WE’LL GO
>>> WE JUST TALKED ABOUT THE
STATE OF FLORIDA LET’S MOVE
NORTH TO SOUTH CAROLINA WHERE
CASES ARE SPIKING, MORE THAN
1,000 CONFIRMED JUST YESTERDAY.
JOINING US FROM WEST COLUMBIA,
SOUTH CAROLINA, ALLISON BARBER.
GOOD MORNING, YOU’VE BEEN
TALKING TO PATIENTS AND DOCTORS
INSIDE LEXINGTON MEDICAL CENTER
WHERE I UNDERSTAND THE ICU IS
NEARING CAPACITY?
>> Reporter: THIS HOSPITAL,
OFFICIALS TELL US, THEY HAVE
SEEN THE NUMBER OF HOSPITALIZED
COVID PATIENTS TRIPLE IN RECENT
DAYS AND IN TERMS OF THEIR TOTAL
NUMBER OF DEATHS, THEY SAY 30%
OF COVID DEATH HAVES COME IN THE
LAST TWO WEEKS.
WE SPENT THE DAY INSIDE VISITING
THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT, A
COVID FLOOR AND THE COVID ICU
FLOOR, WE WERE SCREENED,
TEMPERATURE CHECK BEFORE WE WERE
ALLOWED INSIDE AND THEN SUITED
UP IN FULL PPE.
YESTERDAY ONLY FOUR BEDS WERE
LEFT.
STATEWIDE, 75% OF ALL HOSPITAL
BEDS ARE IN USE ACCORDING TO THE
LATEST DATA RELEASED BY THE
STATE’S HEALTH DEPARTMENT WITHIN
MINUTES OF WALKING ON THE FLOOR
WE SAW A PATIENT BEING
VENTILATED, IT WAS THE THIRD
PATIENT TO BE VENNTILATED THAT
DAY, IT WAS WELL BEFORE
LUNCHTIME, 1:00 P.M.
DOCTORS SAY WHAT THEY LEARNED
FROM WATCHING OTHER STATES AND
HOT SPOTS LIKE NEW YORK IS THAT
IT IS DIFFICULT TO GET PATIENTS
OFF A VENTILATOR ALIVE SO THEY
TRY TO NOT VENTILATE COVID
PATIENTS UNLESS IT IS A TRUE
LAST RESORT.
THE FACT THEY HAD TO PUT THREE
PEOPLE ON VENTILATORS YESTERDAY
WAS RARE AND A REMINDER OF THE
CHALLENGES THEY ARE FACING AT
THIS HOSPITAL RIGHT NOW.
DOCTORS SAY THERE IS NO QUESTION
THEY’RE IN A SURGE.
CASES ARE RISING.
WHAT THEY DON’T KNOW IS WHEN THE
SURGE ENDS.
THE QUESTION IS, HOW LONG CAN
THEY HANDLE THE RISING NUMBER OF
COVID PATIENTS IN ADDITION TO
OTHER MEDICAL PATIENTS.
PEOPLE HAVING HEART ATTACKS,
NEEDING CANCER TREATMENT.
WE SPOKE TO THE DOCTOR WHO DID
THOSE THREE INTUBATIONS
YESTERDAY.
HERE’S SOME OF WHAT SHE TOLD US
FROM THE FLOOR --
>> AT SOME POINT IF WE HAVE
ENOUGH PATIENTS THAT ARE SICK,
TAKING UP ICU BEDS WE MAY NOT
HAVE BEDS FOR PATIENTS WHO COME
IN FOR OTHER REASONS.
>> ARE YOU WORRIED THIS FLOOR
COULD HIT THE 18-BED CAPACITY IN
THE NEXT WEEK OR SO?
>> IT MIGHT.
I THINK THERE’S A GOOD CHANCE
THAT OUR NUMBERS CONTINUE TO
CLIMB.
I DON’T THINK WE HIT THAT PEAK
AT ALL.
SO I THINK WE’LL BE SEEING
INCREASED NUMBERS.
THE THING IS, FROM HERE WE DON’T
HAVE A PLACE TO GO OUT.
>> Reporter: I TALKED TO ONE MAN
WHO HAS BEEN IN THE HOSPITAL
BECAUSE OF COVID-19 SINCE JUNE
30th.
HE WAS ONLY 52 YEARS OLD.
HE SAID THAT HE WENT TO GET A
TEST AFTER HE HAD SYMPTOMS BUT
THEN HE HEARD ABSOLUTELY NOTHING
FOR FIVE DAYS.
>> BY THE TIME I GOT THE
ATTENTION, I COULDN’T BREATHE.
I WAS WEEK.
I COULDN’T WALK FROM HERE TO THE
RESTROOM.
>> Reporter: THE STATE’S
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, THEY HAVE
STARTED TO EXPAND TESTING BUT
DOCTORS HERE SAY IT IS NOT
ENOUGH.
THEY DON’T HAVE ENOUGH REAGENTS
TO DO THE TEST THAT PEOPLE ARE
ASKING FOR, THE TEST THAT PEOPLE
NEED TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT THEY
HAVE COVID-19.
THEY SAY THAT IS SOMETHING THAT
NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AT THE
FEDERAL LEVEL.
FOR NOW THEY SAY THE BEST THING
PEOPLE CAN DO TO HELP THEM IS
WEAR A MASK.
WE TALKED TO THE CHIEF RESIDENT
OF THIS HOSPITAL YESTERDAY.
HE SAID RIGHT NOW, MORE OF THEIR
NUMBERS TO PUT THIS WHOLE THING
IN PERSPECTIVE.
THEY SAID IF YOU TEST POSITIVE
FOR COVID IN THIS HEALTH
DISTRICT AND ARE BETWEEN THE
AGES OF 30 AND 60 YOU HAVE A ONE
IN FIVE CHANCE OF BEING
HOSPITALIZED AND A ONE IN TEN
CHANCE OF NEEDING TO GO TO THE
CRITICAL CARE UNIT.
THE YOUNGEST PERSON TREATED ON
THAT COVID UNIT WAS JUST 20
YEARS OLD.
>> THAT’S AN EXCLUSIVE LOOK
INSIDE THAT ICU AND YOU’RE
REMINDED OF THE BRAFVERY OF THE
MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS.
THANK YOU FOR BRINGING IT TO US.
>>> THE PROMISE TO RESTORE
DECENCY TO THE WHITE HOUSE WAS