With testing and social distancing plans in place, Governor Raimondo says she is now shifting focus to assuring that Rhode Island is prepared and equipped with enough hospital beds and personal protection equipment(PPE). In her Friday briefing Raimondo said 1,200 additional beds have become available thanks to the development of so-called field hospitals being set up at the RI Convention Center and other locations. The governor that the RI Department of Health has developed a plan to deal with the possible overwhelming of the state's health care network, but added that "I don't think we'll get there," meaning that she doesn't believe the state will reach 4,000+ hospitalizations, as recent worst-case data models predict.
Raimondo stated that the goal going forward for the state is to have 30 days of personal protection equipment available to health care workers at all times. She says that the state has received over 1.2 million surgical masks in the last week alone, as well as 1.5 million gloves and over 10,000 face shields. Additional orders have been placed for 10 million surgical masks and 1 million N-95 masks, as well as large orders for face shield and gloves.
Latest Rhode Island Data:
- 366 new cases. Total now 4,177
- 13 new fatalities. Total of 118 deaths. (Recent deaths range in age from 50's to 90+. 10 out of 13 were living in congregate settings).
- Over 30,000 people have been tested in RI.
- Hospitalized: 252 persons. 62 in ICU. 43 on ventilators
- Link to daily data: Click here
Although the numbers are still on the rise, Raimondo says she still believes that "we are absolutely headed in the right direction."
Graphic: RIDOH website