A new federal report shows all 17 beds at The Outer Banks Hospital were occupied the week before Christmas, and one in five hospitals across North Carolina were at least 90 percent full.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, none of the patients at the hospital in Nags Head during the week of Dec. 18-24 were being treated for COVID-19.
And Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, one of the largest facilities in eastern North Carolina, also had no COVID-19 patients the week according to the report at HealthData.gov.
The Outer Banks Hospital was one of three facilities in North Carolina that were at 100 percent capacity last week, along with Alamance Regional Medical Center in Burlington and Cone Memorial in Greensboro.
While reporting no patients admitted for the coronavirus, 62 emergency room visits for COVID-19 were reported to the federal government by The Outer Banks Hospital the same week.
Wendy Kelly, marketing director for The Outer Banks Hospital, provided a statement in response to an email from OBX Today on Dec. 22 regarding the reporting of COVID-19 cases and bed availability:
The Outer Banks Hospital is part of Vidant Health and as a system, we continue to partner closely work with local, state and national agencies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic This includes reporting data to the appropriate agencies, as requested by state and local officials.
As a system of care with nine hospitals across eastern North Carolina, including an academic medical center, Vidant is prepared, able to respond and, importantly, adapt to this fluid and evolving crisis.
We have the bed capacity, staffing, supplies and equipment we need at this time, and we continue to plan by accessing the collective expertise and resources from across our system. That includes building additional capacity and streamlining resources in order to meet the needs of the communities we proudly serve.
With numbers continuing to increase across the state and here in eastern North Carolina, it is vitally important that the community help stop the spread of COVID-19 by wearing a mask, washing hands, social distancing and avoiding gatherings.
A total of 316 COVID-19 patients were treated at Vidant-operated hospitals during the entire week, according to the DHHS report, including 96 at Vidant Duplin Hospital in Kenansville, 92 at Vidant Roanoke Chowan Hospital in Ahoskie, 80 at Vidant Beaufort Hospital in Washington and 46 at Vidant Chowan Hospital in Edenton.
The report also listed no coronavrius patients were at Vidant Bertie in Windsor and Vidant Edgecombe in Tarboro.
Sentara Albemarle Medical Center in Elizabeth City reported a total of 194 patients were admitted with COVID-19 for the week, Martin General Hospital in Williamston 24 patients and Washington County Hospital in Plymouth 22 patients.
The same report listed capacity at Vidant Roanoke Chowan was at 98 percent, Vidant Beaufort 95 percent, Martin General 73 percent, Washington County 63 percent and Sentara Albemarle 59 percent.
Total hospitalizations in North Carolina for the coronavirus set a new record for a third day in a row on Tuesday, with 3,377.
This story originally appeared on OBXToday.com. Read More local stories here.
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