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The number of COVID-19 patients has doubled in the past 10 days in the Lehigh Valley health network, and the network could exceed peak levels seen last spring.
Dr Timothy Friel is warning residents to take precautions to curb the spread of COVID-19. He is the infectious disease specialist for the health network.
“LVHN has a plan in place and is ready to treat COVID-19 and all patients, but we can only do it under these circumstances with the help of the community by not being overwhelmed by patients with COVID and having the beds, equipment and staff available to treat all patients, ”Friel said in a prepared statement.
Dr Jeffrey Jahre of St. Luke’s University Health Network says his network is seeing a high number of cases, but he does not plan to reach peak case levels. This is due to new technologies and new procedures.
“We have learned a lot since April,” Jahre said. He is St. Luke’s infectious disease specialist.
In recent weeks, Pennsylvania has gone from 200,000 cases to 300,000 cases of COVID-19, according to the state’s health department. There are 18,000 cases in the Lehigh Valley.
Friel’s statement did not indicate how many people are hospitalized in the Lehigh Valley Health Network with COVID-19, but the doctor told WFMZ-TV 69 News his hospitals were treating 230 patients and recently admitted 120 more. patients, although this is not certain. how many of these new patients will test positive for COVID-19. The maximum number of hospital patients in the health network was 264 in March, he told WFMZ.
Jahre said hospital patients admitted with COVID-19 are being treated more effectively this fall and are released faster than in the spring.
St. Luke’s was the first healthcare network to treat COVID-19 patients with steroids, with plasma, and now with monoclonal antibodies. This is the treatment President Trump received when he was infected with COVID-19.
The network opened its first outpatient monoclonal antibody treatment center at its Easton campus this week and plans to open a second in Warren County next week.
Jahre said St. Luke’s was the first network to take this new medical breakthrough and figure out how to implement it across their organization. This required top-down cooperation between its directors and employees.
“It’s important to recognize the proactive nature of the St. Luke team who worked tirelessly 24/7 so that we can bring this to our audience,” said Jahre.
The St. Luke University Health Network treats around 150 patients with COVID-19 and around 16% of ICU admissions are patients with the virus, said Dr Rajika Reed. She is the senior director of epidemiology and strategy for the network.
These numbers are not alarming, Jahre said. If you distribute 150 patients across the 12 hospitals in St. Luke, you can see that there is enough capacity to handle the volume of patients. The hospital anticipated an increase in patient numbers this fall and planned accordingly, Jahre said.
“The public should be reassured that there is no shortage of intensive care beds. We are able to meet all of their needs, whether it is for COVID diseases or not COVID, “said Jahre.
LVHN’s Friel said it’s always important to wear masks, practice social distancing, wash your hands and stay home, especially if you’re sick. He advises residents to limit social contact during the holidays to people with whom you are at home on a daily basis.
“We are at a critical crossroads where positive cases and hospitalizations continue to rise,” Friel said, adding: “With your help, we can slow the spread of the virus and flatten the curve like we did in the spring. . “
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Rudy Miller can be reached at [email protected]. If there is anything in this story that needs special attention, please email her. Follow him on twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton Area News on Facebook.
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