LYNCHBURG, Va. – As coronavirus cases continue increasing across the nation, health care providers here at home are feeling the strain as well.
Centra Health announced Tuesday that it expanded its ICU capacity, now boasting 67 ICU level beds.
The move comes after realizing limited critical care capacity was a vulnerability.
Dr. Christopher Lewis, Centra Health’s Vice President of Medical Affairs, said that as the number of COVID-19 cases increases in the community, so do the cases among health care workers.
“It does put a strain on our ability to fully staff under normal circumstances, but to date, we’ve been able to staff everything, it just is a bit harder. Unfortunately, folks need to pick up more shifts until their colleagues come out of quarantine and then come back to work again,” said Lewis.
While Centra is seeing a rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations, at this point, the numbers remain lower than August’s peak.