KINGSTON – It has been one month since Ulster County’s first positive case of COVID-19 and County Executive Patrick Ryan, Monday, said there is the need for additional resources to combat the virus and protect the health and safety of county residents.
There are currently 382 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and five fatalities in the county.
Since Friday, Ryan said the county has seen a near 50 percent surge in those hospitalized for the virus.
The county has only one ICU bed available and is on pace to exhaust all available beds and ventilators by the end of this week.
“Based on our projections, we will run out of both beds and ventilators by week’s end,” said Ryan. “We have been working around the clock to address this, and soon we will be announcing another initiative to add additional bed capacity in Ulster County.
He said the county has been successful in the production of their own PPE and in ramping up testing through the two mobile sites – Tech City and Ellenville, “but we still have urgent needs.”
Last Friday, Ryan called seeking doctors, nurses and other medical professions to assist in the county’s response to COVID-19. He said in just three days, over 70 people have responded.
