ST. LOUIS — St. Louis area hospitals continue to report an increase in COVID-19 related hospitalizations as staffed bed capacity decreases.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force reported Tuesday that staffed bed hospital capacity is at 84%, an average across the task force hospitals. The ICU’s are at 86% of their total staffed bed capacity.
Inpatient confirmed COVID-19 positive hospitalizations increased from 881 to 887 today – a new hospitalization data record.
The Missouri health department on Tuesday reported 3,764 new confirmed cases, bringing the total number to 278,661 since the onset of the pandemic. The state also reported 189 new deaths, saying 161 of them occurred previously but had not been reported. Still, 147 of those previously unreported deaths occurred this month.
Hospital capacity remains a major concern. The state’s COVID-19 dashboard says ICU capacity statewide remained at 17% for the second straight day.
In Illinois, state officials are reporting that another 125 people have died from COVID-19. In a news release on Tuesday, the Illinois Department of Public Health reports that the latest figures bring the death toll since the pandemic began earlier this year to 11,677.
IDPH also reports another 9,469 confirmed and probable cases. That total is more than 1,100 higher than Monday's total but marks just the second time in the last six days that the number of cases was below the 10,000 mark.
The following data are the combined figures from the four major health systems (BJC HealthCare, Mercy, SSM Health, St. Luke’s Hospital) that are part of the task force, for Nov. 24.
- New hospital admissions (data lagged two days) increased from 104* to 105 today.
- The seven-day moving average of hospital admissions (data lagged two days) decreased – from 139* to 132.
- The seven-day moving average of hospitalizations increased – from 854 yesterday to 861 today, a new seven-day moving average record.
- Inpatient confirmed COVID positive hospitalizations increased – from 881 yesterday to 887 today, a new hospitalization data record.
- Inpatient suspected COVID positive hospitalizations decreased – from 153 yesterday to 146 today.
- The number of confirmed COVID positive patients in the ICUs increased – from 170 yesterday to 179 today.
- The number of confirmed COVID positive patients on ventilators increased – from 88 yesterday to 98 today.
- Across the system hospitals, 141 COVID-19 patients were discharged yesterday, bringing the cumulative number of COVID-19 patients discharged to 10,124.
*Due to a delay in test results, November 23 admissions increased from 89 to 104 increasing the seven-day moving average to 139.