Hospital CEO Discusses Coronavirus Spike

Sydney Martin spoke with David Spillers, the CEO of Huntsville Hospital, about the growing number of coronavirus cases.

Number of cases in the region to 1,921.

Thanks for joining us tonight.

I'm dan shaffer.

>> and i'm najahe sherman.

We want to get to sydney martin.

>> dan shaffer: he's outside huntsville hospital after asking about the consistent rise in patients over the past two weeks >> here at huntsville hospital david spillers tells me he's concerned about the growing number of coronavirus cases.

The alabama department of public health is showing an average of about 1,000 new cases in the state each day in the past week and number of hospital beds is getting low.

Spilz this is worse than i had anticipated.

I think -- i guess i did not anticipate that people would just totally disregard social distancing and the spinnings that had kept us from being a hotspot in the state around the country.

>> david spillers said the disregard since the state reopened is putting everyone in danger.

>> there are 167 people in our hospitals that are really, really sick.

Some are sick enough that they're never going to make it.

It's a small percentage, but it's a lot of people that if we didn't have covid probably wouldn't even be in the hospital >> of those 167 coronavirus patients in the hospital system, spiller said 91 are in madison county with more than 1,000 patients at hospitals across the state.

Spillers told me it's time for governor kay ivey to take action >> i see no reason the entire state is not wearing a mask.

And i understand that the -- people don't -- a lot of people don't support that, but very little evidence, virtually no evidence that it hurts you.

A lot of evidence that it helps.

And it's a pretty easy thing for people to do.

So that's the first thing i'd do , if i was the governor, is i'd do statewide masking.

>> madison county started mandatory masking tuesday.

I asked spillers what's next if that doesn't do enough to flat ten the coronavirus curve.

>> i think the next step f this doesn't work, is we'll have to -- "we," the state is going to have to look at whether or not they allow close contact organizations and businesses to continue to remain open.

>> he explained what kinds of businesses he's talking about.

>> i would lean more towards people where people are congregating in large groups, talking, drinking, those types of things, like bars, those types of things.

Anything where people are in close contact, are not masking, you know, those are the situations where this is most likely to be spread.

>> and he had this message for anyone who wasn't taking the health order seriously.

>> it's spreading because a lot of people aren't taking it seriously.

I wish they would.

I mean, i don't know how to get people's attention.

I think when we cancel college football season it will finally get people's attention.

>> spillers told me he hopes it does not come down to canceling college football.

He said his message to everyone, it's time to get serious.

Wear a mask, social distance,