Genesis Hospital halts some surgeries as COVID-19 cases surge
ZANESVILLE — The current COVID-19 surge, driven by the omicron variant, has pushed recent cases to record levels, although the reporting of cases has been delayed.
According to a release by the Ohio Department of Health on Jan. 14, the electronic lab reporting system has been overwhelmed by the surge, which means "tens of thousands" of cases are being reported later to local health departments than normal.
The Muskingum County Joint Unified Command reported 2,129 new cases of COVID-19 this week, bringing the total number of cases to 22,564. Three county residents died with the disease, bringing the death toll to 226.
There are 2,636 active cases of COVID-19 in the county as of Friday morning, which is just below previous high of 2,896, set on Jan. 16. Both numbers are more than double the first surge of COVID-19 in late 2020, and approach the highs of the surge in late 2021.
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"We are experiencing the highest load of COVID-19 that we have seen at any point during the pandemic," said Genesis HealthCare CEO Matt Perry. As of Friday morning, there were 73 patients hospitalized at Genesis Hospital with COVID-19. Perry said that was about average for the last week, with another 20 or so treated in the emergency department at some point during the day.
Approximately 14% of the hospitalized patients with the disease have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Seven percent of patients who needed a ventilator had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. All vaccinated patients who were placed on a ventilator were over the age of 65.
The cases are largely driven by the omicron variant, Perry said, which the hospital can identify in its labs.
"We keep hearing that omicron is not as severe, which is true, but the sheer number of people who get it is so great, you still get a lot of people in the hospital really sick, and you still get a lot of people dying from it."
In addition, about half of the tests that come through Genesis' lab are positive, the highest percentage "by a long shot" Perry said. During the height of the surges in 2020 and 2021, the percentage was 24 to 25%.
Genesis has felt the brunt of the surge in not just number of patients, but also in the number of health care workers who are getting sick. During the second week of January, Perry said 150 workers were out with the disease.
As a precaution, the hospital has stopped elective surgeries that require an overnight stay. Outpatient procedures are still being done.
"The only inpatient surgeries we are doing are essential," Perry said, "Cardiac patients, patients who have potential loss of life or limb, patients in severe pain or trauma."
For the rest, the hospital has created a list of those waiting for surgery for when the current surge in cases passes.
When cases began to fall following the surge in the fall of 2021, the hospital had almost 300 people on the list. Genesis had worked through most, but not all of them before cases started to climb again this month. The list is based on the severity and how long a patient has been waiting.
Perry warns that despite the fact most people recover from COVID-19, many still face long-term side effects. Even mild cases can result in life-altering complications. "The risk of long-haul symptoms does not necessarily relate to the severity of the initial illness" said Dr. Scott Wegner, Genesis HealthCare's Chief Medical Officer. "The exception to this is that patients who have very severe COVID pneumonia are much more likely to have long-term pulmonary disability."
There are people who survive COVID-19 but face permanent lung damage, or damage to other organs. "It is not one of those scenarios where either you get it and recover fully, or you die," Perry said. "There is a big group in the middle who have life-long after affects from it."
Perry said the omicron variant has started to wane in other parts of the country and state. The best way to see cases start to decline locally is to get vaccinated he said. While the vaccinations won't necessarily prevent an individual from catching the disease, it is very effective at reducing the severity and potential for long-term injury.
In Muskingum County 51% of the population vaccinated, according to the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department; 59.8% of people over 20 are vaccinated, 56.1% of the population between ages 12 and 19 have been vaccinated, and 51.9% of the population ages 5 to 11.
Genesis is working toward meeting the Center for Medicare and Medicaid requirement that all health care workers get vaccinated by March 15, which was recently upheld by the Supreme Court. Perry said 71% of the staff there has been vaccinated, with 18% having an exemption. About 10%, or 400 workers, remain unvaccinated.
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This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Genesis halts some surgeries as COVID-19 cases surge
