Rise in COVID-19 cases threatens state’s hospitals

Earlier this month, University of Nebraska Medical Center experts warned that rising COVID-19 cases statewide could overwhelm hospitals by early winter if the current trend is not stunted.

In a prepared statement, John Lowe, UNMC’s assistant vice chancellor for inter-professional health security training and education, warned that “the largest surge of cases and hospitalizations we have seen is currently among us.” 

The statement underscored the importance of wearing face coverings in public, avoiding large gatherings, maintaining a six-foot distance from others and frequently washing hands. Lowe also stated that cases and hospitalizations are equal to the peak in May, and are rapidly rising to record levels. Hospitals that are currently relied upon for COVID-19 admissions and treatment are more than 85% full, he said.

Lowe described the situation like the table game “Jenga.” 

“As the structure of protection weakens, our case counts are accelerating,” Lowe said in the statement. 

He also acknowledged that many people statewide are suffering from pandemic fatigue, but warned it is important to keep following COVID-19 guidelines. 

“We are hearing too many COVID-19 patient stories that start with ‘I was at a party’ or ‘I visited extended family and everyone seemed well at the time,’” Lowe said. “We cannot let down our guard. We know how to control transmission in our community. The steps are straightforward.” 

“It is happening here,” Chadron Community Hospital’s Chief Nursing Officer Alisha Obando said. 

CCH’s Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Brown concurred.

“It was only a matter of time that there would be a rise of cases in our area,” Brown said. “What they’re hearing on the state level is also applicable on the local level when it comes to increased cases and increased hospitalizations.” 

Obando said CCH has been bracing since February for a local surge. In addition to preparing staffing and facilities to handle the expected surge in COVID-19 admissions, the hospital also designated specialized isolation rooms. Obando said that CCH officials are asking for no visitors now because of risks.  Obando also said that the hospital is following Gov. Pete Ricketts’ latest mandate requiring hospitals to reserve 10% of beds for COVID-19 patients. 

Brown said the hospital offers TestNebraska 7-9 a.m. Mondays and Fridays. 

Obando said that is important for the public to continue social distancing and wearing a mask. She noted those two practices have “made an extreme impact on (reducing) the spread of COVID-19.”

Ann Buchmann, professor of biology, also noted Chadron’s COVID-19 increase. 

“The biggest thing is for people to do the things we’ve been told,” Buchmann said. “Take it seriously if you’ve been told to quarantine.” 

Buchmann reiterated the importance of people following guidelines.  

“We need to practice those skills that we have been told all along,” she said, adding that winter will bring more activities, and people, indoors, so following COVID-19 safety procedures is necessary. 

She stressed that failing to follow spread prevention practices brings contagiousness closer to vulnerable members of the community. 

“It’s moving into the Midwest, into those rural communities that haven’t experienced it yet,” she said. “The more that we try to do to protect our community and our vulnerable people, the better off we all will be in terms of keeping the number of cases down.”

Buchmann said it is vital to be good citizens and seriously consider others during the pandemic.

“It’s important to think about your more compromised fellow peers,” Buchmann said, adding that some students on campus experience already-compromised immune systems. 

Buchmann said following precautions is important; notably, it keeps hospital beds open for those who need them. She also said that if a person goes to a clinic, it is important for them to be honest and open about suffering any COVID-19 symptoms to attending clinicians, because those clinicians might be suffering underlying conditions that could jeopardize their lives.