Local medical workers calling on the public to help them through the pandemic

As coronavirus cases rise, North Mississippi Medical Center is struggling to make room for patients.

In some cases, up to 30 patients remained in the emergency room for up to 20 hours because there was no in-patient space available.

Good afternoon thank you for joining us i'm emily leonard craig ford is on assignment .... today, the mississippi department of health reported another 32 hundred cases of coronavirus ... that brings the total number of positive cases since march to over 231 thousand ... in addition,, the state reported 48 deaths ... so far the virus has claimed the lives of nearly 51 hundred mississippians... a new study is showing the impact of coronavirus transmission from people without any symptoms... researchers with the centers for disease control created a model that analyzed the spread of the virus... they estimate that 59 percent of all transmission comes from people who aren't showing symptoms ... of those,,, nearly a quarter never developed symptoms.... as coronavirus cases rise in north mississippi,,, the north mississippi medical center is struggling to make room for patients... in some cases, up to 30 patients remained in the emergency room for up to 20 hours because there was no in-patient space available... wtva alexis jones is live in tupelo with how you can help those on the frontlines.

I'm outside of north mississippi medical center where medical workers say they need your help to get them through this difficult time.

Care about me."

"if you care about us then you got to care about each other because if you don't then we'll be taking care of you and it's sad..

It's just so sad" jeremy blanchard is the system chief medical officer at north mississippi medical center.

Blanchard said the pandemic continues to hit the hospital's emergency room hard.

He said the er is overwhelmed with coronavirus and non coronavirus patients.

Sot: "although we can still provide appropriate care, it's harder and harder."

Because of the increase in local and transferred patients, blanchard said the number of medical workers is now limited.

Blanchard said beds are also filling up.

Medical professionals had to open 21 new beds in the er and treat patients in the hallways.

Sot: "so whenever those beds above the emergency department and in all the other floors are full then the emergency department had the roll of managing those patients."

Stand up: blanchard said the vaccine is helping, but the hospital also needs the public to do their part.

Vo: blanchard stressed if you require urgent or emergency care or surgery, then you should go to the er.

All other cases should be checked out at a local clinic or urgent center.

Sot: "don't avoid going to the clinics or the urgent centers if you need care because if you delay it then you now will become an urgent or emergent case and require admission which then competes for that bed."

Blanchard is also asking everyone to wear their masks and social distance.

He said doing this will lower the number of coronavirus patients in the emergency room.

Sot: "there's some discussion about freedom of choice.

My choice is to care about everybody so if i care about everybody then i have to wear a mask.

And if i don't wear a mask, then it probably means you really don't care about