Coronavirus surge prompts Adventist Health to erect triage tent

There were 76 new cases of COVID-19 in Tuolumne County identified over the weekend and 22 on Monday as Adventist Health Sonora began to implement part of a surge plan for increasing hospitalizations.

Hospitalizations in the county due to the novel coronavirus rose from seven people on Friday to 12 as of Monday, four of whom were represented in the weekend tally that included 26 new cases on Saturday and 50 on Sunday.

Adventist Health Sonora is equipped with 152 beds that include 72 acutecare beds, 68 skilled-nursing beds and six ICU beds, though the county public health officials have said they do not know how many of the ICU beds are occupied at any given time.

The hospital announced on Friday that it was activating part of a surge plan due to rising COVID-19 hospitalizations that included setting up a triage tent outside of its emergency room for additional patient capacity.

“This additional space will reduce congestion and allow us to see more patients while protecting those without COVID-19 symptoms who are visiting us for routine care or other emergencies,” Michelle Fuentes, the hospital’s

president, said in a written statement.

Fuentes said the hospital shut down much of its operations in the spring because it didn’t know what was going to happen with the pandemic at the time, but it can now take a phased approach with more informed processes amid the current surge in cases.

The number of people in the county who have died from the virus since the beginning of the pandemic remained at eight as of Monday afternoon, with the most recent death reported on Nov. 6.

There were 258 active cases in the county as of Monday afternoon. The county’s total number of cases since the pandemic began was 806, of which 501 were all reported between Nov. 1 and Monday.

Halloween parties, family gatherings, workplace and household clusters, and people not following quarantine orders have been among the causes identified for the recent surge.

The cases from Saturday through Monday included 13 females and eight males under 20 years old; 11 women and 10 men in their 20s; six women and five men in their 30s; seven women and four men in their 40s; four women and five men in their 50s; six women and six men in their 60s; four women and five men in their 70s; and two women and two men in their 80s.

Adventist Health Sonora also provided a guide on Friday of steps people should take if they suspect that they have the virus.

People with mild symptoms and suspect they have been exposed can make an appointment to be tested at the statefunded, no-cost testing site at the Mother Lode

Fairgrounds in Sonora and should stay home and avoid contact with others.

Appointments with the state testing site can be made www.lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 1-888-634-1123.

Those with moderate symptoms are recommended to call their primary-care physician, the Indian Rock Rapid Care clinic in East Sonora at (209) 536-6680, Angels Camp Rapid Care clinic at (209) 736-9130, or the COVID-19 advice line at (209) 536-5166.

Referrals can be made to the drive-up testing site at Adventist Health Sonora, which is available by referral only from Monday through Friday, if the provider feels it’s necessary for the patient to be tested.

People with more severe symptoms should go to their nearest emergency room or call 911, Adventist Health Sonora said. Each hospital will have specific protocols for patients with symptoms.

Patients arriving by car at Adventist Health Sonora will be screened and triaged at the entrance, where a medical provider will screen them either in the triage tent or an isolation room in the hospital depending on the patient’s condition and hospital capacity.

The hospital said it’s important to note that the emergency department, triage tent and car-side evaluations are not free state-funded testing sites, so patients will have their insurance billed for the visit.

Dr. Alex Heard, chief medical officer at the hospital, also urged people to not let the situation with the pandemic deter them from seeking care for other medical issues.

Heard said people across the United States who delayed care during the spring surge suffered severe complications and death from often treatable conditions, such as heart attack and stroke, as well as more complications from untreated chronic conditions.

Adventist Health Sonora also said staffing may need to be adjusted as the hospital sees an increasing number of COVID-19 patients, and scheduled procedures may need to be rescheduled to care for those with emergency needs.

Patients will be contacted if their appointment or procedures need to be rescheduled, the hospital said.

“We appreciate our community’s patience and understanding as we adjust our operations on a daily basis to meet our current needs,” Fuentes said. “Please do your part to prevent further transmission of COVID-19. People we love in our community are falling sick and dying due to coronavirus. Let’s all do our part and wear masks to protect each other.”

The hospital’s parent organization, Adventist Health, has joined 100 of the nation’s top healthcare systems to plead for all Americans to wear face masks because it “is our nation’s best chance at slowing the surging COVID-19 pandemic now.”