DEARBORN, MI (WXYZ) — The federal government is sending in reinforcements to help fight the fourth surge of the pandemic.
The Department of Defense is sending 44 more healthcare workers to two hospitals as COVID-19 cases continue to rise throughout the state.
Michigan has one of the highest case rates in the country with the state reporting more than 17,000 new infections over the last two days.
One of those hospitals receiving extra help is Beaumont Dearborn, a hospital that is currently up 100 patients from last week.
The request is for nurses, respiratory therapists, and physicians and they're set to arrive next week
It's a serious situation to be in and one that health officials predicted could happen back in September.
Now, it's a reality with nine hospitals across the state at full capacity.
“These hospitals are at capacity. They are experiencing caseloads that are significant, not just covid cases but other cases as well,” Director of Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Elizabeth Hertel said.
“Our teams are so burned out and struggling to keep up with the amount of patients coming through the emergency rooms, and the difference now is just the level of their sickness is so much greater in severity,” President of Beaumont Dearborn David Claeys added.
These reinforcements will allow Beaumont Dearborn to take care of more patients in both the emergency room and hospital.
They're set to receive 22 nurses, respiratory therapists, and physicians early next week after having a 200% increase in covid patients since September.
Beaumont Dearborn is the only hospital in Metro Detroit to receive this much-needed help.
“Our infectious disease doctors feel that the COVID patients will exceed the surge from last year," Claeys said.
But this help is far from enough—falling well short of the 150 workers initially requested by the state's hospital association.
"There are and have been very serious circumstances in Michigan at different times over the past 20 months and I would say that this is one of those times," Senior Vicepresident at the Michigan Health and Hospital Association Laura Appel said.
The state says there's a long list of hospitals requesting help, but right now there is not much else they can do.
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