<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574787528114.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;Chuck Welch with Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System noted that the hospital is still handling the patient load it has fairly well at this point."It's probably our largest number to date, which is still only, it looks like, six positive COVID patients and nine pending results," Welch said Wednesday. "Worst case scenario, all of those come back positive, you know, we would have what's that, 15 or 16 positive patients."The hospital is ready in case more cases come in, but they aren't nearly full."We have an entire COVID ward which has been isolated and cordoned off up on the fifth floor specifically for COVID positive patients that aren't sick enough to be in the ICU," Welch said. "Our capacity is on par with some bigger hospitals. We have never even come close to that."It's not that the threat is gone. As long as one person has the virus and they pass it to another, it will be there, but the surge hasn't materialized."We know we're going to get sick patients, but we just want to take them in manageable pieces," Welch said. "I've said this for the last six months, if we start seeing 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 critically sick patients, our capacity will go from, we're doing just fine to, we're going to need some help and it can go quickly. We are acutely aware and keeping our eyes on and our fingers on the pulse of those hotspots."Total hospital census for all causes on Wednesday was 82 patients at the 190 bed hospital.

Hospital still handling COVID case load just fine