Ohio Medical Workers 'Fatigued, Exhausted' From Battling COVID-19

COLUMBUS, OH — Ohio's current COVID-19 surge continues to escalate, placing further strain on Ohio's hospitals and front line workers.

Workers who are increasingly fatigued, drained and leaving their profession, warns Dr. Joseph Gastaldo, an infection disease physician with Ohio Health.

"There is an overall feeling of sadness, physical and emotional fatigue, and frank frustration," he said during a news conference Thursday morning. "The vast majority of people in the hospital with COVID-19, are those who have not been vaccinated."

With waning staff levels, some Ohio hospitals are facing brutal decisions: Should they delay certain elective procedures? Should they divert patients to another facility? Should they limit visitation for patients?

"We are running up against real challenges in terms of the wear and tear this long pandemic has had on our providers, our front-line providers, and our hospitals that maintain a high pace of work and activity over the long, long haul," said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the Ohio Department of Health.

Statewide, one in seven hospital patients have COVID-19, while a quarter of all intensive care patients are fighting the virus, the Ohio Hospital Association reported. The majority of patients in both hospitals and intensive care units are unvaccinated, Vanderhoff noted.

"While there's still margin in our system overall, but steps are now being taken that we want to ultimately avoid. Services that might be normally available on an outpatient basis are being shifted to other locations, etc.," Vanderhoff added.

Rural hospitals have been particularly hard hit during this recent wave. One in three of their hospitalized patients is COVID-19 positive, while half of their intensive care patients are battling the virus, according to the Ohio Hospital Association. Gastaldo noted that vaccine uptake has been sluggish in rural parts of the Buckeye State.

"I am asking everyone in the community to follow mitigation recommendations. Wear a mask. If you have not yet been vaccinated, please get vaccinated. You're going to help us in the hospital," Gastaldo said.