Here’s How Full Hospitals In DC Are

WASHINGTON, DC — Even as vaccines begin rolling out to health care workers and offer a powerful tool to fight the pandemic, coronavirus case numbers and hospitalizations continue to hit record highs across the U.S.

The latest hospitalization data shows that at least 100,000 Americans or more have near consistently been in the hospital for coronavirus in December. In D.C., the hospitalization data currently shows 2,104 total patients in D.C. hospitals, both COVID and non-COVID.

In December, the Department of Health and Human Services began reporting hospital capacity data at the facility level, which several have used to determine the percentage of hospital beds occupied across the country.

The latest data for Dec. 22 shows how full hospital and ICU beds are in D.C.:

• Total ICU Beds In Hospitals: 345
• ICU Beds Available: 43
• Precentage of pre-COVID Hospital Bed Capacity: 85 percent

The HHS data compiled by the University of Minnesota are calculated at the facility level and averaged for each county. Here’s how the model developed by the university measures percentage of hospital and ICU beds occupied by coronavirus patients.

Percentage of hospital beds occupied by coronavirus patients=Seven day average of total adult and pediatric patients confirmed or suspected/Seven day average of staffed inpatient beds

Percentage of ICU beds occupied by coronavirus patients=Seven day average of total adult ICU confirmed/Seven day average of staffed ICU adult beds.

D.C. Department of Health confirmed 326 new positive cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. That's twice the 160 reported on Tuesday. This brings the District's total number of positive cases to date to 27,226.

D.C. Health also confirmed seven new deaths in the District due to COVID-19. The deaths are described as:

• 53-year-old man
• 62-year-old man
• 70-year-old woman
• 72-year-old man
• 76-year-old man
• 79-year-old man
• 79-year-old man

The total number of deaths due to COVID-19 in the D.C. now stands at 751.

According to D.C. Health, 846,992 coronavirus tests have been administered in the District, 346,6942 residents have been tested, and 19,514 have been cleared from isolation.

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Globally, more than 78.1 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and over 1.7 million people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Wednesday morning. In the United States, more than 18.2 million people have been infected and over 322,000 people have died from COVID-19.

District residents should take the following actions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. An alcohol-based hand sanitizer can be used if soap and water are not available.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Also see ...

• See The Risk Of Coronavirus Exposure Indoors In DC
• CVS To Begin Vaccinations At DC Long-Term Care Facilities
• DC Pauses Some Activities Over The Holidays Due To Coronavirus
• DC Coronavirus Update: 3 Additional Deaths; 274 New Cases
• DC Health Director, Fire Chief Receive COVID-19 Vaccine
• DC Coronavirus Update: 4 Additional Deaths; 301 New Cases
• First Round Of COVID Vaccine Arrives In DC This Week
• DC Coronavirus Update: 1 Additional Death; 259 New Cases