The CEO of the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics in Iowa City recommended that patients have a backup plan in case their local hospital reaches capacity due to COVID-19 patients, according to We Are Iowa.
Suresh Gunasekaran said UI Hospitals & Clinics hasn't reached capacity yet, but the state saw record hospitalizations as of Nov. 8. According to Nov. 10 data, 1,034 Iowans are in the hospital with COVID-19. The state's bed capacity is 9,423.
"Each local community has to ask themselves: 'Are you prepared to seek care elsewhere if your individual hospital in your own community can no longer provide care to you?'" Mr. Gunasekaran told We Are Iowa.
Iowa had the third-highest spread of COVID-19 in the country as of Nov. 10.
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