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From YouTube: Bloomington Public Health COVID-19 safety message
Description
An important message from Public Health Administrator Dr. Nick Kelley as sobering statistics leave health care workers overwhelmed and hospital beds limited or unavailable.
A
This
past
week
we
reached
two
sobering
milestones.
We
saw
eight
hundred
thousand
deaths
in
the
united
states
and
ten
thousand
deaths
here
in
minnesota.
We're
rapidly
approaching
200
deaths
of
our
neighbors.
Here
in
bloomington,
we
continue
to
see
high
levels
of
covet
19
in
our
community.
This
graphic
represents
what
we're
seeing
on
a
regular
basis.
You
can
see.
The
last
few
weeks
have
been
this
high
level
of
up
and
down
that
high
level
is
primarily
delta
in
our
community
right
now
and
continuing
to
cause
challenges
with
high
levels
of
transmission.
A
A
The
reality
is
these
high
rates
are
causing
concerns
that
make
me
the
most
concerned
that
I've
been
this
entire
pandemic
about
our
health
care
system
and
capacity,
and
I'm
very
worried
for
what
we're
going
to
see
in
the
next
few
weeks.
The
unthinkable
no
hospital
beds
is
starting
to
become
a
common
occurrence
due
to
the
rising
number
of
cloven
19
cases
and
limited
staffing.
A
Your
wait
times
will
be
longer
and
you
may
wait
a
long
time
to
be
admitted
to
the
hospital
if
one
hospital
bed
is
available,
our
fire
chief,
shared
this
situation
leaves
ambulances
with
little
resources,
but
to
bounce
back
and
forth
between
hospitals.
This
condition
is
slowly
and
steadily
getting
worse.
You
can
see
here.
This
is
a
data
from
the
17th.
On
that
day,
we
had
three
icu
beds
in
the
entire
metro
and
a
smattering
around
the
rest
of
the
state,
and
we
had
28
adult
med
surg
beds.
Our
pediatric
situation
was
a
little
better.
A
We
had
seven
beds,
but
only
four
non-icu
beds
in
the
metro.
That
is
just
really
concerning
from
a
healthcare
capacity
standpoint.
At
the
same
time,
we're
experiencing
limited
healthcare
capacity,
we're
also
preparing
for
the
impact
of
a
new
kovid
19
variant
known
as
omicron,
while
there's
a
lot
of
uncertainty
around
omicron.
A
A
A
We
expect
that
to
rapidly
change
this
means,
as
more
cases
go
up,
omicron
is
going
to
be
out
competing
or
infecting
more
people
than
delta.
Can
the
second
area
is:
will
it
cause
more
severe
illness
at
this
point
less
than
a
month
since
this
variant
emerged,
we're
still
learning
about
the
clinical
picture.
A
A
Early
data
out
of
denmark
shows
that
in
the
first
785
cases
about
1.2
were
hospitalized
and
one
needed
intensive
care.
Most
of
them
were
vaccinated,
even
if
omnicron
is
less
deadly
than
delta.
The
growth
is
exponential.
We're
going
to
see
severe
cases
and
that's
going
to
challenge
our
healthcare
system.
A
A
A
There
is
decreased
protection,
however,
against
infection
in
persons
that
have
been
fully
vaccinated
compared
with
other
variants.
A
booster
dose
raises
the
level
of
protection,
but
breakthrough
infections
have
occurred.
We
expect
to
see
reinfection
in
people
who
have
previously
been
infected.
These
datas
have
been
reported
elsewhere,
including
the
people
that
are
infected
with
delta.
Recently,
protection
against
severe
disease
when
fully
vaccinated
or
boosted
is
anticipated
to
remain
strong.
Our
vaccines
are
working
to
protect
against
that
severe
disease.
Individuals
that
are
fully
vaccinated
and
have
recently
received
a
booster
will
have
the
highest
level
of
protection.
A
Vaccination
is
our
best
tool
to
reduce
the
impact
of
omicron
in
the
community.
If
we
follow
the
trajectory
of
other
regions,
we
can
anticipate
a
surge
of
cases
in
amicron
in
the
next
few
weeks.
We
expect
cases
to
double
every
two
to
three
days.
The
speed
will
be
surprising
to
many,
as
conditions
will
change
rapidly.
A
Even
if
we
don't
see
a
change
in
cases
with
clinical
severity,
the
volume
of
exponential
growth
will
be
a
challenge
to
manage.
We
don't
have
the
capacity
now
with
delta,
so
this
is
incredibly
concerning
to
me.
We've
made
phenomenal
progress
with
vaccination
with
an
estimated
80
percent
of
our
community
over
the
age
of
five
fully
vaccinated.
A
A
Vaccination
is
our
primary
tool,
but
it
can't
be
our
only
tool
with
such
high
case
rates
in
a
variant
that
has
some
immune
escape
the
more
layers
of
mitigation
we
use
the
better
protected.
We
will
be.
The
choice
we
make
in
the
coming
weeks
will
impact
us
all
as
cases
surge.
You
can
expect
businesses
to
have
staffing
challenges,
as
staff
are
impacted,
you'll
see,
retailers
and
other
businesses
ask
people
to
mask
up
again.
A
I
think
that
day
will
come,
but
it
will
come
based
on
their
collective
actions
to
change
the
trajectory
of
cobit
19..
We've
done
this
before
and
we're
going
to
need
to
rally
again
to
get
through
the
next
few
weeks.
Bloomington
public
health
is
asking
everyone
to
take
the
following
steps
to
care
for
ourselves
and
our
community
and
to
stay
safe,
be
cautious
with
your
activities
avoid
illness
and
injury
in
the
coming
weeks
as
healthcare
access
is
going
to
be
delayed.
A
Think
about
wearing
your
seatbelt,
making
sure
your
kids
are
secure
in
their
car
seat,
be
careful
walking
on
the
ice,
get
your
flu
shot.
If
you
haven't
already
it's
not
too
late,
we
are
seeing
influenza
cases
starting
to
rise
in
minnesota,
get
vaccinated
against
coven
19
and
get
boosted
when
you're
eligible.
A
This
is
our
best
strategy
to
reduce
your
risk
of
severe
illness.
Wear
a
high
quality
mask
that
seals
around
your
face
when
you're
in
indoor
public
spaces
or
areas
of
high
community
spread,
cloven
19
is
spread
when
an
infected
person
breathes
talks,
laughs,
coughs
or
sneezes.
It's
in
the
air
you
breathe,
which
is
why
you
want
a
good
mask,
gather
outdoors
or
in
areas
with
good
ventilation,
avoid
crowded
indoor
spaces
get
tested.
A
A
Our
healthcare
system
is
stretched
to
the
breaking
point.
We
are.
A
caring
community
show
your
neighbors.
You
care
and
do
everything
you
can
to
ensure
a
bed
remains
for
those
who
need
it
in
an
emergency,
show
our
healthcare
partner
as
you
care,
by
doing
everything
you
can
to
avoid
needing
emergency
medical
care
in
the
coming
weeks.