As hospitals across Northeast Ohio and the nation continue to be slammed by COVID-19, President Joe Biden is apparently gearing up to send in reinforcements.
According to USA Today, Biden will be sending medical teams to help six different hospitals across six different states. The president is expected to make the announcement official on Thursday, and the Cleveland Clinic is reportedly on his list.
Studies have also shown omicron to be more resistant to COVID-19 vaccines, although experts say those who are fully vaccinated (and especially boosted) are still far less likely to experience severe illness. During an ODH briefing last week, Cleveland Clinic Chief Medical Operations Officer Dr. Robert Wyllie stated roughly 75% of the hospital system’s virus-positive patients were unvaccinated, along with 87% of such patients in ICUs.
“The teams, and those to be deployed in the coming weeks, are expected to help emergency departments overwhelmed by COVID-19 and to free up health care workers to continue other lifesaving care,” Maureen Groppe and Donovan Slack wrote for USA Today. Some hospitals will get seven to 10 additional workers, while others could see as many as 25.
Biden will reportedly be joined at tomorrow’s press conference by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. Other hospitals included in the plan are:
Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn
Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island
Henry Ford Hospital just outside Detroit
University of New Mexico hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico
University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey
3News has reached out to the Cleveland Clinic for comment.
