'Heartbroken': Augusta Health, UVA Medical Center face surge of unvaccinated COVID patients

Akhil Ganesh, Staunton News Leader
·1 min read

AUGUSTA COUNTY – The CEOs of Augusta Health and University of Virginia Medical Center have joined together to urge unvaccinated individuals throughout the Shenandoah Valley to get vaccinated, according to a joint statement.

Citing a surge in COVID-19 cases among mostly unvaccinated patients due to the omicron variant, the two organizations are banding together to urge more people to get the vaccine to “show respect and appreciation for health care workers."

Both Wendy Horton of UVA Medical Center and Mary Mannix of Augusta Health will discuss how the surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations, as well as a rise in staffing issues due to COVID-19 infections, will affect their ability to care for patients and what the public can do to help at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

In a joint statement prior to the press conference, the two CEOs reiterated their concern on the toll the latest surge has had on staff not just physically, but mentally.

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"This has left our health care workers not just exhausted but heartbroken — heartbroken by caring for patients who are dying needlessly; patients who would have had different outcomes if they’d been vaccinated," they said in a joint statement.

Both organizations continue to urge the public to vaccinate, wear medical-grade masks and practice social distancing. Due to issues with patient capacity and staffing, individuals with mild symptoms or who need testing are asked to talk to their primary care physician or visit an urgent care center.

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The News Leader will be covering the press conference tomorrow and will have details to follow.

—Akhil Ganesh is the Social Justice Enterprise Reporter at The News Leader. You can contact him at aganesh@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @akhildoesthings.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Augusta Health, UVA Medical 'heartbroken' by COVID-19 surge