Kentucky has just 93 total intensive care unit (ICU) beds left and out of 96 hospitals in the state, 66 are experiencing critical staff shortages, the state said Thursday.
Younger people are dying from COVID-19 at a higher rate since the earlier days of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly since the delta variant of the coronavirus took hold in the summer.
From March of 2020 to May of 2021, 74% of the state’s COVID-19 deaths were among people aged 70 and older, while 98% were among those 50 and older.
Since June of this year, the share of younger COVID-19 patients dying increased significantly, Governor Andy Beshear said Thursday.
During that time to now, 48% of COVID-19 deaths were among 70 and older, while 88% were among 50 and older.
“The number one thing that we can do to get through this is to get vaccinated,” said Beshear. “I think the tough conversations we’re having with those we love who may be hesitant to get the vaccine are making a difference, but we need a lot more of those conversations.”
There are three widely available, highly effective and free COVID-19 vaccines in the state.
“Within the last month or so, we’ve been seeing 20-year-olds and 30-year-olds and 50-year-olds come in and within 24 to 48 hours they die,” said Dr. Traci Sanchez, of King’s Daughters Medical Center (KDMC) in Ashland. “Families are angry. They’re lost. Patients are lost because they know they’re dying. It’s hard to tell someone who is 40 years old that they’re going to be dead within 24 hours and there’s nothing we can do.”
Three other doctors from KDMC and the chief executive at Harrison Memorial Hospital in Cynthiana shared the pain and sudden loss they see families go through every day due to COVID-19.
“We have seen significant changes this week alone. We have been concerned about our oxygen pressure and being able to support all of the oxygen BiPAP and ventilators for these COVID patients. We have had to order 10 additional ventilators this week, and we’ve had to cancel all elective surgeries to be able to staff our COVID units, ICU units and the rest of our floors,” said Dr. Stacy Caudill, chief medical officer, KDMC. “We’ve seen an overwhelming volume of patients in our emergency department and in our urgent care. We have seen our positivity continue to increase, which tells us in a couple of weeks our admissions are only going to go up.”
“I’ve been in codes not just for people my age, but my kid’s age. I think that when you see that you really think, and it really scares us about going forward,” said Dr. James Goetz of KDMC. “I just ask everyone out there to get vaccinated and help all of us here.”
“COVID is a very difficult disease to care for. Our treatment options are extremely limited. Oftentimes despite our best efforts and all that we can do to try to prevent the progression of this disease, people still worsen. People pass regardless of whatever measures we can take,” said Dr. Josh Bryant of KDMC. “It’s one thing to have an end-of-life conversation with someone who’s had time to live and prepare. It’s a very different conversation to have when you’ve having this with a 20-, 30- or 40-year-old.”
“Despite our hospital being ground zero in Kentucky for the onset of the pandemic 18 months ago, this week we are being hit with a COVID surge like never before since the onset of the pandemic,” said Dr. Stephen Toadvine, chief executive officer at Harrison Memorial Hospital. “We are setting records in terms of our volume of patients being seen in our emergency room and our urgent treatment centers. Our test positivity rate in our COVID clinic is well-exceeding 30%. We’ve hit an all-time high in terms of the number of inpatients currently admitted with COVID.”
On Thursday, the state counted 4,891 new positive COVID-19 cases and 62 deaths.
There were 350 new cases across five Northern Kentucky counties: 123 in Kenton, 91 in Boone, 81 in Campbell, 41 in Grant, and 14 in Pendleton.
The state added 62 to the COVID-19 death toll.
There are currently 2,453 people hospitalized across the state including 667 in ICUs and 448 on ventilators.
The state’s positivity rate is 13%.
More than 2.6 million Kentuckians have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to state figures.
The unvaccinated or partially vaccinated (two of the vaccines require two doses spaced weeks apart) population make up nearly all of the COVID cases, hospitalizations, and deaths since March 1 of this year, the state said. From March 1 through September 15, 87.1% of all COVID-19 cases, 92.1% of all COVID-19 hospitalizations, and 84.6% of all COVID-19-related deaths have been among partially or unvaccinated people.
In addition to getting vaccinated for COVID-19, Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, encouraged Kentuckians to get the influenza vaccine to help lessen the strain on hospitals.
“In a typical winter, flu always drives up the number of people in the hospital. In bad years, hospitals really get strained or taxed with the number of influenza patients who fill them,” said Dr. Stack. “The flu vaccine does protect large numbers of people and prevents substantial burdens to the hospitals. So if we all get immunized for the flu, we can keep the hospitals with more capacity and more able to care for COVID patients and other patients as well.”
-Staff report
Image via Office of Gov. Andy Beshear