More than 1,800 Hoosier healthcare workers are asking Indiana residents to help them fight the coronavirus.
Doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers across Indiana are signing an open letter calling on Hoosiers to take four steps that will aid healthcare workers.
They say Hoosiers should avoid gatherings as much as possible, wear a mask when with anyone who does not live in their household, and advocate for state and federal support for businesses and individuals directly affected by the coronavirus.
While it will be months before a vaccine is widely available, the professionals also assert all Hoosiers should take the vaccine when available for their group.
Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb and State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box for weeks have called on Hoosiers to take similar steps. While messages like these have been routine throughout the pandemic, this letter reveals the scope of the problem for healthcare workers.
They write they are “overwhelmed” and “exhausted” as the state records record highs in hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and deaths from the virus.
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According to the most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control, deaths from COVID-19 trail only cancer and heart disease as the leading killer of Hoosiers. If current trends continue, it’s possible the coronavirus could be the leading cause of death in Indiana this year.
The healthcare workers write, “all services are being impacted—from basic care for heart attacks to advanced care for traumatic injuries and cancer.”
Hospitals are once again beginning to delay elective procedures and many counties are triaging contact tracing — relying on certain individuals to trace themselves.
The updated risk map reveals nearly half of Indiana’s counties are in the highest risk red category — with all others are in the second highest orange category.
Indiana is currently experiencing one of the worst outbreaks in the country. Only Rhode Island logged more new positive coronavirus cases per 100,000 people last week.
The letter derives from Hoosier COVID Crisis, a grassroots initiative that hopes to inform Hoosiers of the dangers associated with uncontrolled community spread. Health officials say the entire state is experiencing uncontrolled community spread, which renders local and regional mitigation efforts largely ineffective.
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