Bellingham hospital treating record COVID patients, but modeling shows peak still to come
During the first five days of 2022, St. Joseph’s hospital in Bellingham has already twice broken its pandemic record for the number of COVID-related patients it is treating.
On Monday, Jan. 3, the hospital reported it was treating 45 patients for COVID-related symptoms, only to top that mark with 47 reported Wednesday, Jan. 5. Before those two days, the hospital had never seen more than 42 patients in a day, which it saw four times between Oct. 26 and Nov. 1 and again on Tuesday, Jan. 4, in between the two record highs, according to The Bellingham Herald’s archives..
And the bad news, PeaceHealth Northwest Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sudhakar Karlapudi told The Herald, is everything says that record is going to push even higher.
“Unfortunately, the news on modeling is saying that our peak will come in mid- to late-January,” Karlapudi told The Herald. “So we have not seen the peak, which means we will see peak hospitalizations likely get worse.”
COVID-19 case rates in Whatcom County have surged to the highest rates the county has seen during pandemic, which is just entering its 23rd month.
According to data published Tuesday, on the Washington State Department of Health COVID-19 Data Dashboard’s epidemiological curves, Whatcom County has seen triple-digit increases in the number of confirmed cases eight times in the past two weeks, including the county’s first three days of more than 250 cases of the pandemic. Before Dec. 20, Whatcom County had only five days of more than 100 confirmed cases in a day and none more than 120.
Throughout the pandemic, increases in COVID-related hospitalizations have usually followed a few weeks after surges in cases are seen, with COVID-related deaths showing increases after that.
And that is the reason, Karlapudi said, that the hospital’s modeling is showing that Wednesday’s daily snapshot of 47 COVID-related patients is likely not the peak.
“But what I’m really hoping is that with intervention, maybe we can prove the modeling wrong,” Karlapudi told The Herald.
That intervention needs to be done on the part of the Whatcom County community, Karlapudi said, and requires five things healthcare workers have been asking for most of the past 22 months:
▪ Get your COVID-19 vaccine booster and, if you haven’t yet, get vaccinated. Information on vaccines and where to get vaccinated are available on the Whatcom County Health Department’s webpage.
▪ Wear a mask that is consistent with CDC guidelines in public areas.
▪ Practice good hand washing and hygiene.
▪ Avoid large gatherings to reduce the chances of exposure.
▪ Avoid travel.
“The community can help us immensely,” Karlapudi said. “In fact, they’re the only ones that can help us. ... Sometimes the hardest things to do are the simplest ones. There is some value in repeating that we don’t need to do anything special. We just need to do what some of us are already doing so well.”
If that proves not to be enough, Karlapudi reiterated that St. Joseph’s hospital is ready to answer the challenge.
“I’m grateful to say that we have some excellent caregivers and they have plans to convert sections of the hospital into COVID units, if needed,” Karlapudi told The Herald. “We’ve had that plan now. We have been implementing our plan to add additional units, so we feel very well prepared to take care of patients with COVID. I am grateful that I am able to say that to you.”
Though the past 22 months have helped the hospital staff plan and prepare, Karlapudi said COVID has also taught them to expect and plan for the unexpected.
“I think the true heroes here are our caregivers,” Karlapudi said. “Many of them have been working tirelessly. They have just come to work every day and ask, ‘What can I do today?’
“I think there is no front-line healthcare worker right now in the country who is not tired. But they come to work every day and do their very, very best, and we as leaders support them the very best we can.”
