HOLLAND (WHTC-AM/FM) — COVID-19, in all its forms, continues to be a threat to people of all ages and overwhelming hospital resources. Health care professionals are urging people to get vaccinated before holiday gatherings.
COVID, other viral illnesses and people with cancer, heart disease, diabetes and breathing issues are all having a difficult time getting emergency care, as hospitals are managing an ongoing influx of COVID patients to the extent they can. For many hospital workers, that means mandatory overtime.
Among Spectrum Health’s 423 COVID-19 patients are four children being treated in ICUs and another nine children admitted with severe symptoms.
“We’re well beyond anything we’ve seen here in West Michigan as to the number of people hospitalized, at least at Spectrum Health,” said Dr. Darryl Elmouchi, Spectrum Health West Michigan’s president.
Holland Hospital’s online dashboard, hollandhospital.org/hh/coronavirus.aspx, shows 54 COVID patients. The website has been tracking the number of deaths since March, when vaccines became available. As of Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021, the site shows 50 COVID-related deaths of which three people had been vaccinated before getting ill. It’s one illustration of why getting vaccinated is so important.
Another example is based on the Ottawa County dashboard, covid-hub-ottawacountymi.hub.arcgis.com, which shows that November, 2021, is the second-worst month for the number of people who tested positive for the virus, with 7,918 people who got sick, compared to November 2020 — the worst month on record, so far: 8,222 people tested positive. This November, 62 people died after getting ill. Last November, before vaccines were available, 96 Ottawa County residents died.
But the highest number of Ottawa County deaths happened in December, when 111 people with COVID did not recover. Already this month, the number of people testing positive is higher than the first four days of last month.
Currently nearly 7,800 Ottawa County residents are known to have COVID-19. Because the virus affects people in different ways, some people may not realize they have the virus. Others may have significant symptoms but cannot get tested or refuse to do so. That is one reason national, state, and local health officials are urging people to mask up indoors, especially in close gatherings, unless eating or drinking.
Allegan County’s dashboard, arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/b2c637afa8ba417683cc06ebc89e0232, where updates have lagged by days to weeks, shows that, of those getting tested, nearly 24 percent have the virus, 12 times the rate that healthcare professionals say they can manage.
Comments