Covid-19 hospitalizations hit all-time high at EAMC

Of those 100 patients hospitalized with Covid on Tuesday, 60 were unvaccinated and 80 were 50 years old or older. 

"It goes without saying that this is a milestone that we never wanted, or expected, to reach,” said Laura Grill, East Alabama Health president and CEO. “This level of hospitalizations, coupled with around 100 employees currently being out with Covid, creates a significant strain on our staff. But I could not be prouder of our entire East Alabama team for their commitment and endurance. Their resiliency over the past 22 months has been amazing to watch. 

“Our employees and physicians have tackled many of their regular duties and added on so many others. They’ve moved from their home department to another unit during our five peaks. They’ve worked their regular shift and then covered our call center or testing site over the weekend. They’ve cared for over 2,500 Covid patients now, and sadly had to stand by helplessly as they held the hands of 349 patients who were unable to overcome the effects of the virus."

As the Omicron variant swept into the area over the past few weeks, Auburn residents have scoured the area and struggled to find at-home Covid tests, with many expressing their frustrations over social media. Landing a Covid test will get much easier after the federal government created a site where citizens can sign up to have four free Covid-19 tests delivered to their homes. Every home is eligible to receive the four free tests, which will be shipped at no cost for citizens. To obtain your household's four free tests, go to www.covidtests.gov. Orders will usually ship in seven to 12 days, according to the website.

EAH will also be conducting drive-through testing today, Saturday and Sunday. East Alabama Health asks residents to schedule an appointment one day in advance of the testing day by calling EAH's call center at 334-528-4968. Some same-day testing appointments may be available, though. EAH's drive-though testing facility saw 335 patients last weekend, with 154 testing positive for Covid-19, resulting in a 46 percent positivity rate. 

The positivity rate at physician offices that specialize in pediatric care also reported a high positivity rate of 40 percent out of more than 2,000 tests Covid tests administered last week.

Being vaccinated is still the most effective way to reduce the risk of severe illness from Covid-19, as well as prevent infection, especially after receiving a booster shot. Individuals may receive a booster shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines five months after their second dose or two months after a single-dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. 

A peer-reviewed study published online Tuesday in Science showed that the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine to prevent against infection from Covid-19 wanes over time, but a booster shot, or third dose of the vaccine, brought protection against the Omicron variant in line with the Pfizer vaccine's effectiveness at preventing the original strain. That study can be found at www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn7591.