Widespread prevention of the COVID-19 virus is still many months away despite at least three new vaccines that could start distribution as soon as this month.
The vaccines signal a potential end to the pandemic that has halted everything in 2020, but they won’t affect the current surge overwhelming hospitals in St. Louis.
“I celebrate the vaccine, but I also offer a word of caution that this is not going to change anything for a significant period of time,” said Dr. Alex Garza, the head of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, in a videoconferenced presentation at the Economic Outlook Breakfast at LiUNA in Sunset Hills Nov. 12. “So a light at the end of the tunnel, but we’ve still got a long tunnel to go through.”
Ahead of vaccine approval, here are how state and local leaders prepping for rollout kmov.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kmov.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
22 people per day are dying from COVID-19 in the St. Louis area, Dr. Garza says
In the St. Louis area, staffed bed hospital capacity is at 83%, an average across our task force hospitals. The ICUs are at 89% of their total staffed bed capacity Author: Ashley Cole, Associated Press Published: 3:31 PM CST December 9, 2020 Updated: 7:20 PM CST December 9, 2020
ST. LOUIS Dr. Alexander Garza - head of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task force - said the St. Louis area is seeing an average of 22 deaths per day related to COVID-19. On average, 22 deaths a day means that we re losing 22 members of our community who we can t get back. Twenty-two more families are going to be grieving a loved one this holiday season, Dr. Garza said during Wednesday s briefing.