John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center: January 7th 2022
Totals: Confirmed US Infections 59,388,528 /US COVID Deaths 836,478

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Missouri COVID hospitalizations set new record as omicron variant spread accelerates. Hospitals face a ‘double whammy’ as patient burden increases while staff are out due to illness.

The hospital, where my husband works, now has over 130 COVID patients (all but 2 unvaccinated)
PLUS 20% of their workers are out because of COVID.

The same is true (or worse) all over Missouri.

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On Wednesday, representatives of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force warned they were “quite frightened” by the rapid increase in hospitalizations. There were 1,114 patients in task force hospitals, and “it would be easy for us to hit double the current number,” said Dr. Clay Dunagan, BJC HealthCare’s chief clinical officer.

And in Springfield, Steve Edwards, CEO of CoxHealth, warned that not every patient could receive treatments proven to help mitigate the disease. 'Monoclonal antibodies are becoming scarce.'

Analysis of Missouri wastewater samples collected the week after Christmas showed three locations where the omicron variant was the dominant strain, 11 where delta was the dominant strain and more than 50 where the two variants were present. “It is the twindemic,” Stites of KU Med said Friday morning. 'It is omicron and delta at the same time.' The Friday morning briefing from KU Health was presented in response to the decision by Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly to issue a new COVID-19 disaster emergency declaration. The providers used the briefing to highlight the contrast with Missouri, where Gov. Mike Parson allowed the COVID-19 emergency declaration issued to support health care staffing to expire.

“'Let’s say thank you to Gov. Kelly, and to the political leadership in Topeka, and different from Missouri, where they have tried to declare victory,' Dr Stites said. Public health and hospital leaders criticized Parson’s move, as well as efforts by Attorney General Eric Schmitt to crush out local mitigation measures.

"The St. Louis County Council voted Tuesday to put an indoor mask mandate back in place in reaction to record case numbers and hospitalizations. The city council in Kansas City followed suit Thursday, enacting a mask mandate for all public schools. Missouri AG Schmitt announced that he will file a lawsuit seeking to halt both requirements." The Missouri Independent

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Due to the dire situation, health rationing has been started.

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Above is an email that my husband and I each received today.
It is the very tip of the iceberg.

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