BISBEE — The fact that 47 people have died of COVID-19 in the last month should be a wake-up call to county residents who remain on the fence wondering if they should get the shot as the third wave of infections continues to rise, according to one local official.
As Cochise County Supervisor Ann English put it, “Forty-seven deaths are bound to have affected all the communities in the county. When we hear 47 people have died in a (month) — that’s not normal. We should be upset about it. Those are your friends and neighbors. We need to get the truth out and the myths busted.”
Friday, the Board of Supervisors met again with the county pandemic team for the bimonthly update on COVID–19, and the news was the virus is actively infecting people and causing headaches for hospitals as they try to deal with the surge in positive patients and those patients needing non-COVID related hospitalizations.
Vicky King, Cochise County Health and Social Services clinical services director, noted hospitals in the county are having problems meeting the needs of all patients.
Just last week, CCHS and area hospitals met to discuss the problem, which resulted in Copper Queen Community Hospital going into crisis mode as no beds were available, said Judy Lund, county emergency services director.
“They reached critical mass,” she said. “They had to make decisions on emergency care and requested help through the state Department of Health Services. There were six intubated patients who all needed to be transferred to a hospital in need of critical care.”
Lund said there were 20 people in the emergency waiting room at the time who had yet to see a physician.
The problem is the state does not prioritize those patients needing care not available in the county, meaning people with severe, life-threatening conditions are not able to find beds where they can get the care they need.
Lund said, ”From the moment we were notified of the problem, we were also requesting additional staff due to COVID–19 problems. Our emergency departments are being overwhelmed with COVID cases and others. The consequence is that patients needing a higher level of care are taking a long time to transfer out to other hospitals.”
There is a federal program to help with staffing, but it will not cover smaller communities, she said. With the state’s help, the idea is to request a team that could serve Southern Arizona, including Cochise County.
Since the pandemic began last year, 18,114 residents have contracted the virus, 1,031 have been hospitalized and 392 have died, said Martha Montano, CCHSS lead epidemiologist.
“In the past four weeks, we are averaging 500 new cases a week,” Montano said.
Some of those are breakthrough cases, in which people fully vaccinated become ill. In November, there were 397 breakthrough cases since June due to the delta variant, a more easily transmitted mutation of the virus. They resulted in 31 hospitalizations and six deaths. The number of confirmed cases for November was almost 1,000 more cases than October, added Montano.
At Canyon Vista Medical Center in Sierra Vista, they are seeing more patients with the virus than ever before.
{span}“We have 28 COVID positive patients in our facility, which is a record high for our hospital. This totals to 44 percent of our med surge and critical care patients.” said CVMC spokesperson Alexis Ramanjulu. “This number can change rapidly. Canyon Vista Medical Center reminds the public to do their part to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by practicing social distancing, washing your hands regularly, and wearing a mask or face covering while in public.”{/span}
While breakthrough cases may lead people to think or believe the shots will not protect them, Alicia Thompson, CHSS director, pointed out the vaccine prevents people from becoming severely ill. These cases can be treated at home with therapies recommended by their providers.
“Look at the chance of being hospitalized or dying,” Thompson said. “Far fewer people will be hospitalized and there will be fewer deaths. The chances of severe disease plummets after vaccinations.”
Ginger Dixon of CCHS said it was important for more people to get the vaccinations in order to reach the goal of vaccinating 80% to 90% of the populace. The county was at 61.3% as of Friday.
“Natural immunity will decline after about 90 days according to DHS,” she said. “Those who received both doses of the vaccinations may still be immune to serious disease six months after the second shot.”
Booster shots for those 18 and older who are fully vaccinated helps the body’s defense against the virus, King said. Anyone who has had the two-dose shots or the single jab need to get their booster shots six months after the second shot. So, people who were fully vaccinated in May can get them now. Those immunized in September will have to wait.
Anyone who wants to get the booster shot should bring their vaccination card with them to the doctors’ offices or clinics.
Thompson said, “No vaccines are 100% effective. There’s always the chance for infection. But, the COVID–19 vaccines have an efficacy of 93% to 94%. Our normal influenza vaccine is only 67% effective. But, we get that vaccine and chances of dying from it plummet greatly.”
Children 17 and younger can now get their shots, which would help bring down the number of positive cases.
Daniel Williamson, school liaison epidemiologist, told the supervisors 1,131 children have been infected since the start of the school year in August, with an increase of 389 cases in the past month. Twelve children 10 to 17 years old had to be hospitalized.
Now that still another variant, omicron, has made its way to the U.S., officials are keeping a watchful eye on how it will impact health.
Montano said, “It wasn’t a surprise to anyone another variant popped up. The first case in the U.S. was a traveler returning from Africa who had very mild symptoms.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it may be more transmissible than the delta variation. Just how severe of an illness it will cause is not known.
“Early evidence suggests that fully vaccinated people who become infected with the omicron variant can spread the virus to others,” Montano said. “All FDA-approved or authorized vaccines are expected to be effective against severe illness, hospitalizations and deaths. The recent emergence of the omicron variant further emphasizes the importance of vaccination and boosters.”