Source: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
New modeling from the Cleveland Clinic projects new coronavirus cases could accelerate to 10,000 each day in the coming weeks. Those numbers would require a tripling of available hospital beds in the state, Governor Mike DeWine said at his daily COVID-19 press conference on March 27. (Source: “Coronavirus: Ohio Cases Reach 1,137; Death Toll up to 19 as Outlook for Daily New Cases Now Hits 10,000,” The Columbus Dispatch, March 27, 2020).
Gov. DeWine said that the new Cleveland Clinic modeling shows the peak of the virus now reaching into mid-May and the state medical system needs to step up to meet the coming demand.
Hospitals need to quickly double, or triple if they can, their number of beds and ICU capacity. Gov. DeWine said the state will be divided into eight regions, with hospitals in each region working together to draft a plan to expand capacity. Rough drafts of hospitals’ plans to achieve this feat were expected to be on his desk by 8 a.m. on March 28.