WellSpan Health hospitals we are now treating over 200 patients for COVID-19 once again.
The following can be attributed to Dr. Anthony Aquilina, executive vice president and chief physician executive, WellSpan Health:
As of today, Sept. 17, 2021, at WellSpan Health hospitals we are now treating over 200 patients for COVID-19 once again and the most discouraging part is that this latest surge was completely avoidable. Right now, WellSpan’s COVID-19 patients are younger, sicker, and 90 percent of them are unvaccinated. The numbers don’t lie. They provide clear evidence of the vaccines’ safety and effectiveness here in our community and that is why we’ve chosen to share the numbers on our COVID-19 website data dashboard for all to see.
Of the 206 patients, 38 require an ICU bed for
a more intensive level of care and 100% of those are unvaccinated.
Of those 206 patients, 30 currently require a
ventilator for their COVID-19 treatment. Again, every single one of those
patients are unvaccinated.
Effective immediately, due to increasing
patient care volumes and the positive rate of transmission in Franklin County,
the emergency departments of WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital and WellSpan Waynesboro Hospital have transitioned to WellSpan’s Red Level, prohibiting all patient visitation, with certain patient exceptions. Other visitation changes will be posted, as needed, to our COVID-19 webpage at www.WellSpan.org.
We need our communities to take action right now to prevent our hospitals from being overwhelmed. This isn’t just a matter of concern for only COVID-19 patients. We need to ensure that we can provide care for all that need it, from COVID-19 patients to a loved-one experiencing a medical emergency. View this local data for yourself and share with your friends and neighbors. Please do your part to get vaccinated if you’re eligible. 