kamal, county director of health system preparedness. “We have more than doubled our ICU census in the past two weeks. Our system cannot withstand another doubling.”
With the holiday season in full swing, Dr. Cody said residents need to be vigilant. “Some are feeling a sense of complacency and desire to get on with our lives. But this virus doesn’t care and this virus will win. So we must stay alert and we must continue to fight.”