MONROE — Representatives from EvergreenHealth Hospital presented the impact of COVID-19, an update on vaccine distribution and 2020 community relations to the City Council at its Dec. 8 meeting.
In recent weeks, the hospital has seen a rise in COVID-19 cases. Overall since March 8, there have only been 34 positive tests out of over 1,400 people tested at the hospital so far.
A hospital representative said the hospital has lately seen a rise in people who already have a positive COVID diagnosis come to the emergency room for advice and information about managing symptoms.
The hospital has a separate COVID unit with 10 negative airflow COVID rooms on an isolated floor to minimize the chance of transmission. Employees have access to high quality Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and are briefed daily for updated guidance from the state Department of Health (DOH) and the Washington State Hospital Association.
The hospital is hoping to receive a round of vaccines for frontline workers before Christmas, and is working closely with the DOH and the county Health District to ensure the distribution and allocation includes EvergreenHealth.
Since March 8, 17 of the 36 positive patients the hospital has seen outside the ER were well enough to be discharged. Two patients have died, and as of Dec. 11, EvergreenHealth Monroe was caring for six COVID-positive patients in the hospital. Since March, nine hospital employees have tested positive of the 92 employees tested.
One of the representatives said the hospital saw a decline in emergency rooms visits during the initial months of the pandemic. She added that many patients who would have normally visited the hospital chose not to out of fear of COVID-19.
The hospital representatives stressed that it is safe to come to the hospital’s emergency room and urged people to do so without hesitation.
The hospital had 910 admissions and 15,712 emergency room visits in 2020 and 910 admissions and 14,492 emergency room visits in 2019.
EvergreenHealth Monroe has a COVID-19 information hub webpage that is updated daily at https://www.evergreenhealthmonroe.com/coronavirus-info
