Hospitals overwhelmed: Missouri officials discuss alternatives

ST. LOUIS (AP)-  Officials are discussing canceling all but the most urgent medical procedures and building a field hospital as the coronavirus surges in Missouri.

Dr. Alex Garza, the chief of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, said on Friday that projections show the region’s hospitals maxing out intensive care units in a matter of days, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Garza said the task force is working with the state to determine what assistance will be necessary.

Springfield area hospitals also report being overwhelmed.

As of Saturday, the state health department reported that there have been 25,480 new coronavirus cases in the past week, or 3,640 new cases daily on average.