PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Oregon Governor Kate Brown is deploying the National Guard to help hospitals handle the overwhelming flood of COVID-19 patients as the state grapples with spiking infection numbers from the delta variant.
She made the announcement on Friday, saying 1500 Guard members will be deployed to more than 20 hospitals across the state. The first 500 will begin deployment on Aug. 20.
Brown said she made the decision after a record number of Oregonians are hospitalized with the virus – 733. Of that, 185 of them are in ICU beds.
The Guard Members will “provide logistical support as materials handlers and equipment runners, as well as assisting with COVID-19 testing and other necessary services to support hospital operations,” according to a press release from Brown’s office.
“I cannot emphasize enough the seriousness of this crisis for all Oregonians, especially those needing emergency and intensive care,” Brown said in a statement. “When our hospitals are full with COVID-19 patients, there may not be room for someone needing care after a car crash, a heart attack, or other emergency situation.”
On Tuesday, the Oregon Health & Science University called the delta variant’s predicted impact on the state “dire.” OHSU predicts that Oregon hospitals will be short 400-500 beds by Labor Day.
Other states are struggling to manage similar crises as the highly transmissible variant continues to rip through communities. Those people suffering serious illness and death are almost entirely unvaccinated, medical experts say.