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Pocono hospitals prepped for prospective pandemic traffic

Pocono Record - 12/1/2020

Dec. 2--While Monroe County's COVID-19 spike has shown signs of subsiding -- but certainly not ending -- hospitalizations continue to rise, causing concern throughout the commonwealth, even in the Poconos.

As of Tuesday afternoon, updated figures from the Department of Health's COVID-19 Dashboard show 4,744 individuals -- most aged 65 and older -- have been hospitalized with the virus in the commonwealth; 967 patients are being treated in intensive care units, and 524 are on ventilators.

This figure marks a new peak for coronavirus hospitalizations, as Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine noted that Monday's statistics -- 4,405 hospitalized patients -- were, at the time, the highest rate yet in the pandemic.

"Latest models continue to indicate very concerning trends for our hospital availability and ICU bed availability," Levine said. "We know COVID-19 does not discriminate and is affecting every county in the commonwealth. It is affecting all Pennsylvanians, no matter your race, ethnicity, age, socioeconomic status or whether you live a rural, suburban or urban area."

Gov. Tom Wolf shared in Levine's worries, making it clear that case counts and hospitalizations were mounting as the commonwealth dives into the winter months, along with the potential for increased spread that the season will bring along with it.

"Pennsylvania continues to trend in the wrong direction as COVID-19 continues to spread," Wolf said during the Pennsylvania COVID-19 Early Warning Monitoring Dashboard Update on Monday.

Wolf maintained a positive outlook though, pointing out recent mitigation efforts that could play a strong role in containing the pandemic, and expressing hope that all Pennsylvanians will due their best to help with the cause.

"Last week, we took a number of mitigation steps designed to reverse this trend and help protect Pennsylvanians. We need all Pennsylvanians to follow these measures as part of their collective responsibility to protect one another. I remain convinced that by working together Pennsylvanians can stop the spread of this virus."

Among those mitigation steps mentioned, Wolf signed a third renewal of his 90-day Proclamation of Disaster Emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic on Nov. 25.

"With cases and hospitalizations increasing, we cannot afford to let down our guard," said Wolf. "This renewal will allow the commonwealth to maintain its response and support efforts as we face increasing case numbers and decreasing hospital capacity."

Wolf's administration noted that the emergency disaster declaration "provides for increased support to state agencies involved in the continued response to the virus and recovery for the state during reopening," including expediting supply procurement -- which may become especially relevant in the near future -- and lifting certain regulations to allow for "efficient and effective mitigation."

In Monroe, 35 patients have been hospitalized with COVID-19, nine of whom are being treated in the intensive care unit, and six of whom require the use of ventilators. According to the DOH's COVID-19 Dashboard, Monroe currently has five adult intensive care unit beds available, as well as two medical/surgical beds and 16 airborne isolation beds.

The trend in the 14-day moving average of number of hospitalized patients per day has increased by nearly 3,200 since the end of September, and 200 more than Monday's average.

While hospitals across Pennsylvania have yet to hit a point where elective procedures will have to be put off, concerns about the future -- especially with predictions that the pandemic will escalate in December -- remain disconcerting.

The potential for further surges in hospitalizations remains a possibility, as the latest wave of COVID-19 has proven to be particularly daunting.

While St. Luke's Monroe Campus did construct an "emergency department surge capacity" tent near the start of the pandemic, hospitalizations at the time never reached a point where it was necessary.

"We never ended up using it," Kira Bub, marketing director at St. Luke's University Network, said in May. "That is a positive sign."

But as percent positivity, daily case counts and hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have continued to escalate throughout the fall and into the early winter, it has become nearly impossible to evaluate the current state of the situation through the lenses rose-colored glasses of the spring.

However, hospitals and health networks in the Poconos have been working to fortify their fortresses in anticipation of the potential onslaught of winter caseloads.

In an email interview, Lehigh Valley Health Network public information officer Brian Downs noted that LVHN is keeping careful track of the COVID-19 situation at all of their campuses, including the Pocono branch in East Stroudsburg. Bed capacity remains a top priority, though Downs did note that the issue is currently under control.

"We are seeing an increase in cases throughout the network, including LVH-Pocono, and we do have capacity," Downs said. "We have a plan in place to add space and beds should we continue to see a surge post-Thanksgiving, and as we get deeper into the holiday season and into the new year. We are in communication with other area health systems so that we are all aware of the overall community need."

St. Luke's University Health Network corporate communications director Samuel Kennedy noted that the Monroe Campus in Bartonsville is seeing increased traffic, though he remains confident that their network will be able to handle patient traffic as the pandemic continues through the winter.

"Like other health care systems across the country, (St. Luke's) has experienced an increase COVID-19 cases in recent weeks," Kennedy said in an email interview. "However, because (St. Luke's) has a network of 12 hospital campuses that can share staff and redeploy other resources when helpful and appropriate, the impact of the increase on our operations has been manageable. We continue to be able to provide all of our regular services in a manner that is both safe and convenient for our patients."

In order to keep things under control in the Poconos, experts agree that the impetus for preventative measures falls upon the local residents. Downs said that it is critical for the community to "work with us to curb the spread of the virus and limit hospitalizations to avoid overwhelming the system and overtaxing hospital staff" by following the mitigation efforts recommended by medical professionals.

Those strategies, which have become second nature to most people by now, include social distancing, mask wearing, handwashing, avoiding gatherings both large and small, and limiting trips and traveling as much as possible.

Not only would following said advice keep commonwealth hospitals open and able to handle any cases -- COVID-19 or otherwise -- that come through the doors, it would go a long way toward curtailing the infection of health care workers, approximately 14,665 of whom have contracted the virus thus far.

Following the advice of the Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other entities that are working to control the pandemic is "extremely important," and a "key message" at this juncture, Downs said, and doing so must may save a life.

"If everyone does their part, we would hope not to have to move to more drastic measures, and rather than speculate on worst case scenario, we believe with the community's help we can manage this surge throughout our eight hospital campuses, including LVH-Pocono," Downs said.

TUESDAY'S COVID-19 REPORT

The Department of Health's Dec. 1 COVID-19 report listed 5,676 new cases of the virus across the commonwealth, bringing the state's total count to 367,140.

As of noon on Tuesday, the DOH's COVID-19 Dashboard noted 36 new cases in Monroe, elevating the county's total to 3,449; whereas Pike listed an additional 11 cases, totaling 867.

As of Monday night, 180 new deaths attributed to COVID-19 were reported, for a total of 10,563 fatalities connected to the virus across the commonwealth.

Monroe reported five new deaths related to COVID-19, with the county's total sitting at 148 fatalities; Pike added one new death for a total of 26.

Monroe and Pike, along with every other county in the commonwealth outside of Cameron, are reporting substantial levels of community transmission.

Statewide percent positivity for the week of Nov. 20 through Nov. 26 stood at 11.7%, a slight increase over last week's 11.1%.

The DOH reports that 375,888 tests were administered within the last week, with 32,853 positive cases. There were 38,752 test results reported to the department through Nov. 30.

Adults remain the most common COVID-19 patients in Pennsylvania, with nearly 37% of patients in the commonwealth aged 25 to 49; nearly 22% aged 50 to 64; and nearly 20% aged 65 and older.

Approximately 1% of patients are aged 0 to 4; nearly 3% are aged 5 to 12; and approximately 5% are aged 13 to 18.

The DOH is still noting significant increases in the number of cases among 19 to 24-year-olds, who make up approximately 12% of patients across the state, and nearly 13% of patients in the northeast region. Only the north-central region surpasses that percentage, with nearly 16% of cases falling in that age bracket.

Nursing homes and personal care homes continue to see escalations in COVID-19 spread, with 35,946 residents cases and 6,752 employee cases reported at 1,279 distinct facilities in 65 counties. Nearly 62% of COVID-19 related deaths -- 6,507 in total -- have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care homes.

Approximately 14,665 of the state's total cases have appeared in health care workers.

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(c)2020 the Pocono Record, Stroudsburg, Pa.

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