Cleveland-area hospitals battling latest COVID-19 surge put ad in paper that reads: ‘Help’

   (CNN) — “Help.”

That word, successful large achromatic letters and surrounded by achromatic space, called retired from Ohio’s largest paper — a hopeless plea from six Cleveland-area aesculapian systems facing a crush of COVID-19 cases.

“We request your help,” read the bottommost of the ad. “We present person much COVID-19 patients successful our hospitals than ever before.

“And the overwhelming bulk are unvaccinated.”

The advertisement was sponsored by Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, MetroHealth, Summa Health, the US Department of Veterans Affairs and St. Vincent Charity Medical Center.

It follows a akin plea from hospitals successful Minnesota earlier this month, who took retired a full-page paper advertisement that said, “We’re heartbroken. We’re overwhelmed.“

Sunday’s advertisement successful the Cleveland Plain-Dealer was a effect to the latest COVID-19 wellness crisis exploding successful Northern Ohio, astir 2 years into a pandemic that has killed much than 810,000 Americans and battered galore of the nation’s hospitals.

“We are successful a important surge close present and we are raising consciousness astir the value of vaccination — stressing that the bulk of radical who are hospitalized due to the fact that of Covid are unvaccinated,” University Hospital spokesperson George Stamatis said, commenting connected the ad’s intent.

Cuyahoga County, location to Cleveland, has 1 of the highest rates of COVID-19 hospitalizations and accounts for 60% of each hospitalized COVID-19 patients wrong the state, Dr. Alice Kim, the aesculapian manager of operations for the Cleveland Clinic, said successful a briefing on Dec. 15.

“As we are seeing the cases rise, we are besides seeing however sick these patients are,” Kim said. “They are decidedly sicker than we had experienced successful the archetypal fewer months of the pandemic successful 2020.”

The fig of Covid-related hospitalizations are astatine their highest level since Dec. 22, 2020, Gov. Mike DeWine said successful a quality league Friday.

Given the accent placed connected infirmary staff, DeWine noted that astir each hospitals successful the bluish portion of Ohio person stopped elective surgeries.

The politician connected Friday mobilized much than 1,000 members of the National Guard to “help relieve the infirmary staffing strain caused by the rising fig of hospitalized COVID-19 patients,” according to a quality release.

On Tuesday, a escaped drive-thru COVID-19 investigating tract staffed by the Ohio National Guard and the Ohio Health Department was opened successful Cleveland.

But it was unopen down by the extremity of the time owed to the overwhelming demand. The Ohio Department of Health said much than 1,000 people were tested but that registration was nary longer being accepted.

More than a 3rd of the Cuyahoga colonisation remains unvaccinated, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

“We proceed to spot that astir of our patients, peculiarly our patients successful the ICUs are unvaccinated,” Chief Medical Officer for Community Health astatine the MetroHealth System Dr. Brook Watts told CNN’s John Berman connected Monday.

Having taken attraction of COVID patients since the opening of the pandemic, Watts said the quality this clip is that they’re seeing younger people, particularly younger parents travel successful with COVID-19.

“There’s thing much heartbreaking than walking into a Covid patient’s country and seeing pictures of their young children,” Watts said.