Hospital visitors must show proof of vaccination

Adventist Health Sonora is further tightening restrictions on visitors as new details on Tuesday revealed the extent to which Tuolumne County’s only hospital is being impacted by the latest, unprecedented wave of COVID-19.

As of Wednesday, visitors must show proof of having received the final shot needed to be fully vaccinated at least two weeks before their visit or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of their visit.

The new policy was required under a recent order from the California State Health Officer Dr. Tomás Aragón for visitors in all hospitals and longterm care facilities.

Aragón’s order is in response to the state currently experiencing the fastest increase in COVID-19 cases throughout the entire pandemic that began early last year, with Tuolumne County also setting new records.

Michelle Jachetta, the county’s public health director, said the county’s two-week rolling average of 48.2 new cases each day per 100,000 people was double that of the state’s and among the highest since the start of the pandemic.

Jachetta said the twoweek average for vaccinated residents was 13.5 and for unvaccinated residents was 76.2.

There were 21 county residents being treated at Adventist Health Sonora for COVID-19 on Monday, which Jachetta said was the most at one time throughout the pandemic and more than a third of the beds available at the hospital.

“This rise in case rate is impacting our health care system,” she said.

Jachetta said the hospital treated up to 23 total patients for COVID-19 over the weekend, with at least four of those — none of whom were vaccinated — in the intensive care unit. She also said as of Monday, two patients were in the ICU and one was on a ventilator.

The influx of COVID-19 patients has forced the hospital to postpone elective surgeries and procedures for the time being, Jachetta added.

“This level of cases obviously puts a strain on our hospital and other health care providers,” she said. “As we mentioned during the surge we saw in the winter, this poses a risk to our health care system and being able to provide care to individuals with other health issues.”

Jaquelyn Lugg, spokeswoman for the hospital, confirmed that the hospital has cancelled overnight elective surgeries to protect patients from possible exposure to COVID-19 due to the current high volume of cases.

Lugg said the hospital is prepared for the latest surge following the one last winter, which led to most of the county’s nearly 5,000 cases and 73 deaths.

“We are well-supplied with PPE and fully staffed to maximize the number of patients we can serve,” she said. “Our team is doing all they can to care for our community, and we ask our community to do the same for us by getting vaccinated as soon as possible.”

Only about 44% of the county’s total population is fully vaccinated, when public health experts say the goal is to get at least 70%.

The state is requiring all of its roughly 2.2 million health care workers to get vaccinated by Sept. 30, or find a new job. Lugg has said that about 90% of doctors at the hospital were vaccinated prior to the mandate being announced, though the hospital hasn’t provided the percentage of other workers.

An internal memo from the hospital’s top executives to all employees said they must provide proof they are in compliance with the mandate by 5 p.m. Sept. 30, or they will be removed from the work schedule and will be deemed to have voluntarily resigned.

“Our mission calls us to do all we can to prevent and relieve suffering, and studies have shown that vaccination dramatically reduces the risk of hospitalization and death,” Lugg said. “With our vaccine requirement, we’re thinking of the families who would like more time with their loved ones. Vaccination saves lives.”