December 03, 2021

Avita Health System Experiences Latest COVID-19 Surge

BUCYRUS/GALION/ONTARIO – Avita Health System announced that it is experiencing a record high surge of COVID-19 inpatients at Bucyrus, Galion, and Ontario Hospitals.

The surge started on Nov. 18 and has now reached 46 COVID-19 patients admitted or awaiting admission to an Avita hospital. The acuity of care is high with approximately a quarter of those patients on ventilators, including 69% of the COVID-19 patients in Avita’s intensive care units. According to Chris Adler, Director of Safety, Security, and Emergency Preparedness, 97% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients are not vaccinated.

“We are at 112% of our normal bed capacity,” said Adler. “We’ve responded by adding additional beds and staffing. Over the past month, we’ve had a 421% increase in COVID-19 inpatients, which has been the most rapid surge we’ve experienced throughout the pandemic. Our positivity rate for COVID-19 is 24% in our emergency departments, walk-in clinics, and testing sites.”

Avita recommends that community members remain diligent in the fight against COVID-19 by practicing good hand hygiene, masking, and social distancing. If you are sick, stay home to protect others. Avita advises that the best way to prevent serious COVID-19 illness is the vaccine, and the best treatment if diagnosed early is monoclonal antibody infusion therapy. Avita offers both services to the community.