November 16, 2020 – Henry Ford Health System (Detroit, MI) announced it is seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases, a spike in deaths related to the pandemic, and a shortage in both medical workers and COVID-19 testing supplies.
Adnan Munkarah, Henry Ford Health System’s EVP and chief clinical officer, said positive COVID-19 tests at the healthcare provider were in the single digits a few weeks ago, but are now up to about 13% in the last few days.
“(It’s) definitely very concerning and reflective of what we are seeing both from a state perspective and national perspective,” he said.
His comments come as Michigan hospitals and emergency departments are rapidly filling up with COVID-19 patients and, in some cases, nearing capacity levels.
Earlier this week, west Michigan hospital officials said a surge in coronavirus cases is causing staffing and bed shortages.
On Thursday, Michigan broke another daily record with 6,940 new cases. It also added 45 deaths. The state’s total of confirmed cases to 236,225 and total confirmed deaths to 7,811, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
The rise in cases is starting to cause a shortage in manpower at Henry Ford Health System, with 18 to 20 employees are testing positive for COVID-19 daily.
To address the problem, Munkarah said the system has stepped up its testing of employees.
However, he also said Henry Ford’s supply of COVID-19 testing supplies is dwindling and causing a delay in results.