INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana continues to see a record rise in hospitalizations during this new surge in coronavirus cases.
As of Wednesday night, more than 3,000 people were in the hospital and about 850 of them were in an ICU.
Hospitals are preparing to reach and surpass their capacity and that’s leading to a few viral online posts which are misinforming people.
Recently, a post showed tents outside IU Health’s Methodist Hospital that said the facility was out of ICU beds.
IU Health says the tents have been up since mid-March and have not been used. The hospital is also not at capacity and still has beds available, but they admit things are getting tight.
“We have seen a significant increase in the volume of patients coming to the hospital, not all COVID. I can tell you the COVID numbers inside the hospital are sitting at 100 right now. As of Tuesday, we were right around 50, 55, so in just a couple of days, it almost doubled,” said Liz Linden, Chief Nursing Officer for Methodist and University Hospitals.
Those spiking numbers sent hospital workers back to the tents this week to prepare them with beds and supplies for the first time since the pandemic started.
“My hope is that we don’t have to put one patient in here. Based on where the trends are and what is happening, I don’t know if that’s true,” Linden said.
If the state's largest hospital hits the breaking point with COVID-19 and regular patients, each tent is stocked with PPE and equipment to help up to eight patients.
While the tents remain empty, Linden hopes people who pass by see them as a wake-up call.
“We are not overwhelmed yet, but we are getting close. My message would be to be smart. Look at your own personal risk with you and your families and truly think about how to be safe to protect you and those around you,” Linden said.