A Northwest Arkansas emergency room RN who has been treating Covid-19 patients since the pandemic began said she never was angry before. Earlier in the pandemic, there were no vaccines and little was known about effective treatments. But now this RN is seeing, on average, one person per shift who is sick enough with the virus to need hospitalization—with most patients being under the age of 40.
“These hospitalizations should have been totally unnecessary,” according to the RN who asked to remain anonymous because she didn’t have permission from her employer to discuss the issue. “People are risking their lives and the lives of others by refusing to get vaccinated. And they are once again starting to put a big strain on healthcare workers. I wasn’t angry before, but now I’m really mad.”
A coalition of Northwest Arkansas hospitals has been sending out press releases warning about a recent increase in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations.
“Our clinical leaders and administrators are very concerned about the uptick in cases, not only in the region, but in neighboring states, particularly Missouri,” the press release stated. “The Delta coronavirus variant is causing the virus to spread quickly and is filling hospitals just over an hour from us with Covid-19 patients again.”
A hospital administrator said they are seeing a trend of sicker Covid patients requiring more critical care. The hospitals said most of the Covid-19 inpatients have not been vaccinated, and a number are in younger age groups. Arkansas has one of the lower vaccination rates in the country.
“The one thing the community can help us with, and we can help each other with, is to please get vaccinated,” the hospital coalition said. “The vaccine helps keep people healthier, out of the hospital, and will help ensure we have the healthcare resources available for all patients who come through our doors.”
Dr. Dan Bell, co-founder of the ECHO Clinic, said Arkansas has seen a pretty big swing back up in Covid cases. The state has gone from an average of 170 to more than 300 cases per day.
“A significant number of these are the Delta variant, which is more contagious and potentially more dangerous,” Bell said. “The second thing is while most new cases are people who have not been vaccinated, a small percentage of people who have been vaccinated in Arkansas – about 85 – have gotten sick enough to be hospitalized. So even people who are vaccinated need to be careful gathering with non-vaccinated people.”
There were a total of 966 new cases in Arkansas reported in a three-day period ending June 26, nearly double the number of cases reported in the same three-day period a week earlier.
“There are moments when you gather in public places and it still feels like you ought to be wearing a mask,” Bell said. “My wife, Suzie, and I went to a Cardinals’ game in St. Louis recently, and people were packed in there like sardines. I think there will be some repercussions from that. I am afraid we are going to see a continued swing back up. I hope it will not be as a bad as this past year, but people think they are bulletproof and have relaxed their usual precautions. I understand people are ready to move on. They have had enough of being cautious. But we need to use common sense as we get on with life.
“The mask is a signal to those around you that you think it is important to still be cautious. If you are at a gathering where you know everyone is vaccinated, you can be more comfortable, especially if you are outdoors. If you are indoors, the masks need to come out.”
State Epidemiologist Jennifer Dillaha also recently recommended people who are fully vaccinated to wear a mask when they’re out in public or around large groups of people where they don’t know who’s vaccinated or who’s not, because they still could be exposed and develop mild disease.
Currently Eureka Springs is seeing what Bell described as “a small trickle” with one or two people testing positive for Covid each week. Carroll County has had 2,408 residents test positive for Covid, 41 confirmed and five probable deaths, according to figures from the Arkansas Department of Health. In the past two weeks, the county has been averaging only about two new cases per day, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The Associated Press reported that nearly all current deaths from Covid-19 are in unvaccinated people. Health experts have predicted preventable deaths will continue in unvaccinated pockets of the country, particularly next fall and winter. Ali Mokdad, professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington, said modeling suggests the country will average 1,000 deaths per day again next year.
The Moderna vaccine is available on Saturday morning by making an appointment with Smith Drugs by calling (479) 253-9175. Pfizer shots are available at clinics about every two weeks at the Eureka Springs Hospital. To schedule an appointment, call hospital community liaison Catherine Pappas at (281) 382-0054.