Avita reports record 46 COVID patients in Ontario, Galion and Bucyrus hospitals
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A record high surge of COVID-19 inpatients are being treated by the Avita Health System hospitals in Ontario, Galion and Bucyrus.
There are 46 people people who have been admitted or are waiting to be admitted at those facilities, according to an Avita news release issued Friday.
The patients are part of a COVID surge that Avita doctors noticed began on Nov. 18 in the area.
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Those 46 patients broke the health system's previous record of 43 patients who were being treated for the novel coronavirus on Nov. 30, 2020.
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"The acuity of care is high with approximately a quarter of those patients on ventilators, including 69% of the COVID-19 patients in Avita’s intensive care units," said Amanda Hatcher, the health system's director of marketing and communications, in the release.
Chris Adler, the health system's director of safety, security, and emergency preparedness, said 97% of the hospitalized COVID-19 patients have not been vaccinated.
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"We are at 112% of our normal bed capacity," Adler said. "We've responded by adding additional beds and staffing. Over the past month, we've had a 421% increase in COVID-19 inpatients, which has been the most rapid surge we’ve experienced throughout the pandemic. Our positivity rate for COVID-19 is 24% at our emergency departments, walk-in clinics and testing sites."
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The Avita Health System staff is asking residents to remain diligent in the fight against COVID-19 by practicing good hand hygiene, masking and social distancing.
"If you are sick, stay home to protect others," Hatcher said. "Avita advises that the best way to prevent serious COVID-19 illness is the vaccine, and the best treatment if diagnosed early is monoclonal antibody infusion therapy. Avita offers both services to the community."
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Avita hospitals admit record number of COVID-19 patients amid surge
