Virginia COVID-19 hospitalizations of confirmed and pending COVID-19 cases climbed to 3,329 on Friday and to 3,478 on Saturday, beating the previous daily record of 3,329 set on January 13, 2021, according to data from the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association (VHHA). That’s part of a broader trend of higher-than-before COVID-19 daily case counts in Virginia. On January 2, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) reported 19,506 cases, over twice as much as the previous high of 9,914 on January 17, 2021. On Friday, the VDH reported 18,309 new cases, with a seven-day average of 14,645.
“The current situation is serious and if things remain on the current trajectory for an extended period – particularly because we know hospitalizations as a metric tend to slightly lag behind rising case counts, and some of the modeling projections suggest that this current surge may not yet have reached the point where it will crest and begin to recede (some modeling suggests that may occur later this month) – we could face the possibility of straining the limits of the system’s capacity,” the VHHA warned in a Friday press release.
Virginia healthcare providers Sentara and Inova are also feeling the strain. To improve operations flexibility, Inova reactivated its emergency status on January 3. Sentara is postponing some surgeries.
“Because our team members are stretched to their capacity, starting Monday, January 10, 2022, Sentara Healthcare is postponing all hospital-based non-emergent surgeries, procedures and diagnostic testing to ensure the safety and quality of care for all patients,” a Friday Sentara press release said.
“The current strain on all healthcare facilities is undeniable. We must balance the urgent need to care for large numbers of COVID-19 patients with what is being asked of our dedicated staff,” Sentara Healthcare Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Mike Gentry said in the release. “We cannot care for our community without first supporting our team members as they so expertly manage this large number of patients.”
To help alleviate some of the strain, the VHHA has asked Virginians to stay out of hospital emergency departments unless they have a true medical crisis such as severe COVID-19.
“We also continue to urge unvaccinated Virginians to get vaccinated and boosted as a way to reduce their risk of infection and/or serious illness that leads to hospitalization, both for individual, family, and community health and so as not to further strain hospitals and their team members on the frontlines of the pandemic. Data continues to show that a majority of patients currently hospitalized for COVID-19 are not fully vaccinated,” the VHHA said.
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Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
