KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With more than 1,400 people currently hospitalized in Missouri, COVID-19 continues to shatter records.
"It’s not the place where we want to be going into cold and flu season," said Mary Becker, with the Missouri Hospital Association.
Experts said they believe the increase is, in large part, due to fatigue setting in related to social distancing and wearing a face mask.
"Unfortunately, particularly in a number of the rural parts of our state, we're not seeing that occur," Becker said. "People are tired, and they want to get back to normal."
The cases are severe resulting in less hospital and intensive-care unit beds in portions of the state.
However, Gov. Mike Parson has repeatedly said in media briefings that the state's hospital system is not overwhelmed.
Each hospital has its own plan to deal with the influx. In some instances, patients might be transferred from one facility to another, while other hospitals might consider forming a new COVID-19 unit.
"Part of the issue is that you have to have staffing for as many patients as you have," Becker said, "and so you can only take as many patients as you can staff."
Missouri is one of the 15 states now recording record hospitalizations. Experts said the numbers can go the other way if more people are mindful.
"Everyone wants to be with family during the holidays," Becker said, "but as we're heading into a time where it will be people will be inside more. It's more important than ever that we practice those precautions."
As of Saturday, Missouri had reported more than 162,000 COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic and nearly 2,700 deaths, according to data compiled by 41 Action News.
