RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) — The Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association has created a data dashboard detailing important information on the state of the commonwealth’s hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic.
It shows up-to-date stats on those currently hospitalized due to COVID-19, hospital bed and ventilator capacity statewide, and how many hospitals are having trouble obtaining crucial personal protective equipment for medical workers.
“Sharing this data publicly wouldn’t be possible without incredible support from VHHA’s 110 hospital members representing 27 health systems which are supplying this information so we can monitor system capacity and other logistical challenges associated with the frontline work of responding to this pandemic,” said VHHA Emergency Preparedness Director Kelly Parker.
The VHHA’s numbers show there are still beds and ventilators available statewide.
As of Dec. 18, the VHHA is reporting 2,075 COVID-19 positive hospitalizations and 334 hospitalizations of people with pending coronavirus test results.
Those two numbers (2,075 confirmed and 334 pending) combined, assuming those with pending results test positive, show that 2,409 Virginians are currently hospitalized due to COVID-19.
VHHA also shows that 510 of those patients are in the ICU and 254 are currently on a ventilator.
The VHHA is also reporting that 27,471 people have been hospitalized in Virginia for COVID-19 and discharged.
As of publication, the Virginia Department of Health is reporting 16,503 COVID-19 hospitalizations, which includes discharged patients and those who’ve died since the start of the outbreak.
Virginia’s State Health Commissioner Dr. M. Norman Oliver addressed the difference in hospitalization data between the VDH and the VHHA on April 6.
Oliver said that VDH data on hospitalizations “lags behind” the data provided every day by VHHA. VDH obtains hospitalization data from Virginia Health and Information. The data VDH reports is a reflection of discharge information that is part of hospital claims collected by VHI.
VHHA’s data shows the “current census” of COVID-19 patients who are in hospitals on a daily basis, Oliver said.
The data will be updated daily. Check back at wavy.com for updates or view the VHHA’s data dashboard here.
WAVY has reached out to learn more about the hospitals reporting difficulty in obtaining personal protective equipment and other medical supplies. We’ll update this story when we hear back.
