Just hours after reporting a slight decline in the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations at Northeast Georgia Health System facilities, the number spiked to an all-time high of 312.
The hospital system continues to face the issue of dwindling bed space, and just before the Christmas holiday issued a video statement saying that if the problem grew worse, medical officials would have to make the difficult decision of who to treat and who to turn away.
Original story Sunday, Dec. 27 9 a.m.
While Coronavirus hospitalizations are still at near-record highs at North Georgia Health System facilities, the numbers did see a slight decline the day after Christmas.
As of Saturday, December 26, the health system had 293 patients with confirmed positive COVID-19 tests hospitalized. That number was down from 302 on Christmas Day, which was the all-time record for the system.
Despite the dip, the number continued to climb at Northeast Georgia Medical Center's Gainesville campus, which now has 174 Coronavirus hospitalizations. That count doubles the numbers seen at the hospital in early October.
Currently, of the health system's 722 available hospital beds, only 54 are available. Of the 668 occupied beds, just under half are occupied by patients with COVID-19 or who are awaiting test results.
You can see Northeast Georgia Health System's latest Coronavirus data here.
