Chicago health care providers have been preparing since January for a potential surge of patients due to the increasingly wide spread of COVID-19.
order five days later, the number of cases in Illinois had climbed to 585, and five people had died. imposed additional social distancing measures by ordering the closure of the city’s lakefront, bike paths and other public spaces, and banning football, basketball and other contact sports.
On Monday, Yahoo News spoke to Dr. Claudia Fegan, chief medical officer at Cook County Health and Hospitals System. She said a unit for confirmed and suspected coronavirus patients had been created and was in use at Cook County’s Stroger Hospital, and that a second unit had been designated in case of overflow. Stroger, a public hospital, is home to one of the country’s busiest emergency rooms and trauma units.
She also noted that the projected dramatic increase in cases over the next week was “very anxiety-provoking for everyone,” but that her hospital was well supplied with ventilators and personal protective equipment, which have been in short supply in other cities. “We’re concerned about running out, but we still have ventilators,” he said. Starting Friday, the University’s health system instituted a new policy requiring all staff — from doctors and nurses to cafeteria workers and housekeepers — to wear masks. Yohanna clarified that the hospital is providing washable cloth masks for staff to wear throughout the hospital, but surgical masks are required when entering patient rooms.
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