University is not alone – AU Medical Center and Doctors Hospital of Augusta were also nearing previous highs as the total number of very sick COVID-19 patients across the city broke records late last week, a scene repeated across Georgia. University Hospitals has walk-in testing sites for patients with symptoms who already have a doctor’s order for a COVID-19 test. One scroll on … AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - As University Hospital waits for COVID-19 vaccine doses, its coronavirus cases continue surging. Doctors Hospital of Augusta also saw a record number of patients in its hospital with 81 on Tuesday, and had 13 more cases to reach 529 since the pandemic began, spokesman Kaden Jacobs said. “The safety of our patients and employees is our top priority,” said AU Health CEO Katrina Keefer. All rights reserved. The seven-day average for new cases, however, fell significantly from 7,192.7 to 6,356.6, the analysis found. After reaching a record high of 290 on Monday, the Augusta hospitals smashed that record with 313, according to Chronicle analysis. We’re very fortunate the state provided us with about 30 nurses. "(Caregivers) have better tools and they have a lot of experience doing this.". At least two Piedmont system hospitals have banned visitors for patients, citing the rise in COVID-19 cases. University had started taking down some of its dedicated COVID-19 "cohort" units when it was down to between 20-30 patients in September, but now those are going back up, Five South is still a COVID-19 unit, and now Five North is being prepared to again be a negative-pressure unit for COVID-19, Davis said. For instance, putting a patient on heated high-flow oxygen to help prevent them from being put on a ventilator, Gallup said, or turning conscious and alert patients having trouble breathing onto their stomachs, known as proning, seems to help. One area they have been "very fortunate" in is having adequate personnel, he said. Drive-Through Testing At our convenient drive-through testing sites, a health care provider in personal protective equipment will swab the patient’s nose through the car door window, and the sample is sent to a UH lab for evaluation. But the number that scares the University CEO is 442: the number of people who tested positive for the disease in University's labs the previous week, higher than anything the hospital has seen so far and a harbinger of even more patients that could come flooding in. By JEFF AMY 53 minutes ago 1 of 5 Registered nurse Betty Hallman, left, gives registered nurse Norma Elizondo a shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at University Hospital in Augusta, Ga., Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020. The health care provider will evaluate and recommend the best test option for you. In-house COVID-19 testing at University Hospital for faster, more efficient results for our patients Emergency preparedness, including plans for a potential patient surge Discovering new treatments for COVID-19 and inventing protective solutions to counteract potential shortages of critical equipment and … Experts understand, but say there's no need to wait. Augusta University Health's first shipment containing the COVID-19 vaccine arrived this morning, December 17. The sample had been sent initially by a pharmacy in Georgia to a commercial lab for testing, spokeswoman Nancy Nydam said. University discharged more than 60 patients last week even as its numbers continued to climb, spokeswoman Rebecca Sylvester said. Doctors Hospital of Augusta was also down slightly from its record high of 81 with 76 patients in the hospital, and 14 new cases for 543 total since the pandemic began, spokesman Kaden Jacobs said. Screven County was reduced one for 563. Help prevent the spread of COVID-19. "Luckily for us, we haven’t had great deal of issue regarding that right now," Coule said, and staff have been relatively healthy. The hospital broke its previous record of 105 COVID-19 inpatients on July 31 with at least 117 on Wednesday, spokeswoman Rebecca Sylvester told The Augusta Chronicle. However, due to social distancing requirements, the support person must wait outside until the patient is placed in an exam room. "It’s not just COVID patients," he said. © 2021 www.augustachronicle.com. Georgia added 6,102 new cases Tuesday for a total of 597,208, with 66 new deaths for a total of 9,966, the Department of Public Health reported. We offer both nasal swab and saliva testing depending upon the patient’s needs and testing circumstances. "Our staff know the subtle signs to look for, for patients to get interventions done sooner," she said. "We’ve got other patients we are dealing with, too.". "Certainly, vaccination will help with that.". The number of confirmed Covid cases in care today at Mayo University Hospital (MUH) has increased by one to 52. University Hospital had 137 patients being treated, down slightly from its record 140 on Tuesday, spokeswoman Rebecca Sylvester said. Both Richmond and Columbia counties saw 100 new cases or more, with 167 in Richmond for a total of 13,322 and 100 in Columbia for a total of 7,635. Applause and laughter broke out at University Hospital's COVID-19 vaccination clinic as nurse Maritza Beniquez received her second and final dose … "We are holding patients in the emergency room. The new site is … But those numbers can be deceiving because once a patient is no longer infectious they are taken out of the COVID-19 total, he said. Number of positive inpatient and outpatient cases reported at Augusta Health since April 1, 2020. We’ve had to delay and postpone some elective surgeries. (Brian) Kemp.". AU Health will administer the first doses of the vaccine to frontline caregivers and share the latest information on the plans for distributing the vaccine during a … Augusta 311 COVID-19 Information Line The State of Georgia has declared a state of emergency in light of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Some staffing and areas that were not previously treating COVID-19 patients have been shifted over to help and the hospital is weighing whether to delay procedures that would need several nights' stay to recuperate, Sylvester said. Both University and AUMC have been more aggressive in preventing hospitalizations, in part by giving monoclonal antibodies similar to what President Donald Trump received. In Augusta, workers at University Hospital were installing ventilation equipment to create more space for COVID-19 patients. The total for University is more than double the 51 … "We’re treating people more aggressively as outpatients," Coule said, particularly those who are over age 65. Augusta University Health is offering drive-through and walk-in clinics for rapid COVID-19 testing. "I think they are more apt to know the disease process, what is happening, with our physicians and providers stepping in as quickly as possible.". "I watch data.". "But my fear is, knowing the way people think these days, (they will think) that the war is over. University Hospital is the latest to postpone elective surgeries to make room for the growing number of COVID-19 patients. The caregivers are the key to that, she said. The results await confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. AUMC began vaccinating with the Pfizer vaccine last week. But there is also a larger problem the hospitals face – all of the other patients that need care. Georgia again spiked above 6,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday as nearly every county in the Augusta area saw increases and Augusta hospitals saw record numbers of patients. 'We're not winning this battle': Relentless COVID-19 surge fills 1 in 8 hospital ICU units. Georgia also identified its first case of a new strain of the virus that is more infectious. "Our problem now is those are full," he said. The safety of Augusta Health team members and patients is our top priority. As the primary teaching affiliate of the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University Health provides the most comprehensive routine-to-complex care at Augusta University Medical Center, which houses the region’s only Level 1 trauma center, as well as Children’s Hospital of Georgia, historic Roosevelt Warm Springs Rehabilitation and Specialty Hospitals, Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home, and more than … We’re using agency (nurses). COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to skyrocket in the U.S. NPR built a tool to explore the latest trends around the country. Exposure or contact with COVID-19 suspected or diagnosed individuals in the last 14 days 2. AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) -- A well-respected University Hospital technician volunteering to help in the fight of COVID-19 has passed away. Burke County saw 14 more for 1,217, Jefferson County had 12 more for 1,191 and McDuffie County added 20 for 1,042. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. "It’s very difficult to get nurses," he said. It’s the same battle across town at Augusta University where Dr. Phillip Coule said they are canceling elective cases and procedures and stopped some outpatient procedures to … The average time a COVID-19 patient spends in the hospital has dropped from 10 days to six, Davis said. Callers will be triaged based on their symptoms for follow-up at the appropriate level of care. The patient was in quarantine while the state looked for close contacts, she said. Doctors and nurses but he does not consider himself prophetic consider himself.. Within offenders at the building entrance to be screened for COVID-19, according Chronicle! 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