Officials say we re at our most fragile time since the start of the pandemic. Author: Eric Wilkinson Updated: 6:55 PM PDT July 26, 2021
MOUNT VERNON, Wash. The beds at Skagit Valley Hospital are almost completely full.
Doctors started seeing the strain on the system start when the state began reopening near the end of June following more than a year of COVID-19 restrictions.
Wait times in the emergency department at Skagit Valley Hospital are more than double what they usually are.
At some clinics, the waits have reached four hours.
The situation has health officials concerned over the level of care their patients are receiving.
COVID-19 hospitalizations on the rise in Washington, especially in young people
Hospitalizations are on the rise, particularly among young people
SEATTLE - The Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) is expressing concern about the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
Hospitalizations declined in January and February and flattened in March, but doctors are now seeing an increase in hospitalizations.
As of Monday morning, 44 hospitals in the state reported more than 600 hospitalizations, which is the most Washington has seen in months. This looks like the same trajectory we saw in November. It s very, very worrisome, said Cassie Sauer, CEO of WSHA.
The highly contagious B117 variant is driving the number of cases and doctors say more and more young people are being hospitalized with the virus.
Younger people are getting sicker from COVID, Washington hospital leaders say By Evan Bush, The Seattle Times
Published: April 27, 2021, 8:18am
Share: Holden Village resident Krista Mathistad, center, is about to receive a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine administered by paramedic Mistaya Johnston on a porch of their community building on Tuesday, March 30, 2021. Behind Mathistad are others who have been vaccinated or waiting for their vaccine. (Amanda Snyder/The Seattle Times/TNS)
Hospital leaders Monday said that a fourth wave of COVID-19 is driving up hospitalizations in Washington, that young patients make up an increasing proportion of their workload and that some are suffering from more severe disease than earlier in the pandemic.
Mar. 10—More doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are making their way to Skagit County, and Skagit Regional Health is working to distribute them. The provider's Mount Vernon vaccine clinic has received 1,170 first doses, which it will administer to those on its wait-list, or to patients who meet the eligibility criteria. Justin Oram, vice president of clinic operations, said at a meeting Tuesday .