As the COVID-19 pandemic goes on, local hospitals are getting weary of a continued pandemic in this area.
“Our team members are weary,” said Dustin Arnold, St. Luke’s Hospital chief medical officer. “They have been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic for nearly two years. They are working long hours and our hospitals are experiencing the same staffing shortages seen nationwide in healthcare and other industries.”
Of concern for hospitals in Cedar Rapids is the appearance of the omicron variant in Linn County. The new variant, Arnold notes, has the potential to overwhelm hospitals with an influx of patients.
“The volume and the rate at which the cases have increased is what has us most concerned,” said Dr. Timothy Quinn, executive vice president and chief of medical operations. “For the most part, the spikes have been small and sustained over the past several months – until recently. It’s very similar to what we’re seeing nationally.
According to Eric Bradley of Linn County Public Health, delta cases have comprised 75 percent of the cases detected in Linn County.
The other 25 percent have been omicron cases.
“Omicron is a concern because it spreads extremely fast (doubling in one and a half to three days,” Bradley said. “It is now the dominant form in the United States. Data shows that Omicron is transmissible even to those who have immunity (vaccination or prior infection). Data also shows that a booster dose increases protection against omicron.”
For both Linn County Public Health and Linn County area hospitals, the message is simple – get vaccinated, get a booster when you’re eligible and do what you can to minimize COVID-19 infection. Wear a mask indoors, cover your coughs and sneezes, wash hands frequently and stay home when sick.
In Linn County, 62 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated and another 5 percent are partially vaccinated, with 27 percent not started. The remaining 6 percent are not yet eligible.
“We want our communities to know we are here to care for them, but we are worried,” Arnold said. “COVID-19 cases are the highest levels since the November 2020 surge. We are concerned that the increase in COVID-19 cases will not leave enough capacity for other patients in need of care in our community. Individuals with heart attacks, strokes and traumas. The path to get past this is through vaccination. Get vaccinated. If you’ve already had the shot, receive the booster.”
Both Mercy and St. Luke’s have stopped surgeries and care for elective procedures because of the increased COVID-19 infections and staffing shortages.
“We have physical beds, but the nationwide staffing shortage affects us, as well, making it necessary at times to reschedule elective surgeries that require a hospital bed,” Quinn said.
“We are continuing to care for our communities, but when we delay surgeries and care, we all lose,” Arnold said. “We want to stop seeing avoidable illness and death from COVID-19, but we need everyone’s help to put an end to this pandemic.”