Coronavirus: Here's How Many ICU Beds, Ventilators Bucks Co. Has
BUCKS COUNTY, PA — A new database created by the state shows how many ICU beds and ventilators Bucks County has to deal with a potential coronavirus surge in the coming weeks. The hospital preparedness database, launched Wednesday, shows the level of available resources by county.
In Bucks County, where there have been more than 20 COVID-19 deaths and 756 cases as of Wednesday, 129 ventilators remain available, the data shows. Currently, there 14 ventilators in use by COVID-19 patients.
>>>RELATED: 'Subtle Flattening Of Curve' Seen In PA, Health Officials Say
Here is the full breakdown of hospital capacity in Bucks County, according to the state data:
Available Adult ICU Beds: 39
Available Medical/Surgical Beds: 409
Available Pediatric ICU Beds: 0
Available Airborne Isolation Room Beds: 36
Ventilators Available: 129
Ventilators In Use (COVID-19): 14
Ventilators In Use (non-COVID-19): 30
According to the database, 1,898 Pennsylvanians are hospitalized due to COVID-19. Of those, 596 are on a ventilator. The state's hospitals have 5,141 ventilators. Of those, 1,606 are in use for both COVID and non-COVID patients. The state currently has 1,711 — or 40 percent — of adult ICU beds available.
You can view the database here.
Additional measures are currently being taken in Bucks County to ensure there is adequate hospital capacity in the event of a surge of COVID-19 patients in the coming weeks.
A temporary field hospital will be put up at the Newtown Athletic Club, sources said Wednesday.
The temporary hospital, to be set up by the Bucks County Emergency Management Agency, will be located at the sports training facility, according to Newtown Township officials. It will not be for coronavirus patients, but rather will be an overflow facility for surrounding hospitals.
Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday signed an order to provide critical aid to hospitals with targeted protective equipment and supplies distribution.
He said the order is intended to ensure the efficient allocation and effective use of critical medical resources, such as N95 face masks, ventilators, respirators, face shields, safety goggles, disinfectants and other sanitizing solutions by hospitals in the state.
Under the order, private, public and quasi-public health care providers and facilities, as well as manufacturers, distributors and suppliers of PPE, pharmaceuticals and other medical resources must submit current inventory quantities of PPE, pharmaceuticals and other medical resources.
The inventory must be submitted within five days. Health care providers and facilities are further ordered to provide written reports detailing facility health care needs and other pertinent information, he added.
“Combatting a pandemic means we all have to work together and that means we need to make the best use of our medical assets to ensure the places that need them most have them,” Gov. Wolf said. “Today, I am signing an order that will allow us to transfer supplies and information between medical facilities to both high-population, high-impact areas and lower population areas that might not have as many existing medical resources."
Pennsylvania reported another 70 deaths related to the new coronavirus Wednesday. It followed the state's largest single-day death count, which was reported Tuesday when 78 virus-related fatalities were confirmed. Wednesday's new deaths bring the statewide total to 310.
But while the number cases continue to rise, the rate at which they're rising is slightly decreasing, state health officials said.
"We have seen a subtle flattening of the curve, which is good news," Health Secretary Rachel Levine said. She stressed Pennsylvanians "can not become complacent" and must continue social distancing efforts.
>>>Full coverage of coronavirus in Pennsylvania
This article originally appeared on the Doylestown Patch
