Panama City hospitals see steady rise in COVID-19 patients in January, encourage vaccination

Patrick McCreless, The News Herald
·3 min read
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PANAMA CITY — Both of Panama City’s hospitals have seen consistent growth in new COVID-19 patients since the start of the new year.

Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center and Ascension Sacred Heart Bay have both reported upticks in hospitalized COVID-19 patients this month. This coincides with a spike in reports of new cases in Bay County since 2022 began.

“Our COVID-19 census has continued to slowly increase during the month of January as we are currently providing care to 54 COVID-19 positive patients," Dr. Neil Kooy, chief medical officer at Gulf Coast Regional, said Monday. “We are hopeful that we will reach our peak of omicron-related COVID infections by the end of the month and our COVID-19-related admissions will begin to decrease.”

The Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center, pictured in this June file photo, is among the hospitals that have reported upticks in hospitalized COVID-19 patients this month.
The Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center, pictured in this June file photo, is among the hospitals that have reported upticks in hospitalized COVID-19 patients this month.

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Ascension Sacred Heart announced in a Monday press release that its three hospitals in Panama City, Miramar Beach and Port. St. Joe have seen a continued rise in COVID-19 patients.

There are currently 64 COVID-19 patients in all three Ascension hospitals. Last week, there were 47 patients in the hospitals.

According to the latest state statistics, the county reported 2,770 new COVID-19 cases last week ending Sunday. A week earlier, the county reported 2,667 new cases and 1,482 cases three weeks ago. The county reported 702 cases four weeks earlier.

Among the three Ascension hospitals, more than 85% of the COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated, the press release states.

Kooy said the majority of Gulf Coast’s COVID-19 patients are also unvaccinated.

“As we have always said throughout the pandemic, we cannot stress enough the importance of becoming vaccinated,” Kooy said. “The COVID-19 vaccine is one of the most effective tools we have to stop the spread of the virus and we encourage those who are eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine and booster shot. We also recommend the community remain vigilant, continue to practice infection prevention best practices, and follow the latest guidance from the CDC.”

The Ascension Sacred Heart press release also emphasizes that residents should vaccinate against COVID-19 if possible.

“We cannot stress enough the importance of getting vaccinated including a booster shot for those who are eligible,” the Ascension press release reads. “Ascension Sacred Heart believes the approved COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and the benefits of being vaccinated outweigh any identified risks or side effects.”

The press release adds that Ascension understands that some residents have concerns about the vaccine and recommends they talk to their doctors about it.

“Everyone in our community plays a critical role in keeping us safe from this virus,” the press release states. “The most effective ways of protecting each other are to get vaccinated, wear masks in public indoor spaces and get tested if you have symptoms.”

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: COVID Florida: Panama City hospitals see ongoing rise in patients