LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — Day after day alarming numbers are coming from the state’s department of health as the more contagious Delta variant is overwhelming the healthcare community.
“We are doing the best we can but we feel like we are failing to meet the needs and it’s only getting worse,” Dr. Britni Hebert explains.
Region Four, which encompasses Acadiana, has over 12,000 hospital beds in use, leaving just over 400 available across seven parishes.
143 ICU beds are occupied, leaving only 13 available.
Dr. Hebert says, “There is absolutely a limit to resources on the mediccine side, staffing side, and bed side. We are right there at the limit and pushing past it.”
Cases are growing at a much faster pace than ever before with just over 37% of the state fully vaccinated.
The last surge lasted more than 60 days.
Projections indicate this surge could last much longer, but local doctors explain people’s behavior will determine when it ends.
Region Four Medicial Director, Dr. Tina Stefanski, contineus, “We can’t make the point more clear. People need to be vaccinated. We can’t keep up at this pace.”
90% of people diagnosed with COVID are unvaccinated.
91% of patients in the hospital with COVID and 84% of people who have died from COVID are not fully vaccinated.
Dr. Hebert says vaccination along with masking, social distancing and staying home when you’re sick will make a difference.
“We need to control how much virus is replicating so we don’t make more variants. That is the only way to get in front of COVID,” adds Dr. Hebert.
