NorthBay hospital in Fairfield runs out of ICU beds; situation in Solano County critical
(Photo courtesy Google Street View)
NorthBay Healthcare’s flagship medical campus in Fairfield has run out of hospital intensive care unit beds, rendering unavailable a critical resource needed for patients with complicated, life-threatening ailments and other health emergencies.
The shortage was first reported in health data published by state officials Friday afternoon. That same data showed a severe restriction of hospital ICU bed space availability at two Kaiser Permanente-run hospitals in Vacaville and Vallejo, which just three hospital ICU beds available between those two campuses.
Kaiser Permanente health officials responded to a Solano News Update report last week by saying the state’s health data was off and painted a dire illustration than what was actually occurring at its hospitals. But a NorthBay Healthcare representative confirmed the state’s data as accurate in a news media interview over the weekend, saying the situation was “changing by the hour” and that NorthBay was “struggling to staff ICU beds” at its Fairfield medical center and VacaValley hospital in Vacaville. (NorthBay Health and Kaiser Permanente compete in the healthcare industry.)
The constriction in available hospital ICU bed space comes as healthcare workers struggle to respond to a spike in novel coronavirus infections. State health officials recently began using regional-level hospital ICU capacity to determine if tougher restrictions should be placed on residents and businesses in areas where supply of hospital ICU bed space is drying or has dried up.
Solano County, which is part of the Bay Area region, has escaped the tougher restrictions since they were announced in a new state stay-at-home order earlier this month. But the Bay Area region is likely to face the tougher restrictions this week, based on a projection of available hospital ICU bed space by Solano News Update.
The number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations in Solano County has increased every week since early November according to county data reviewed by Solano News Update.
On November 1, 23 people were hospitalized with coronavirus-related complications, Solano County’s health data showed. That number nearly quadrupled by last Friday, with 82 people hospitalized throughout Solano County.
Solano County’s health data doesn’t reveal how many of those hospitalized are being treated in ICUs, but the data showed hospitals within Solano County have 21 percent available ICU bed space. Collated with other counties, the Bay Area region had 17.6 percent available bed space as of Friday afternoon. Neither the county nor the state releases new hospital ICU data over the weekend. The state’s data does not include neo-natal ICU bed space.
Hospitals typically see a spike in hospitalizations, including ICU cases, in the winter months due to various factors, including infections of the flu, holiday-related heart attacks, car crashes and medical cases related to weather. But health officials say the coronavirus is adding an additional complication in what is already a typical season for healthcare workers.
The deployment of a coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer, which received federal regulatory approval and cleared a regional review board over the weekend, won’t make things easier for a while because the initial doses are earmarked for healthcare workers and those who live within medical facilities. (Solano County will receive around 4,000 doses of the vaccine this month.) The vaccine won’t be distributed to the general public for weeks, if not months, to come; when it is released to the public, seniors and those with serious health complications are expected to receive it, first, despite the fact that young adults are to blame for the most positive COVID-19 cases reported in California.
That means hospitals are likely to continue to see a surge in cases as Solano County residents reject tougher health restrictions and continue to travel and assemble in unsafe ways — which will constrain hospital resources and staffing even further, officials say.
We’re proud to produce independent news for Solano County. This newsletter is an all-volunteer effort. If you would like to show your appreciation, consider making a donation in any amount or converting your email subscription into a paid one. Discuss this newsletter and other stories from across Solano County on our Facebook group here and follow our new Twitter account here.