SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – Health leaders from Mercy Hospital addressed their response to an influx of COVID-19 and other emergent patients in southwest Missouri.
Craig McCoy, president of Mercy Springfield Communities, spoke on the hospital’s plans, following an announcement earlier in the day that CoxHealth might divert COVID-19 patients to other facilities throughout Missouri if hospitalizations continue to surge.
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“We are experiencing a high number of COVID admissions,” said McCoy. “We’re feeling the same pressure of the COVID admissions… We will remain open, we will utilize all of our resources and continue to take care of patients in our community.”
McCoy says Mercy Springfield is currently treating 74 COVID-19 patients and nine more pending admissions as of Friday. McCoy said the “best care is close to home,” and did not announce a possible scenario in which patients might be diverted, despite the spike in cases.
Health officials say the faster-spreading Delta variant has led to a recent increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations throughout southwest Missouri.
Kendra Findley, a health investigator for the Springfield-Greene County Health Department, says the increasing cases and random testing of virus samples have confirmed the more infectious variant is spreading quickly.
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