Centra Health is reporting a gradual decrease in COVID Patients at Lynchburg General Hospital. The hospital has 89 COVID patients. 14 of them were fully vaccinated. The hospital says the decline includes a decreased rate of new admissions and lower COVID floor patient volume. Officials say they’re continue to see a high number of critically ill COVID patients, and that continues to strain the hospital’s resources. They report 63 deaths from COVID at Lynchburg General since September 1st. This is an average of 2 per day.
Centra Health is requiring all its caregivers to be vaccinated by November 1st. Officials say the deadline to submit Medical and Religious exemptions is Friday, October 1st. Centra says they’re still finalizing numbers on how many of its 8100 workers have been vaccinated so far.
Here is the entire news release from Centra:
COVID MEDIA ADVISORY
Centra Updates for September 29, 2021
• Centra’s inpatient COVID census for 09.29.21:
o 101 Total Patients: 14 are fully vaccinated, 25 are ICU patients, 22 are
ventilated
o 89 LGH
o 12 Southside Community Hospital
• Units currently devoted to COVID ICU level care: Versatile Acuity Unit (COVID Unit)
and Surgical Trauma ICU. Floor patients are on pulmonary, oncology and surgical
floors
• We have seen the number of deaths from COVID increase significantly in the month
of September. As of today, 63 deaths are due to COVID at LGH since September 1st.
This is an average of 2 per day.
• We have fortunately seen a gradual trend downward in our hospitalized COVID
census at LGH. This has been sensed in the form of decreased rate of new
admissions and lower COVID floor patient volume.
• Unfortunately, we continue to see a high number of critically ill COVID patients, which
is requiring the full use of both our VAU as well as Surgical Trauma ICU for COVID.
This is challenging our capacity to take care of general ICU level patients, with
occasional boarding of these patients in the ER before we are able to obtain a bed for
them in the hospital.
• We understand there has been an increased local interest in the prescribing of
Ivermectin, after Centra’s Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee issued a
statement to the medical community this week regarding prescriptions for this
treatment. In the past, providers could prescribe this drug, without any review process,
but due to concerns around inappropriate use of this drug, locally and nationally, the
P&T Committee felt there needed to be an oversight review process. Currently, there
are no clinical trials or robust scientific data that supports using this drug to combat
COVID-19. In fact, the CDC, FDA and Ivermectin manufacturers have released
positions not recommending this as a COVID-19 treatment. Until there is significant
data around its safety and effectiveness, prescriptions for Ivermectin will be reviewed,
approved or denied, on an ad hoc basis.
If a request comes to the P&T Committee, it will go through an expedited
consideration process. The P&T Committee has hospital oversight only. The P&T
committee will change their stance if/when clinical trial data says otherwise.
• Vaccine Requirement Update: Centra Caregivers have until November 1st to upload
their proof of vaccination. The deadline to submit Medical and Religious exemptions is
Friday, October 1st. Right now, there are many factors playing into Centra’s overall
vaccination percentage. When we feel as though we have an adequate picture of our
status, we will share an update with our media partners.
• The COVID dashboard is posted on the Centra website for our communities to stay
apprised of daily COVID inpatient numbers. The dashboard is updated daily between
10:30-11am after morning report out. Visit centrahealth.com/coronavirus to view the
daily dashboard.