COVID-19 hospitalizations at The Children’s have increased 8-fold since December, says CEO

CINCINNATI (WXIX) – COVID-19 hospitalizations at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center have increased eight-fold in the past six weeks and are now over 60, the president and chief executive said Wednesday. of the hospital.

“We didn’t see anything close to this surge at first,” said Dr. Steve Davis.

As with hospitalized adults, the vast majority of hospitalized children are those who are not vaccinated, either because they are not old enough or because their parents have chosen not to have them vaccinated and their symptoms are milder. if they are vaccinated and more serious if they are not, he says.

Despite rising numbers of COVID-19 cases among children, Dr. Davis said it’s better for them to be in school than not and he supports Cincinnati Public Schools returning to learning in person next week.

“The time has come for them to go back to school. They were really touched,” Davis said.

He also said health officials in Cleveland are now reporting fewer cases after a spike earlier this month, and those in Columbus say their cases are leveling off.

This trend has yet to catch on in Cincinnati and Hamilton County, and we haven’t peaked yet, according to Health Commissioner Greg Kesterman.

The county remains under a state of emergency due to rising cases of the highly contagious omicron variant.

Confirmed cases, hospitalizations and deaths have never been higher than today, according to county leaders.

Hamilton County recorded 167,931 positive cases on Wednesday and was up 16,118 cases from last week.

Deaths rose by 91 from last week to 5,138.

“We have lost 30 people in the last week to COVID-19,” Commissioner Denise Driehaus said on Wednesday.

County commissioners approved the 60-day emergency declaration earlier this month due to the county’s high volume of community transmission.

The emergency designation will increase the county administrator’s ability to purchase large quantities of rapid tests, they say.

The statement also activates the Hamilton County Emergency Operations Center to coordinate response efforts and brings back daily COVID-19 briefings.

For the week ending Sunday, Hamilton County reported 17,112 cases and 15 deaths, according to county records, Driehaus said.

That’s a 33.5% increase from the previous week, when the county recorded 12,815 cases and two deaths.

The county’s positivity rate is now around 30%, according to Kesterman.

“We are not off the hook and we are still seeing a dramatic increase in the number of positive cases in Hamilton County,” Driehaus said.

She urged the public to log on and register for four free COVID-19 tests the federal government is now offering. She also called for continued vaccinations, boosters and masks.

Health systems are filling up due to the unprecedented case rate, and the CEO of Christ Hospital has said “100% of hospital beds are full” here, but not just with COVID-19 cases but other patients who need life-saving treatment.

There are long waits in emergency rooms and to be transferred to hospitals from other health facilities in the region.

Procedures that do not endanger a patient’s immediate health or well-being or contribute to the aggravation of a serious and life-threatening medical condition are delayed.

Currently, more than 1,000 people are hospitalized in area hospitals with COVID-19. Nearly 200 of them – 191 – are in intensive care units and 148 of them are on ventilators.

Members of the Ohio National Guard arrived at Cincinnati hospitals earlier this week to help with staffing shortages.

They practiced Monday for the hospital support they will provide at Christ Hospital and the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

They will help with patient transportation, food service and other non-clinical jobs.

It was the county’s first COVID-19 briefing since thousands of fans gathered inside the open-air Paul Brown Stadium to watch the Bengals in the playoffs on Saturday.

It’s too early to tell what impact that large gathering had on the county’s COVID-19 numbers, according to Kesterman.

Last week, county leaders recommended that fans only go to Paul Brown Stadium if they were fully vaccinated and fortified and were wearing masks.

The stadium has no requirements for vaccinations or masks, according to a Bengals spokeswoman.

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