MA Health Care System Will Not Be Overwhelmed: Baker

Gov. Charlie Baker said the health care system in Massachusetts will not be overwhelmed amid the coronavirus crisis, indicating the state's social distancing protocols and other efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 have been successful in staving off the worst-case scenario.

Baker, speaking Monday morning on Boston 25 News, said foresight and sacrifice have paid off.

"We have a health care system that is not going to be overwhelmed by this thing and the reason it's not going to be overwhelmed is because we've planned effectively, worked hard with our colleagues in the health community and the people of Massachusetts, for the most part, did exactly the right thing about social distancing and hand washing and all of the issues we raised about disinfecting surfaces," Baker said. "People have done a great job on that and it's part of the reason why here in Massachusetts we will be able to deal with the surge and at the same time make sure we can take care of all the other issues."

Baker made the declaration a day after saying the state was still "in the middle of the surge" of COVID-19 patients and White House officials said they were "very much focused" on the Bay State.

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It's good news for Massachusetts, which has recently been declared a national hot spot amid a gradual increase in deaths and cases, of which there are now more than 1,700 and 38,000, respectively.

The state had been preparing for an influx of COVID-19 patients over a short time, something that would overflow capacity and keep not only COVID-19 patients, but others from getting the medical care they need.

But the state's efforts appear to have worked. Baker shut down schools and nonessential businesses in the middle of March. The state earlier this month launched the nation's first contact tracing program to help mitigate the spread of the virus.

Officials opened several field hospitals, two of which opened Monday, with hundreds of beds of overflow capacity. It's unclear how long those hospitals will stick around after Baker's announcement Monday.

Hospitals around the state have taken extreme measures to prepare for an influx, including lining hallways with beds to increase capacity.

Related: Hospitals Hope For The Best, Prepare For The Worst

Materials from the State House News Service were used in this report