'Pandemic Not Over': Unvaccinated Patients Fill Iredell Hospitals

MOORESVILLE, NC — Iredell County hospitals are filling up with COVID patients, about 90 percent of whom are unvaccinated, the county's hospital system said Tuesday.

As of Aug. 17, only about 38 percent of the county was considered fully vaccinated against coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The lag in vaccinations is leading to a spike in local cases. In the past week alone, the county reported at least 788 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus, representing a nearly 96 percent increase, according to CDC data.

"This pandemic is not over, and the public’s help is needed in order to curb the spread of COVID-19 in our community," Iredell Health System said in a statement Tuesday that urged county residents to get vaccinated and wear a mask.

Iredell County's three hospitals are now shouldering the burden for the county's low vaccination rate.

“It’s easy to think that what you see on the news about hospitals in other states being overwhelmed is just happening elsewhere, but that’s not the case,” said John Green, President & CEO of Iredell Health System. “It’s happening here, in Iredell County, and we need the community’s help to change that.”

For starters, he said, nearly all acute care beds are filled at Iredell Memorial and emergency rooms at the county's three hospitals are all reporting record numbers of patients.

Iredell Memorial Hospital in Statesville has experienced a 1,200 percent increase in COVID patients in the past three weeks. As of Tuesday afternoon, it reported more than 50 COVID patients, a dozen of whom were in the Intensive Care Unit.

The same scenario is also playing out at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center in Mooresville, where 17 patients are hospitalized for COVID, eight of whom are in ICU. At Davis Regional Medical Center in Statesville, four of the 10 patients currently hospitalized for COVID are in ICU.

“This is a startling trend, and proves that we are not yet out of the woods with COVID-19,” Green said. “Several months ago, we were headed in the right direction. Now, we’re not.”

The spike in cases comes as more children in the county — many of whom are too young to be eligible for a COVID vaccine — are being diagnosed with coronavirus. In the past two weeks, for example, Piedmont HealthCare pediatric practices have seen a 50 percent rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases in children.

“With the Delta variant affecting children more, we are very concerned for our vulnerable
pediatric population who do not have access to vaccination yet,” Dr. Walt Meadors, Medical
Director of Piedmont HealthCare, said in a statement. “Please consider that even if you won’t be vaccinated for yourself, do it for your children and grandchildren.”

Without improved vaccination rates or masking in the community, the situation will not get any better, Green said.

“We are fighting an uphill battle within our walls every day," he said. "Get vaccinated. Wear a mask. Realize that this is still very real. We fear that without everyone’s combined efforts, it will not improve. We need you to do your part.”

SEE ALSO:

• Mecklenburg Commissioners To Vote On Countywide Mask Mandate
• ICU Beds Filling Up In Charlotte Metro, Around North Carolina
  
• Gov. Cooper, DHHS Press NC School Districts To Mandate Masks
• Mooresville Schools Quarantine 261 For Possible COVID Exposure