Genesis and Unity Point Trinity hospitals are filling up with COVID-19 patients, with no end in sight. Their Intensive Care Units, or ICUs, have been running full. So health care administrators are asking for help.
Doug Cropper, President and CEO of Genesis Health System, says its hospitals and clinics are seeing record numbers of COVID-19 patients, for example 63 in one day compared to a previous record of 51.
The problem is not the number of beds, it's the number of staff.
He put out a plea for the public to "take care of caregivers" by wearing face coverings, washing hands, social distancing, staying home when sick, and avoiding large gatherings.
Bob Erickson, President and CEO of Unity Point Health Trinity, agrees and says the number of employees testing positive is increasing.
And most of them are not catching COVID-19 at work. They're catching it in the community.
Three more residents of the Quad Cities have died of COVID-19, two from Rock Island County and one from Scott County, for a total of 159 deaths since last spring.
The total number of confirmed cases in both counties is 10,873 (5,089 in Rock Island County and 5,784 in Scott County).
In Rock Island County, the seven-day moving average for test positivity is 14.7%. And 42 residents are hospitalized.
The Scott County test positivity rate has been rising rapidly. Over two weeks, it averages 18.3%, a five point jump compared to a week ago.
