As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations increase in Yakima County, those hospitalized are getting younger, with even infants testing positive.
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Medical staff at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital in Yakima have seen six children under age 1 test positive for COVID-19, said Dr. Marty Brueggemann, chief medical officer.
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"We are entering a phase of the pandemic unlike what we've seen so far," Brueggemann said. "The fifth wave is actually proving to be very significant."
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Washington hospitals are severely strained, with COVID patients doubling from 426 total cases July 26 to 853 cases as of Aug. 9, according to the Washington State Hospital Association
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Memorial said it is seeing high volumes in its emergency room, which is the second-busiest in the state and treats nearly 300 people a day. Transferring patients to other hospitals isn't an option because they're all seeing more COVID-19 patients.
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Because health care facilities in the entire region are saturated, they are seeing more times when they have to hold patients in the ER, sometimes up to 24 hours, because there is no place to transfer them.
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Along with increasing numbers of COVID-19 patients, the hospital is treating record numbers of patients overall, Diiulio said. "Every single department right now is working at their absolute max," he said.
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At the same time, Memorial and other hospitals across the state are seeing a shortage of nurses, respiratory therapists and other health care workers
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As of Wednesday, Memorial had about 100 registered nurse positions it couldn't fill, he said. Some have left the medical field because of burnout from working so much during the pandemic and suffering physical and emotional effects from that work
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A total of 39 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 countywide Wednesday. The last time it was that high was mid-January, according to Yakima Health District records.
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The hospitals in the Yakima and Tri-Cities region had 92.6% of staffed ICU beds occupied as of Monday, according to the state Department of Health. Of 94 adult ICU beds in the region, 87 were occupied. Of those, 16 beds, or 17%, were occupied by COVID-19 patients.
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