Increasing COVID hospitalizations, according to the Task Force

NS. The leader of the Louis-St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force repeated the advice of other health leaders on the new Omicron variants. It means inoculating a vaccine and getting a booster effect.

Dr. Claydunagan of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force said there are still many unclear points about the new variant, but there is reason to believe that vaccination will reduce the severity of the symptoms of the Omicron mutant. Said.

“It is not yet known if the vaccine is completely protective against Omicron, but there is plenty of evidence and good reason to believe that the vaccine protects against serious illnesses, especially those with booster immunity.” Said Dr. Dunagan.

In addition to being vaccinated, Dr. Dunagan said the precautions used in the pre-pandemic phase were the best way to limit the spread of all COVID-19 mutants.

“There is good reason to believe that the steps we have taken to protect against Delta and previous variants are effective against Omicron,” he said. “Masking and social distance expansion continue to be effective.

“We found that areas with high masking rates tended to have lower infection rates. Initially, we found that the impact of this type of public health activity on St. Louis was significantly reduced.”

Another thing that has attracted the attention of the Task Force is the increase in cases in the St. Louis region. Dr. Dunagan said delays in reporting due to Thanksgiving holidays are likely to artificially reduce the number reported last week. Nevertheless, the number of newly reported cases increased by 12.3% in the last two weeks compared to the last two weeks.

Dr. Dunagan said he expects numbers to catch up in the next few days, as in the same period in 2020.

He said the recent increase was due to more people gathering indoors due to cold weather and fatigue of masks.

Another factor, according to Dr. Dunagan, is the weakened immunity of people who have been vaccinated or tested positive for the virus in recent months.

“”[Waning immunity] “Maybe we’re adding some to the surge we’re seeing,” Dr. Dunagan said.

Unvaccinated patients still make up about 75% of all COVID patients in regional hospitals, and Dr. Dunagan said the unvaccinated group is made up of all age groups. Dr. Dunagan said the majority of vaccinated COVID-19 patients are elderly or have something that affects the immune system.

Case numbers can be distorted by inconsistent reported data, but Dr. Dunagan said the Task Force hospital data are much more consistent and are starting to rise much faster than before. ..

In the latest Task Force briefing on November 16, Dr. Dunagan said cases in the area are increasing, but hospitalizations are not increasing so rapidly. Now, he said, it seems to be due to the nature of delayed hospitalization, and hospitalization tends to be much closer to the number of cases.

“Currently there are 364 [COVID-positive] “The number of people in Task Force hospitals with a 7-day moving average of 340 is increasing,” said Dr. Dunagan. “We are using the resources of the medical system to care for COVID patients.” Is definitely going in the wrong direction. “

Dr. Dunagan said the Task Force will provide a briefing every other week and the familiar face will return to the briefing. Dr. Alex Garza will return from deployment and resume some leadership missions with MTF.

“It’s really great that Dr. Garza is back. In the future, he and I will share responsibility for the Pandemic Task Force meetings and communications,” said Dr. Dunagan.

The data from the Task Force on Tuesday is as follows:

• New hospitalizations (data two days late) decreased from 52 on Monday to 40 on Tuesday.
• The 7-day moving average of hospitalization (data 2 days late) remained the same on Tuesday 48th.
• The 7-day moving average of hospitalization increased from 331 on Monday to 340 on Tuesday.
• Inpatients confirmed a reduction in COVID-positive hospitalizations – from 374 on Monday to 364 on Tuesday.
• The number of inpatients suspected of being COVID-positive hospitalized increased from Monday 25th to Tuesday 30th.
• The number of COVID-positive patients identified in the ICU decreased from 82 on Monday to 79 on Tuesday.
• The number of COVID-positive patients confirmed on ventilators decreased from 52 on Monday to 51 on Tuesday.
• Six COVID deaths were reported on Monday.
• The 7-day moving average of COVID deaths increased from 5th Monday to 6th Tuesday.
• Overall, 57 patients were discharged on Monday, bringing the cumulative number of COVID-19 patients to 30,743.
• Of the 346 inpatient COVID patients in the three Task Force hospital systems reported on Tuesday, 85 have been fully vaccinated. That is 25% of the patient population.
• Task Force hospitals have four COVID-positive children aged 0-11 years.
• The Task Force hospital has five COVID-positive children aged 12-18 years.
• There are no COVID-positive children in the ICU between the ages of 0 and 11.
• There are no COVID-positive children in the ICU between the ages of 12 and 18.
• The average capacity of manned bed hospitals on Tuesday is 86% for all Task Force hospitals. The ICU has reached 79% of the total number of staffed beds.