While coronavirus cases have slowed significantly this month in eastern Idaho â with daily case averages declining from the 200s to fewer than 150 over the past week â medical leaders warn that local intensive care units remain stretched near their limits treating mostly COVID-19 patients.
Idaho Falls hospitals, for the most part, still have relatively low ICU capacity and high total COVID-19 patients as they did during the spike in cases after Thanksgiving.
Small private gatherings have been fueling new infections in the region, according to experts who are asking people to stay home for the holidays to avoid overwhelming the health care system.
Hospital representatives delivered a sigh of relief to eastern Idaho health officials on Thursday, saying that the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines to frontline health care workers this week has boosted staff morale.
But that relief is being tempered by the sustained staffing strains that hospitals are experiencing as virus patients fill up their ICUs.
âOver half of our ICU census is COVID positive,â David Hoffenberg of Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center told the regional board. âBeyond that, we are very excited to report that yesterday and the night before ⦠we administered our first vaccinations.â
Twenty-five of the hospitalâs nearly 30 staffed ICU beds were full, he said, with 13 of the patients being COVID-19 positive and 16 being on ventilators. The hospital was treating 40 of the 71 COVID-19 patients on Thursday in hospitals across the eight-county health district. But excitement grows among staff as vaccine rollout picks up pace.
But that relief is being tempered by the sustained staffing strains that hospitals are experiencing as virus patients fill up their ICUs.
âOver half of our ICU census is COVID positive,â David Hoffenberg of Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center told the regional board. âBeyond that, we are very excited to report that yesterday and the night before ⦠we administered our first vaccinations.â
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Twenty-five of the hospitalâs nearly 30 staffed ICU beds were full, he said, with 13 of the patients being COVID-19 positive and 16 being on ventilators. The hospital was treating 40 of the 71 COVID-19 patients on Thursday in hospitals across the eight-county health district. But excitement grows among staff as vaccine rollout picks up pace.
The following is a column submitted by the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit America, it devastated our economy. Millions of jobs were lost. Small businesses closed their doors. Domestic retail spending dropped. Industrial production declined. Many of our friends, family members, and neighbors struggled to pay their bills and put food on the table.
Things improved this summer, but we now find ourselves experiencing a spike in cases, locally and across the country. And, once again, the economy is suffering the consequences.
On the day America saw its biggest spike in cases, the Dow dropped hundreds of points. The correlation between the coronavirus and the economy is undeniable.
Eastern Idaho health officials acknowledge dire hospital strains rexburgstandardjournal.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rexburgstandardjournal.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.