BUFFALO, N.Y. — CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story stated WNY had set a record for COVID hospitalizations on Wednesday. It did not. The highest number of daily COVID hospitalizations in WNY was 263 on April 28, 2020.
Daily COVID-19 hospitalizations are rising sharply in the Western New York Region.
This week the number of daily hospitalizations in the region peaked at 233, a continued cause of concern for Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.
Thursday afternoon the County Executive shared yet another update on increasing COVID-19 cases across the region.
"We started to see this rapid increase in the last couple weeks of October, now we're starting to see the rapid increase in hospitalizations," he says.
As more people test positive, more people are in need of care, no surprise.
Concern then turns to the health care system and our local hospitals: Are they ready for another surge?
Dr. Michael Mineo is the Chief Medical Officer at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital and says given the trend in cases, it's no surprise that hospitals are starting to get busier.
"We've been prepared for this," Dr. Mineo says.
Preparation, he says, has been the differentiating factor in how hospitals are managing high case loads this wave.
"Now we have adequate (personal protection equipment), we've got gowns, we've got face masks, N95s," he said.
Dr. David Pierce is the Vice-President and Chief Medical Officer at Buffalo General Hospital, and he says his team is also ready, though it's not something they necessarily wanted to be ready for.
"We knew this would becoming. We hoped it wouldn't, but we prepared as if it was coming," Dr. Pierce says.
Buffalo General has also been working tirelessly to reconstruct their hospital system in response to the first wave of COVID-19 back in the spring, like Suburban and a majority of hospitals in the area.
As a result of intense planning and preparation, despite rising numbers, Dr. Pierce says, his team is feeling much more confident these days.
"We have developed a very good rhythm in how we intake people into the hospital, triage them into safe areas, and take care of them," he says.
In addition to more PPE, space, beds, and preparation, both doctors say knowledge is power in situations like these.
Access to ongoing research is helping hospitals by giving them a true sense of what they're dealing with ahead of time. This makes it possible, Dr. Pierce says, to offer the best service possible.
"As a team we've come together extremely well and I'm very proud of the way we've executed the plan," Dr. Pierce said.
If you are experiencing COVID-like symptoms, doctors recommend to self- isolate and visit a hospital as soon as possible.
