Whereas some San Diego County leaders stated COVID-19 circumstances throughout the area have hit a plateau, for now, some hospitals are reporting a latest uptick in circumstances.
In the meantime, health-care staff instructed NBC 7 that they fear that circumstances will solely proceed to extend within the subsequent few weeks if extra folks do not get vaccinated.
With college students returning to the classroom. the Labor Day weekend approaching and plenty of county resident ineligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, Dr. Ghazala Sharieff instructed NBC 7 that she’s involved circumstances will proceed to climb.
Sharieff, who’s the chief medical officer for Acute Care and Medical Excellence at Scripps Well being, has been monitoring COVID-19 circumstances on the 5 Scripps Well being Hospitals. She’s calling the native COVID-19 state of affairs “the pandemic of the unvaccinated.”
Sharieff shared with NBC 7 knowledge she collected between June 1 and Aug. 29 of sufferers aged 55 and beneath, which confirmed that Scripps Well being handled 321 unvaccinated COVID-19 sufferers and solely 10 had been vaccinated. In the case of “common” COVID-related intensive-care unit admissions, unvaccinated sufferers spent 13 days within the ICU. Not one vaccinated affected person 55 and beneath was admitted into the ICU, Sharieff stated.
Regardless of the information proving COVID-19 vaccines are efficient, Sharieff stated individuals are nonetheless selecting to not get vaccinated. Two parts of the issue: Individuals who doubt well being care staff’ experience, and misinformation.
“We heard from a nurse final week who stated, ‘That is so tough,’ ” Sharieff stated. “Generally folks will are available, they’ve all of the COVID signs, the employees will inform them, ‘You’ve gotten COVID,’ and so they name them liars. And we’ve by no means had this earlier than.”
Sharieff stated some health-care staff not really feel supported, and are burned out and have left the health-care discipline.
“There’s a whole lot of employees who’ve determined to not proceed in well being care — even the touring businesses don’t have employees to ship us,” stated Sharieff, including that it’s an issue throughout the area, not simply particular to Scripps Well being. “We need to be there in case you get in a automobile accident or one thing occurs to you, however with these circumstances retaining going up, we’re again to the place we had been again in January.”
In an effort to fight misinformation and encourage extra folks to get vaccinated, Chair Nathan Fletcher launched a brand new coverage, which might declare COVID-19 misinformation a public health crisis. He is anticipated to current the decision to the Board of Supervisors Tuesday. If it receives assist, Fletcher stated the county will allocate extra assets to coach the general public, together with the launch of a brand new informational web site devoted to COVID-19 details.
“[Misinformation] is actually costing folks their lives,” Fletcher stated.
The coverage got here to the forefront after a heated board assembly earlier in August. Members of the general public shared incorrect feedback like; “There isn’t any proof that the COVID-19 photographs administered are protected or efficient.”
NBC 7’s Artie Ojeda shares clips of heated feedback made by the general public at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors assembly.
“I feel we have to name it what it’s, and we have to make investments the assets and equip the general public with the reality,” Fletcher stated. “Nothing we’re doing goes to infringe on anybody’s capability to say no matter they need to say, however we now have to say what we now have an obligation to say, which is: These statements are harmful, they’re unfaithful and they’re going to harm your well being.”
