In Region 4 (Acadiana) Only 3 Hospital Beds Remain, COVID is Back

Hospitals break down areas of the state into regions, Region 4 covers Lafayette and Acadiana. Right now, in Region 4, only 3 hospital beds are available due to the overwhelming increase in COVID patients.

Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center and Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center are both at maximum capacity in their ICUs. Louisiana currently has over 1,000 people hospitalized due to COVID-19, 162 are on ventilators.

According to KATC, Dr. Amanda Logue, Chief Medical Officer at Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center says the hospital has not had to resort to using regular beds for COVID patients yet.

We know that the Delta variant is very infectious, contagious. -Dr. Amanda Logue, Chief Medical Officer at Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center

The Delta variant has ramped up hospitalizations, especially in individuals under 60-years-old. Region 4 has seen a dramatic increase in younger individuals with COVID.

About four weeks ago we had 10 people in our whole health system with COVID and today we have 97. -Amanda Logue, Chief Medical Officer at Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center

In a briefing Friday, Dr. Henry Kaufman, acting Chief Medical Officer at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center in Lafayette said the hospital is seeing a surge of COVID patients with enhanced symptoms.

...we're seeing enhanced severity of this illness in these individuals who, many of whom, are otherwise completely healthy. -Dr. Henry Kaufman, acting Chief Medical Officer at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center

Dr. Kaufman went on to say that out of the 70 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center, only two had been vaccinated

Local, state and national healthcare officials continue to urge Americans to get vaccinated.