MA Preparing For Field Hospitals As COVID Hospitalizations Surge

BOSTON — Massachusetts is preparing to bring back field hospitals as the state makes plans to handle the rising number of COVID-19 hospitalizations and worsening virus trends that Gov. Charlie Baker said show "no signs of changing."

Field hospitals were scattered across the state during the spring when the coronavirus was at its peak and strained health care capacity. Baker said space and need will help determine where they go this time around. More details are expected later in the week.

"COVID-19 has now been with us for the better part of a year and we've learned a lot about how to address this terrible virus. In addition to building a massive testing and tracing infrastructure, we've also executed on plans to better manage our health care systems during a pandemic," Baker said Tuesday. "Our experience from last spring shows that creating enough space to safely treat COVID-19 patients and other patients throughout our health care system is the single most important aspect we have in navigating the pandemic as safely as possible, and being prepared for every scenario is critical."

From The Spring: Hospital Has A Coronavirus Plan, If It Needs One

As of Tuesday, there were 618 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Massachusetts, 150 of them in intensive care. Hospital capacity is up to 67 percent, while ICU capacity is up to 50 percent.

Nationally the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients rose to nearly 62,000, an all-time high.

"I know there are concerns about increased hospitalizations, but we are prepared. We're prepared for increased COVID patients and we remain confident that we will not see the numbers that we saw during the first surge," Kate Walsh, president and CEO of Boston Medical Center, said alongside Baker.

In the spring the state set up field hospitals at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center and DCU Center in Worcester, among other places. They discharged their final patients well before summer, while one in Cape Cod never even admitted a patient.

From NPR: Where COVID-19 Cases Are Straining Hospital Capacity