BOSTON (WHDH) - BOSTON (WHDH) – Eight Bay State residents who have tested positive for the coronavirus are currently hospitalized at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, officials said.
Five of the eight patients are being treated in the intensive care unit, according to a hospital spokesperson.
An additional 80 suspected coronavirus patients are undergoing evaluation, 7’s Steve Cooper reported.
There are 328 confirmed cases of coronavirus across Massachusetts, health officials announced Thursday.
The cases involve 169 men and 159 women. Forty-three of the patients have been hospitalized, 160 are not hospitalized, and 125 are under investigation.
Nearly half of those admitted to the intensive care unit in the United States are adults under 65, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told the New York Times.
Due to a shortage of personal protective equipment, the hospital issued an urgent appeal to construction and 3D printing companies to donate N95 face masks so workers don’t have to resort to using scarves and bandannas.
Suffolk Construction has since stepped up to assist MGH and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, donating more than 2,000 masks.
Cole Turno, a physician assistant at MGH, says the hospital is preparing for a surge in COVID-19 cases.
“We’re probably within 8-11 days out from our European colleagues, which is where a lot of our efforts are being directed in preparing for that surge,” Turno said.
The Massachusetts Nurses Association also sent a letter to Gov. Baker on Thursday, requesting additional protection for frontline workers, designated hospital floors to treat coronavirus patients and a halt on previously planned facility closures and staff reductions.
Turno urged the public to take this pandemic very seriously and to stay home to avoid spreading the virus.
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