Covid hospitalizations are still going up in Washington state

Washington State Hospital Association says 600 people were hospitalized with Covid symptoms at end of last week. That is more than double the number in April.

To complicate matters, people who delayed elective surgeries are now also being scheduled. And they’re staying longer than necessary.

Dr. Steven Mitchell is with the Washington Medical Coordination Center that oversees hospital capacity across the state. He says normally, these patients would transition to a nursing care facility after their procedure. But that’s been a challenge.

“In quite a few of them there is space, there are beds within their different facilities, but they haven’t had the ability to hire the staff to properly care for them," Dr. Mitchell said.

Still, health officials are asking people not to delay medical care. And they’re urging everyone to step up their Covid precautions. This includes wearing masks, especially at indoor gatherings.