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The fight against COVID: NBC News gets exclusive look inside Cleveland Clinic’s ICU

NBC's report said most of the patients in the Cleveland Clinic’s ICU are currently on ventilators – 90 percent of which are unvaccinated.

CLEVELAND — Editor's note: Video at the top of this story features a national outlook on President Biden's plan to battle the surge in new COVID infections.

As the COVID surge continues making an impact on hospitals throughout the country, NBC’s Kate Snow visited the Cleveland Clinic’s ICU to get a first-hand look at what doctors and nurses are facing each day.

“We have more patients,” Dr. Hassan Khouli, who is head of critical care at the Cleveland Clinic, told Snow when comparing the current situation to last year. “Our patients are sicker. Our teams are tired and exhausted, too.”

RELATED: REPORT: President Biden to send medical teams to Cleveland Clinic to help with ongoing COVID-19 surge

He said their unit is seeing patients in their 20s, 30s and 40s.

Watch Snow's report in the player below: 

The conversation between Snow and Dr. Hassan then turned to the possibility that overcrowded COVID conditions in the ICU could lead to life-threatening concerns for other patients.

  • Snow: "Does that mean that somebody that comes in with a heart attack might end up dying because they can’t get into your ICU?"
  • Dr. Khouli: "That is possible, or they would wait in the emergency room while waiting for a bed in the intensive care unit -- or they may be actually crashing on the floor."

Snow’s report said most of the patients in the Cleveland Clinic’s ICU are currently on ventilators – 90 percent of which are unvaccinated. Approximately 5 percent of the hospital’s staff is also out sick. One nurse, for example, is now covering as many as 17 patients compared to eight on a typical day.

RELATED: Cleveland Clinic extends postponement of nonessential surgeries through Jan. 30 amid COVID surge, staffing challenges

During her visit, Snow also spoke with a 73-year-old COVID patient who had this message for those who say omicron is no big deal: “They can come and sit in here and see what it’s like.” That patient, who has some underlying medical conditions, was fully vaccinated but not yet boosted.

NBC’s visit comes as Cleveland Clinic officials announced they were extending the postponement of nonessential surgeries through Jan. 30.

RELATED: 'Do not raise your voice or use profanity': Cleveland Clinic now giving visitors 'partnership pledge' upon arrival

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