Northland hospitals near capacity as COVID cases rise and vaccination rate lags

There were 273 new cases in the county last week, and St. Mary’s Hospital has seen the number of patients with severe cases of COVID double in the past two weeks.

DULUTH, Minn. – Local health officials say the Delta variant is starting to overwhelm their systems, just like last year. Now it’s being fueled by the number of people in the region refusing to get vaccinated, as healthcare workers start to run out – continuing to fight the virus for much longer than expected. Last year.

“At first we were going like it was a sprint, and it really turned out to be a marathon,” said Dr. Harmony Tyner of St. Luke’s. “And as any sprinter will tell you, you can’t run a marathon at this pace.”

There were 273 new cases in the county last week, a 52% jump from the previous week. So far, 118,000 people in the county have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

“That’s 59% of our total population and 69% of the 16+ population,” Westbrook said. “It’s not enough.”

As families prepare to send their students back to school, doctors, nurses and health officials are urging vaccinations and masks as St. Louis County and the rest of the region continue. experience high rates of community spread.

“None of us want to be in this situation,” said Amy Westbrook, county public health director. “But here we are, and here we go again.”

While there have been a few groundbreaking cases of fully vaccinated people receiving COVID, Westbrook said that only represented 0.5% of new cases and that they are not symptomatic or less severe.

Fully vaccinated people represent 0.03% of hospitalizations. But they can still spread the Delta variant, so it’s still recommended to hide inside.

“We continue to urge those who are eligible for vaccination to research a vaccine,” Westbrook said.

At Essentia St. Mary’s Hospital, Dr. Andrea Boehland of the emergency department has seen the number of patients with severe cases of COVID double in the past two weeks. And again, the virus didn’t care about age.

“My team and I have treated many people, younger than me, including children, who have had severe cases of COVID,” said Dr Boehland. “It’s really disturbing to me because one of my coping mechanisms over the past year and a half has been thinking, ‘at least the kids are okay. “”

Anyone under the age of 18 must get their parents’ consent to be vaccinated, regardless of the amount they want.

With disagreements over vaccines sometimes dividing families, Tyner, a doctor of infectious diseases, said being less combative towards those who refuse to be vaccinated can go a long way.

“It becomes an emotional issue, it really becomes almost a political and religious issue and I think it’s something that we have to sort of lighten the weight,” Dr Tyner said. “I think the most effective thing to do is listen to people who decide not to get the vaccine yet. Open your ears and just ask them why.

Meanwhile, doctors say unvaccinated patients are filling most of the beds.

Similar to last year, Essentia and St. Luke’s are approaching maximum capacity. And employees say they are starting to burn out.

But that doesn’t mean patients should postpone medical care. “Delaying health care is not helping us,” said Dr Boehland. “Because by postponing health care, you are sicker when we finally see you. “

And for nurses like Emily Meyer at Grand Itasca Clinic Hospital, it is her passion for seeing and caring for patients that she misses the most.

“I ask all of you to take masks, social distancing, hand washing and getting vaccinated very seriously,” Meyer said. “So we can start taking care of our patients again as before, with their families around them. ”