Trends in hospitalizations in Champaign County are concerning local hospital officials.
Carle Foundation Hospital Associate Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Chan and OSF HealthCare Heart of Mary Medical Center President Dr. Jared Rogers joined Champaign-Urbana Public Health Director Julie Pryde Monday afternoon to discuss how rising positivity rates in Region 6 are taxing the local hospital system.
The 21-county Region 6, like the rest of Illinois is currently in Tier 3 mitigations, which restrict indoor dining, gambling, indoor sports and banquet centers from operating, allow 25-percent capacity in gyms salons personal care facilities and retail stores and 50-percent capacity in grocery stores. The measures were put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Pryde, who has continued to see weddings and parties throughout the Champaign County community despite the restrictions, asked the community to limit gatherings to persons in their immediate household.
“We’re currently going into a very concerning part of this pandemic,” she said. “We’re going to start seeing cases, hospitalizations and deaths increase. We’re already seeing very concerning situations across the US, where some of the hospitals and health care systems are being overwhelmed and where ambulances, may be diverted to other hospitals, hours away.
“Obviously we do not want to see that in our community. And we’re asking everyone to please stay home as much as possible.”
For hospitals like OSF and Carle, patients come from many rural communities throughout Region 6. While hospitalizations numbers may appear low in Champaign County, Pryde said that the Region 6 med surge capacity is at 29-percent remaining.
Chan said that hospitals outside of the area have been contacting the Carle for help with COVID-positive patients.
Carle has had the resources to help within the last couple weeks, but conversations about how to continue to handle requests from smaller hospitals who are not equipped to take care of sick COVID-19 patients happen on a regular basis.
“It’s not unusual for us to get a report of a hospital calling us and saying you are the 15th to 18th hospital we have called to find placement for a patient,” Chan said. “These hospitals are literally hours away, and they’re doing anything they can.
“This is the reason why we are very nervous and actually very concerned,” he added.
Hospitals have also been purchasing additional ventilators to help with the respiratory management of patients.
“Carle Foundation Hospital is no different,” Chan said. “We are beginning to see those increased numbers translated to increase hospitalizations, and more importantly, marked increase in acuity, meaning that the number of ICU patients who have COVID-related symptoms, is at an all-time high in Carle Foundation Hospital.
“Even though we seem to be doing okay today, we think that given all the models and deaths occurred, we anticipate this to get worse.”
At times over the last week or two, Carle and OSF have been fairly close to capacity, according to their two representatives.
Chan and Rogers echoed the call, as the numbers indicate that the days and weeks ahead will be very challenging for medical systems.
“Through the work of others who have been instrumental in developing this, we’ve actually created one other unit to give us up to additional eight ICU beds,” Chan said. “(We’ve) made the situation so that we can accommodate a higher level of care. That doesn’t take away from the fact that we still need the staff to take care of them, our providers and our nursing staff are working extremely hard.”
As the holidays approach, and millions of Americans travel for Thanksgiving, Chan said that it is “critically important to remind everyone that you could be infectious or a person you’re close to could be infectious even before they have symptoms; that has been shown very clearly throughout the last nine months.”
A pediatric cardiologist, Chan also wants to remind parents that as the pandemic unfolds, COVID-19 is no longer a virus that just adversely affects older patients, but medical professionals have seen “a dramatic increase in the percentage of young people who have been infected with this.
“One thing we know, that we’re very fearful of, we don’t know the long term effects of being infected with COVID,” Chan said. “There haven’t been enough studies to indicate cardiac involvement with this infection that may have a lifelong impact on the young person who’s infected with COVID-19.”
According to Rogers, OSF has also seen an uptick in COVID-19 cases in staff as the pandemic picks up speed.
“That’s a double whammy,” he said. “Having more people to take care of, we must be able to provide the care.”
“Really simple measures that help control this will help make sure that we have enough people caring for our population who becomes ill.”
Of course, those measures include washing hands frequently, wearing a mask, cleaning surfaces, social distancing and not attending gatherings with people outside of a household.
Carle and OSF have already delayed certain elective procedures to make way for additional COVID-19 patients. But still, the doctors urged everyone to remember that there are emergency procedures that will have to be performed as people continue to experience heart attacks, strokes, appendicitis.
“All of those things continue to happen, day in and day out,” Rogers said. “By protecting yourself you protect others. Some of those others that you protect may be the ones that will be able to provide care for you if you become ill. So simple measures, they’ll do a lot of good for all of us.
Pryde said that emergency room and convenient care staff and those who have direct contact with COVID-19 patients will be among the first to get the COVID-19 vaccine. CUPHD believes they might receive both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines in December.
“I can tell you that the plan is still being worked on,” Pryde said.
Both vaccines require two doses, 21 to 28 days apart.
Carle has already purchased freezers for the Pfizer vaccine that needs to be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius, according to NPR.
“These are huge financial investments that we’re making because we feel that there is a need for us to be very much staying a step ahead of this pandemic,” Chan said.
Pryde said that the vaccine will be available to the community, as soon as possible.
“It’s important for everyone to understand that we will be needing to remain extra vigilant through this winter,” she said.
“We are continuing to see weddings and gatherings and parties, and we are continuing to see that spread from this.
“I have put up graphics to try to explain to people that just because no one at the event or the wedding is the person that dies, it goes out further and further from that individual.”
The health department and law enforcement are also having to use their resources to reach out to restaurants and bars that continue to allow indoor dining.
Pryde said that as CUPHD becomes aware of establishments not following mitigation measures, the business will receive a letter from CUPHD. Should the business continue to not follow the current mitigation plan, CUPHD could suspend their food permit or liquor license.
“We do not want businesses to go out of business,” she said. “But they do need to do things safely. And that means at this time, carry out and drive thru or delivery only.”
Pryde called on customers to patronize businesses, but to also follow the rules in place.
“If something is open, don’t do it,” she said. “It is causing a critical situation in our community. We really need people to get on board with us.”
