'Severe Strain' At Ohio Hospitals Due To COVID-19 Surge

OHIO — Ohio hospitals are under "severe strain" due to rising numbers of COVID-19 patients.

The surge is being driven by unvaccinated Ohioans, said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the Ohio Department of Health. Severe illness from the virus, he said, can be prevented by simply getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

Nearly 4,300 Ohioans are currently hospitalized because of COVID-19, according to the Ohio Hospital Association. That's the highest level of hospitalized COVID-19 patients since last winter, Vanderhoff noted.

Things are even worse in the state's intensive care units, where 1,100 Ohioans are being treated for COVID-19, the Ohio Hospital Association reported. That number rivals previous highs for COVID-19 patients in intensive care units in Ohio.

"The current surge is putting a dangerous strain on the state's health care infrastructure," Vanderhoff said. "We are, yet again, in a dangerous situation."

Northern Ohio is suffering the worst surge in new cases and hospitalizations, Vanderhoff said. Approximately 62 percent of all new cases and hospitalizations over the past month come from that region, Vanderhoff said.

Hospital Strain

Ohio hospitals are severely strained, Vanderhoff said, not only because of rising numbers of COVID-19 patients but persistent staffing challenges. Burnout and staffing shortages are being reported across Buckeye State hospitals.

"This isn't just about a hospital's ability to care for COVID-19 patients, it's about caring for other patients who are being squeezed out," Vanderhoff said. "Hospitals are being forced to implement contingencies to deliver care to those most in need."

• Read more: COVID-19 Prompts Delay Of Elective Surgeries At Cleveland Clinic

Dr. Glen Seaman, medical director for Williams County Health District said the vast majority of hospitalized COVID-19 patients he's seeing are unvaccinated. He also warned that crowded hospital beds mean there is a delay in urgent care in some regions.

Seaman said there are numerous respiratory illness cases coming into his offices, but the majority of serious illnesses are COVID-19-related.

"In the urgent care it's even worse. They're seeing 60 to 100 patients a day and the vast majority [of cases] are respiratory ailments," Seaman said. "I honestly feel liberated when I get to see that sprained ankle, it's becoming monotonous [treating COVID-19 cases]."

The majority of seriously ill COVID-19 patients coming into his office, Seaman said, are unvaccinated.

Omicron Variant?

The omicron variant has not yet been detected in Ohio, Vanderhoff said. But he expects it to arrive sooner rather than later.

It currently looks like the omicron variant could be more contagious and could be more sickening than delta, said Dr. Joseph Gastaldo, medical director of infectious diseases, OhioHealth. However, it appears vaccines still provide protection against the virus.

"Getting vaccinated gives you a wonderful layer of protection against severe disease," he said.

"We're closely monitoring new data [on the variant] as it becomes available," Vanderhoff said. He argued that recent research shows antibody responses are "better than expected" when confronting omicron. "There should still be protection against serious illness," he said.

Adding a third dose of vaccine — more commonly known as a booster shot — should also improve protection against the variant.

• Read more: Vaccine Booster Can Prevent Omicron Coronavirus Variant: Pfizer

"This variant's arrival underscores the importance of our most important protection tool — getting vaccinated," Vanderhoff said.

However, the delta variant continues to be the dominant strand of COVID-19 in Ohio and is responsible for the current surge in cases and hospitalizations, Vanderhoff said.

Gastaldo said the omicron variant is almost certainly already in Ohio but has not yet been identified. When the first case is identified in Ohio, it should not be a reason for panic. Instead, medical teams will continue to research the variant and the protections offered by vaccines.

Common Sense Protections

Vanderhoff urged Ohioans to follow "common-sense" safety tips to protect themselves from COVID-19 during the holiday season, including:

• Wearing a mask in public
• Avoiding avoidable crowds
• Washing hands frequently
• Getting good ventilation
• Getting tested before going to a family gathering
• Staying home if you're not feeling well

Additionally, while health officials continue to worry about the pressures of the COVID-19 surge, they're also watching influenza cases climb. Vanderhoff urged all Ohioans to get a flu vaccine as soon as possible to protect themselves and others.