CAN EXPECT AS THE DAY GOES
ON.
>>> BUT WE BEGIN WITH
BEAUMONT OFFICIALS SOUNDING
THE ALARM.
SAYING THAT THEIR HOSPITALS
AND STAFF ARE OVERWHELMED
WITH COVID PATIENTS.
THAT STORY TOPS OUR NEWS
HERE AT NOON THANK YOU FOR
JOINING US I’M EVROD
CASSIMY.
BEAUMONT HAS HIT CRITICAL
CAPACITY WITH CORONAVIRUS
CASES SOARING HERE IN
MICHIGAN.
AND THEY SAY THEY’RE CARING
FOR MORE PATIENTS NOW THAN
IN THE FALL.
AND MORE THAN SIX TIMES THE
AMOUNT FROM FEBRUARY.
LOCAL 4’S ROD MELONI JOINS
US NOW LIVE WITH MORE ON
THESE PRETTY TROUBLING
DEVELOPMENTS THIS AFTERNOON.
ROD, THEY’RE BEGGING PEOPLE
TO TAKE ALL THE NECESSARY
STEPS TO STOP THE SPREAD.
>> THAT IS TRUE, EVROD.
HERE’S THE THING THEY’RE
ASKING FOR A COMMUNITY CALL
TO ACTION THAT’S THE EXACT
QUOTE FROM THE DOCTOR TODAY.
WHERE HE’S ASKING FOR
EVERYBODY TO REALLY REDOUBLE
THEIR EFFORTS TO TRY AND
PREVENT THE SPREAD OF COVID.
NOW THEY DID SAY THAT THE
BEAUMONT HOSPITAL ALL EIGHT
OF THEM HAVE 800 COVID
PATIENTS RIGHT NOW.
THAT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT
BECAUSE IT IS.
NOW IT IS NOT THE MOST THAT
THEY’VE EVER HAD.
BACK A YEAR AGO, THEY HAD
SOMETHING ON THE ORDER OF 12
TO 1300.
BUT THE DOCTOR SAYS THAT’S
SOMETHING DRAMATICALLY
DIFFERENT AND BACK THEN THE
HOSPITALS WERE LARGELY EMPTY
AND WERE JUST COVID
HOSPITALS.
NOW THEY’RE TRYING TO HAVE
OTHER PATIENTS IN AND
THEY’RE TRYING TO DISCOURAGE
THE NOTION OF NOT GOING TO
THE HOSPITAL DURING THIS
PANDEMIC.
SO THE PROBLEM FOR THEM IS
STAFFINGFUL THEY SAY THEIR
STAFF IS TIRED.
DOCTORS, NURSES, EVERYBODY
SERVICING THE HOSPITAL
THEY’RE ALL TIRED AND IT HAS
BEEN VERY DIFFICULT.
WHEN YOU HAVE 800 PATIENTS
LIKE THIS, AND THE YOUNGER
PATIENTS THEY’RE SAYING THAT
THE AVERAGE AGE IS SOMETHING
ON THE ORDER OF 50 YEARS OLD
NOW, THAT IT IS A REAL
PROBLEM.
AND SO THEY’RE ASKING
EVERYBODY TO DO WHAT THEY
CAN TO PREVENT THE SPREAD.
BUT THEY’RE ALSO ASKING THE
GOVERNOR TO RECONSIDER HER
POSITION OF NOT REIMPOSING
RESTRICTIONS.
HERE’S WHAT THE DOCTOR HAD
TO SAY.
>> I’M ALSO AWARE THAT THE
GOVERNOR HAS MADE A VERY
STRONG STATEMENT THAT SHE OR
A STRONG RECOMMENDATION THAT
PEOPLE TAKE IT UPON
THEMSELVES TO RESTRICT
THEMSELVES.
AND I THINK THAT THE PEOPLE
WHO ARE GOING TO DO THE
RIGHT THINGS ARE ALREADY
DOING THE RIGHT THINGS.
THE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT DOING
THE RIGHT THINGS WILL NOT DO
THE RIGHT THINGS.
SO I THINK SOME OF THAT
RIGHT-SIDE PREACHING TO THE
CHOIR, UNFORTUNATELY.
IN A TIME LIKE THIS RIGHT
NOW IN SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN
AND MICHIGAN AT LARGE, I DO
THINK WE HAVE TO BE A LITTLE
BIT MORE PRESCRIPTIVE.
>> Reporter: AND SO IN THE
ABSENCE OF THAT HE IS SAYING
AGAIN THAT EVERYBODY NEEDS
TO MASK UP WASH YOUR HANDS,
STAY SOCIALLY DISTANCED AND
ABOVE ALL, GET VACCINATED.
NOW ANOTHER THING THAT THE
DOCTOR DID SAY IS MUCH LIKE
WHAT THE C.D.C. IS SAYING
IT’S GOING TO TAKE SIX WEEKS
FOR THE VACCINE TO TAKE HOLD
FOR MOST PEOPLE.
RIGHT NOW, WITH THE RISING
NUMBERS WE CAN’T VACCINATE
OUR WAY OUT OF THIS THING.
SO HE IS SAYING THAT
EVERYBODY NEEDS TO REALLY
THINK ABOUT THEIR OWN
PERSONAL BEHAVIOR AS THEY
MOVE FORWARD IN THIS
PANDEMIC.
NOW WE’LL TAKE A LOOK AT ALL
OF THIS.
WHAT WAS SAID, WE’RE GOING
TO BE HEARING FROM THE HENRY
FORD HOSPITAL PEOPLE TODAY,
THIS AFTERNOON.
WE’RE GOING TO BE TAKING A
LOOK AT WHAT ALL OF THIS
MEANS AND WE’LL HAVE FULL
COVERAGE COMING UP ON LOCAL
4 NEWS AT 4:00, 5:00, AND
6:00.
REPORTING LIVE IN WEST
BLOOMFIELD, ROD MELONI,
LOCAL 4.
>> ROD A QUESTION FOR YOU.
AS BEAUMONT IS SOUNDING THE
ALARM HERE I KNOW LAST YEAR
WHEN WE WERE GETTING TO THIS
POINT THERE WAS MAKESHIFT
HOSPITALS THERE WERE
MAKESHIFT HOSPITALS THAT
WERE IN PLACE.
IS THERE ANY TALK ABOUT THIS
BEING A POSSIBILITY THIS
TIME?
>> WELL, THEY CLAIM, AND
WE’VE ALREADY LOOKED TO SEE
THIS EVEN TO THE BY THE IT’S
NOT THERE AT LEAST WE
COULDN’T -- THIS TENT BUT
IT’S NOT THERE, AT LEAVE WE
COULDN’T SEE IT.
THEY SAY THEY’VE ALWAYS HAD
THAT ACTION PLAN IN PLACE
AND THAT THEY’RE LOOKING AT
THAT POSSIBILITY OF PUTTING
TENTS OUTSIDE THE HOSPITAL
IN THE DAYS TO COME AT
FARMINGTON HILLS AND ALSO
DEARBORN.
THEY’RE LOOKING AT THAT
POSSIBILITY.
BUT RIGHT NOW THE GOOD NEWS
IS THEY’RE SAYING THAT THEY
DON’T NEED REFRIGERATION.
SO WE’RE AT THAT PLACE WHERE
THINGS ARE REALLY GETTING
TIGHT AND DIFFICULT.
WE’RE NOT CRITICAL LIKE WE
THIS WERE TIME LAST YEAR AND
THE HOPE IS FROM THEIR
ESTIMATION THAT WE NEVER
REALLY GET THERE.
>> LET’S HOPE EVERYBODY
HEEDS THESE WARNINGS AND