A Beaumont Health physician has apologized and the hospital is working to correct a statement he made in an apparent private message where he claimed the hospital's ICUs were full of young adults on ventilators.

Dr. Patrick Wiater, a specialist in orthopedic trauma, claimed in a message that the ICU was full of young adults on ventilators who were fighting for their lives.

The message was saved and shared across social media and several calls and emails were sent into the FOX 2 newsroom.

In his message, he claimed a medical assistant was positive for COVID-19 and was on a ventilator. He described her as a "otherwise healthy person in her twenties" and claimed the hospital was seeing mostly young people coming in with "their lungs destroyed by this virus."

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He said to sequester everyone, not have any social interactions, and anyone who "has not been isolated for 14 days is a risk to you".


He then said it is estimated that 150 million in the US will have it over the next 10 to 14 days and that southeast Michigan is "festering with it".

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Dr. Wiater wrapped his message by saying "Hopefully this comes across as an alarmist. This virus is horrible."

In response to his alarming message, Beaumont released a statement correcting the doctor, saying that 90% of Beaumont's patients across their eight hospitals are over the age of 40.

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"This is consistent with what other health systems across the nation are experiencing. As the CDC has stated, older adults are at higher risk for severe illness after becoming infected with COVID-19.

Dr. Wiater also apologized for the fear and confusion he caused in the statement from Beaumont. He said it was a private message that was shared without his knowledge.

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"In reality, much of what I wrote in that text message is exaggerated and untrue. During this time of crisis, truth and accuracy are more important than ever. I sincerely apologize for sharing false information," Dr. Wiater wrote in the statement.