Bellingham Council told hospital at 70% to 75% of capacity, Whatcom short of equipment
Whatcom County health-care workers and firefighters have about a week’s supply of masks, gowns, gloves and safety glasses or face shields to protect them and their patients against the new coronavirus, according to a briefing at the Bellingham City Council meeting on Monday night.
But that could change if there’s a surge in new cases, officials from emergency services and public health agencies said.
And, coronavirus testing kits remain in short supply.
“Our goal right now is to make sure that all health-care providers and all EMS and fire agencies have a seven-day supply of (personal protective equipment) on hand,” said Bellingham Fire Chief Bill Hewett.
“They’re continuing to go through all the normal supply chain methods that we can to get that,” Hewett said.
Officials at Whatcom Unified Command are asking local doctors, dentists and veterinarians in private practice to donate these items if they have more than they need.
Unified command is working to order more supplies of this personal protective equipment, or PPE, and is asking private doctors, dentists and veterinarians to order from their regular suppliers too.
Members of the public are donating these items as well, Hewett said, and they are being distributed to health-care workers.
And those with sewing ability are making cloth masks from templates available online.
It’s just been really impressive,” Mayor Seth Fleetwood said in praising the efforts of the unified command, city workers and the public in response to the COVID-19 pandemic threat.
Hewett is one of three incident commanders with Whatcom Unified Command, a quasi-governmental agency created to streamline how local agencies react to the COVID-19 threat.
It has the power to make decisions regarding pandemic response after taking recommendations from a policy group of local elected leaders.
“That’s kind of our mission right now, is to keep primary care, keep the skilled nursing facilities, keep them going so we don’t overload the hospital,” Hewett said. “We’ve been focused on trying to maintain people in place. If they are stable, our request is that they stay home. Only if they progress to respiratory distress then it is our priority for those patients to get to the hospital.”
Lynn Sterbenz, emergency manager for the city of Bellingham, answered council members’ questions that had been posed to PeaceHealth officials, who were busy addressing an outbreak at Shuksan Healthcare.
Sterbenz said the hospital is ready for a surge of coronavirus patients.
Currently, the hospital is at 70% to 75% of capacity, she said.
“We have prepped one overflow area in the hospital and have a conversion plan in place for three additional units that can easily be modified to treat people with the appropriate infrastructure such as ventilators and physiologic monitoring,” Sterbenz said.
Coronavirus test kits are in short supply locally and across the state and nation, she said.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhat you should know about the coronavirus
COVID-19, the new coronavirus, is a disease caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2.
The disease is spread through contact between people within six feet of each other, especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby.
Although most of the cases have been mild, the disease is especially dangerous for the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
Click the drop-down icon in the upper right of this card for more information on symptoms and how to stop its spread.
What you can do
Here’s what you can do to protect yourself and others from COVID-19, according to the Whatcom County Health Department.
▪ Keep six feet between yourself and others when in public.
▪ Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
▪ Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth with hands that haven’t been washed.
▪ Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, throw the tissue in the trash and then wash your hands.
▪ Stay home if you feel sick. Avoid others who are sick.
▪ If your symptoms are severe and require medical care, call your doctor first.
This story was originally published March 24, 2020 at 7:34 AM.
