COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations rise in Garland County
Health officer discusses new virus strain at hotsr.com
At the Garland County COVID-19 Task Force’s weekly virtual meeting on Monday, representatives from CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs and National Park Medical Center reportedly shared their “anxiousness” about a likely increase in cases in the weeks following the Christmas holiday.
The hospitals reached the highest numbers of COVID-19 patients seen so far during the pandemic during the week of Dec. 20-27.
“One of the hospitals reported that nearly 50% of the current COVID patients require treatment in the intensive care unit,” according to a news release about the meeting. The task force meetings are not open to the public. “The other hospital said that some COVID patients are having to be held in the emergency department while waiting for bed placement.”
Betty Carter, executive assistant to NPMC’s CEO, said a hospital representative had made the comment of holding COVID-19 patients in the ER while waiting for bed placement.
CHI St. Vincent Director of Marketing and Communications Bonnie Ward told The
Sentinel- Record their facility has experienced the same thing.
“CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs has admitted a higher than usual number of patients with COVID-19 over the past few days,” Ward said in an email. “In some cases, patients have been held in the emergency department while waiting for a bed placement and CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs staff remain diligent about identifying and immediately isolating any patient suspected of having
COVID-19.”
With the surge in COVID-19, CHI also altered its visitation guidelines for ICU and med/ surg units last week.
“To help ensure the safety of those in our facilities, CHI St. Vincent is currently limiting visitation hours in the ICU and medical/surgical units to between 1- 6 p. m. at the infirmary and CHI St. Vincent Hot
Springs,” Ward said. “Visitation throughout the hospitals remains limited to one immediate family member or friend per hospitalized patient, per day. We are committed to keeping our communities safe and healthy and apologize for any disruption this may cause.”
Ward said universal masking policies are also in place at all CHI St. Vincent facilities.
“CHI St. Vincent encourages everyone in the community to observe all guidelines put in place by the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and Arkansas Department of Health for holiday gatherings, including New Year’s celebrations,” she said. “It is important for our community to remember that the pandemic is not over and that we must all remain vigilant to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“The same precautions still apply and have proven effective, including: wearing a mask or face covering in public places, washing hands frequently and maintaining social distancing.”
Garland County Health Officer Gene Shelby reiterated the importance of practicing these safety measures, as The Associated Press has reported a new strain of COVID-19 recently had its first case in the U.S.
Shelby said his understanding is the new strain isn’t more deadly, but it is more contagious. The take-away, he says, is to continue practicing safety measures you would use to defend against the normal strain, such as wearing a mask and washing hands. He said it appears the vaccine is equally effective against the new strain as well.
More of the interview with
Shelby is available through The
Sentinel- Record’s app and its website, http://www.hotsr.com.