Clark County Health Officer and Public Health Director Alan Melnick speaks to the press via a Zoom meeting to answer questions about an outbreak of COVID-19 at a Vancouver food processing facility identified last week
Leaders of the healthcare industry in Clark County are warning that the local increase of COVID-19 activity could overload hospital capacity unless the trajectory is changed, urging for adherence to statewide orders against private gatherings as a way to stop the spread before all hospital beds are full.
During a media briefing Nov. 16, Clark County health officer and Public Health Director Alan Melnick said there were “exploding” COVID-19 case numbers in Clark County. Eight weeks ago the county averaged 28 cases daily, though in the week prior to the briefing the county had 845 cases for an average 121 a day.
Though cases were going up across all age groups, Melnick said that individuals between 20 to 49 years old consistently have the highest numbers of confirmed cases. He said that data showed that small, private gatherings were a major risk factor in COVID-19 activity.
Those gatherings were situations where it was more likely for individuals to forego preventative measures such as physical distancing and mask usage, Melnick said.
Melnick was joined by leadership from a number of hospitals and healthcare providers. They warned about the potential for hospital capacity to become overwhelmed should COVID-19 activity continue on the course it was.
As of Nov. 19 about 9.6 percent of licensed hospital beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients, according to Clark County Public Health data. In total about 77 percent of hospital beds were occupied, with more than 83 percent of intensive care unit beds filled as of that date.
Melnick noted that an influx of COVID-19 patients stressed more than just physical space limits.
“We’re not just talking about beds, but we’re talking about the doctors and the nurses and the other caregivers,” Melnick said.
PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center Chief of Medical Staff Ray Lee broke down the way COVID-19 spreads, as well as how hard it can hit the population. He said presymptomatic transmission accounted for about half of COVID-19 cases, as individuals become most contagious just before and after symptoms start.
COVID-19 had a range of impact on those who contract the disease, ranging from a mild illness with no shortness of breath to severe and critical illness, the latter requiring intensive care and potentially leading to multiple organ failure.
About 80 percent were mild and moderate illnesses, where patients were advised to recuperate at home unless they had shortness of breath, felt faint, had bluish lips or fingers, or felt confused. Fifteen percent of individuals with COVID-19 develop severe illness and require hospitalization, while 5 percent of patients had critical illness.
Lee noted that hospital stays for COVID-19 patients ranged from about a week to two weeks for patients who require intensive care. Mortality for the disease varied greatly by age, from one in 900 for individuals between 18 and 29, to one in three for those older than 84.
Mortality was also greater for those requiring hospitalization at about 13 percent, but could be as high as 40 percent for those needing intensive care. Lee added that recent studies show “significant improvement” of mortality for those hospitalized.
“We know much more now about COVID-19 than we did in the Spring,” Lee remarked.
Lee said about 10 percent of individuals develop long-term symptoms known as “post-COVID syndrome,” resulting in cognitive impairment, shortness of breath, fatigue, and vulnerability to infections.
Regarding testing for COVID-19, Vancouver Clinic Chief Medical Officer Alfred Seekamp said there was still a shortage of capacity in the area, mostly due to a lack of supplies. Compared to the start of the pandemic, Vancouver Clinic has developed systems to more efficiently get supplies, but increasing demand for tests continues to put a strain on what resources are available.
Seekamp said the Vancouver Clinic has had to change up its testing protocols due to increased demand, which he said increased about 20 percent week-over-week. He said by bringing additional testing capacity online, Vancouver clinic hoped to be able to perform 10,000 tests weekly by the end of December, up from the 2,700 weekly tests currently performed.
Acknowledging the upcoming holiday season, Seekamp urged Clark County residents to avoid travel, instead making any potential gatherings a virtual affair.
Legacy Health Medical Director for Inpatient Medicine Service Hoa Ly also attempted to dissuade county residents from taking part in gatherings outside of their own household, acknowledging that a need for social interaction and general pandemic fatigue have made potential get-togethers more tempting.
“The virus is very dangerous and powerful, but the virus can only do what we allow it do to,” Ly said. “If we are not giving it the opportunity to spread from one person to another, the virus will disappear.”
