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 “We are sharing this data with the public to help
them understand the severity of the situation, as COVID-19 continues
to spread rapidly, and to encourage them to take action to help
protect our communities,” said Dr. Raj Govindaiah, senior vice
president and chief medical officer for Memorial Health System.
The dashboard will allow central Illinois residents to see how many
people are currently hospitalized at Memorial Medical Center,
Decatur Memorial Hospital, Passavant Area Hospital, Taylorville
Memorial Hospital and Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital.
The data also will include how many of those hospitalized patients
are in intensive care, and how many patients at all Memorial Health
System locations, including outpatient clinics, have tested positive
for COVID-19.
As of noon Tuesday, 123 people were hospitalized across Memorial
Health System, with today’s totals being the highest since the
pandemic began.
The dashboard is available on
ChooseMemorial.org/COVID19 and will be shared daily on the
Memorial Health System Facebook page.
Memorial Health System leaders also urged the public to recognize
that the rapid and large increases in the numbers of people being
tested has also created much higher call volumes at the South Sixth
Respiratory Clinic and other clinic locations.
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“The surge of COVID-19 cases is affecting all
clinical locations, not just our hospitals,” said Jay Roszhart,
president of the Memorial Health System Ambulatory group. “We urge
the public to have patience with our healthcare workers, who are
responding as quickly as they can as they triage patients’ needs.
You may experience a delay in callbacks, but we assure you, we will
get back to you as soon as possible.”
Govindaiah urged the public not to give in to so-called COVID-19
fatigue.
“These are not just statistics,” he said. “Every number represents a
family member, a friend, a neighbor. We want the public to
understand that the human impact of COVID-19 is very real.
“The surge has hit our community,” he said. “We need the community’s
help to reverse these alarming trends. We need the public to stand
with us. Wash your hands, wear a mask, watch your distance and get a
flu shot.”
[Memorial Health Systems]
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