BOSTON (WHDH) - In recent days, hospitals across Massachusetts have seen an increase in coronavirus patients who are in “very rough shape” as the Commonwealth continues to surge toward the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Charlie Baker said Thursday.
“We have seen over the past few days an increase in hospitalizations. Medical workers are working around the clock to deal with that influx of patients,” Baker said during a news conference at the State House. “They are keeping up, but every day, we continue to see more and more patients in very rough shape come into the hospital.”
The alarming hospital update comes after the Department of Public Health on Wednesday announced 151 new coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the state’s death toll to 1,108. The grim jump to more than 1,000 fatalities marked the largest day-to-day increase since the start of the outbreak, pushing Massachusetts into the top five states in America when it comes to coronavirus deaths.
An additional 137 new deaths were reported on Thursday.
The state’s Coronavirus Command Center has been in constant contact with hospitals in every community as it continues to monitor bed capacity, according to Baker.
As of Tuesday, Baker said there were 17,800 total hospital beds available across the state, but that just over 50 percent of those beds are currently empty.
The roughly 9,600 beds that are available include 6,000 acute care beds, 2,500 ICU beds, and 750 field hospital beds.
Baker said the amount of field hospital beds will increase when locations in Bourne, Dartmouth, and Lowell come online in the days ahead.
The number of patients at field hospitals in Worcester and Boston is currently “relatively low,” according to Baker.
“Those sights are built to augment existing hospital capacity and we hope the surge is not so significant that it causes us tremendous problems or affects our hospitals’ ability to care for people, but we do want to rely on those beds if we need them,” Baker said.
Baker added that the state is “hoping for the best, but absolutely planning for the worst.”
There are also 32,181 confirmed coronavirus cases statewide.
To view a town-by-town breakdown of cases in the Commonwealth, click here.
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