MONROE COUNTY, Mich. — ProMedica hospitals in southeast Michigan are seeing an uptick in severe cases of COVID-19.
Over the last few weeks, these facilities have noted a small bump in the number of COVID-19 patients placed in the ICU and in need of ventilators.
The positivity rate is also increasing.
"Those tests that we do at our hospital with patients who have symptoms who have high-risk exposure was as low as around 2-3%, we're now starting to see those numbers rise close to double digits. So, I think our most recent average for our Michigan hospitals was around 9.7%," ProMedica Hickman Hospital President Dr. Julie Yaroch said.
The Lenawee County hospital has been seeing a higher number of 20 and 30-year-olds needing an in-patient stay. In Monroe County, the patients are 65 and older, which corresponds with the earlier surges in the winter and spring.
Out of those who are severely sick with COVID-19, 95% or more are unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated, Yaroch said. There are also pediatric cases, although they're the minority.
"We always say every shot in the arm is a shot in the right direction. It's a global pandemic so it's really an all-hands-on-deck team effort to address this," Yaroch said.
The hospitals in southeast Michigan are also seeing breakthrough cases, which is when a fully vaccinated person gets sick with the virus.
The breakthroughs account for 5% or less of the patients the hospitals are seeing in the ER and in hospital units. These patients are as young as 20 and as old as 85. Some have no underlying medical conditions, while others do suffer from underlying lung or heart disease.
The rise in cases is taking a mental and physical toll on staff members; not just at ProMedica, but in hospitals across the country. The pandemic has put added emotional stress on staff and has made them rethink wanting to stay in healthcare. There's a growing concern that as the pandemic lingers on, the workforce will continue to weaken.
K-12 schools will start up again on Monday so health officials do have concerns because people will be spending time indoors. They're preparing for another potential surge this fall.