Two Pierce County-area health systems have more than 400 hospitalized for COVID
Hospitals in Pierce County and the Puget Sound region continue to face high numbers of COVID-19 patients seeking treatment.
As of Sept. 9, there were 232 COVID-positive patients, including 32 COVID-positive ICU patients, across the Virginia Mason Franciscan Health system.
MultiCare had 207 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in its Puget Sound region hospitals. Across its system, 96 to 98 percent of hospitalized COVID patients were not vaccinated, according to Holly Harvey, media representative for MultiCare.
Statewide, hospitalizations remain at their highest levels ever in the pandemic, according to Gov. Jay Inslee’s presentation of Department of Health data on Thursday where he announced a new statewide mask requirement for large crowds starting Sept. 13.
“Just pause for a second and think about what that means,” Inslee said Thursday. “When we started this pandemic, we were hoping and praying for a vaccine that could knock it down and keep it at bay. And yet, even though we have it, we still have hospitalizations going through the roof.”
The governor noted that on that day, 252 patients were newly hospitalized with COVID statewide.
Representatives for MultiCare and Virginia Mason Franciscan Health said neither system has had to resort to “crisis standards of care,” which involves rationing services, as reported with some Idaho hospitals this week.
Earlier this month, both systems made news with the addition of tents to accommodate patient overflow at emergency departments at some of their Tacoma-area hospitals.
At Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital & Health Network in Tacoma, three children are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in its medical-surgical unit, with one patient in PICU, according to Kalyn Kinomoto, media representative for Mary Bridge.
“Additionally, we have two children admitted for MIS-C who previously had COVID-19,” she added.
MIS-C stands for multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children and can occur in patients, not just children, after COVID-19.
“So far in September, Mary Bridge has seen 45 children test positive (for COVID) through our emergency department, most not requiring hospital admission,” she wrote. “Chief complaints were high fever, followed by cough and vomiting. In terms of ages, most were under 2 years old.”
August saw 150 children test positive for COVID through its emergency department, “surpassing the total for positive cases in the previous six months, combined,” she noted.
One struggle now is to know when to bring your child to the emergency department. Unless symptoms are severe, bringing children in simply for testing at the ER is discouraged.
“We could use the community’s support in better understanding when to and when not to come to the emergency department, especially for COVID-related issues for children,” she said.
“We urge families with known exposures or asymptomatic testing needs to seek less-emergent options like urgent care, or community testing sites available through the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department,” she said.
“In addition to taking valuable resources away from patients needing immediate emergency care, visiting the emergency department with asymptomatic concerns increases the risk of exposing others in the emergency department to potential COVID-19 infection.”
This story was originally published September 11, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
