As daily COVID case numbers continue to be in the thousands, health officials are urging unvaccinated individuals to roll up their sleeve to slow the spread of the delta variant. State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter said at this point in the pandemic people can’t say they don’t know someone who’s been affected by COVID.
“There’s just a ton of COVID out there and it’s time for people to take precautionary measures. I think everyone at this point knows someone who’s sick, it’s really that bad,” said Kanter.
As case numbers surge, so are hospitalizations, but when you compare the number of patients in Louisiana facilities to high numbers in the pandemic last year it doesn’t seem as dire. However, Kanter said hospitals are facing a severe nursing shortage now and facilities are treating other patients in addition to COVID patients.
“Cause it’s not going to be a physical bed limitation, it’s not going to be a ventilator limitation, it’s going to be a staffing resource limitation for hospitals. The ability to have nurses available to care for patients” said Kanter.
Kanter said healthcare facilities are also inundated with a large number of RSV cases.
Treatment options of those with the Delta variant are no different from treatment with the original strain but Kanter said the Delta variant is much more transmissible.
With staffing shortages and an increase in COVID patients, Kanter said a number of hospitals are delaying elective surgeries for patients in an effort to ease caseloads on healthcare staff. Kanter said that can have serious repercussions.
“And I think that should be a sign to folks that the hospitals are taking this are serious as they ever have during the pandemic. I really don’t think that’s an overstatement at all,” said Kanter.
Kanter said if you contract COVID right now there’s a greater than 85-percent chance it is the Delta variant.
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