area COVID-19 hospitalizations on the rise again – Fredericksburg.com

For the first time since mid-March, the number of people being treated for COVID-19 in Fredericksburg-area hospitals has climbed to more than 30 patients.

But health officials say its too early to determine if this is another surge or a blip on our radar, said Mary Chamberlin, former public information officer for the Rappahannock Area Health District.

She commented on the numbers last week before her contract ended. Chamberlin is among more than 50 health-district workers, hired in 2020 to work on COVID issues, who got two weeks notice that their contracts were ending. Another 19 people initially were affected but their contracts were restored.

Mary Washington Hospital has treated the bulk of virus patients since the pandemic began and the recent uptick has had minimal impact on the intensive care unit, said Dr. M. Stephen Mandell Jr., senior medical director of Mary Washington Healthcare. He said its become rare for a COVID patient to require ICU treatment.

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Often, patients are hospitalized for other medical conditions, then discover they have the virus after routine testing.

However, Mandell said those who develop serious illnesses tend to have underlying health conditions or suppressed immune systems due to certain medical conditions or because theyre undergoing treatment for diseases like cancer. They face higher risk from BA.5, the latest and seemingly more contagious subvariant to make its way across the globe.

This is significant, particularly with those more vulnerable in our population, he said. It is important to take this seriously, particularly if one has underlying risk factors. As with any infection, COVID can bring serious consequences to that population.

Hospitalizations tend to be the best indicator of significant COVID-19 disease impact at this point in the pandemic, said Brenden Rivenbark, chief operating officer of the Three Rivers Health District, which includes Westmoreland County and other localities in the Northern Neck. Theyre also a lagging indicator and typically occur one or two weeks after cases go up as a persons condition worsens.

From mid-March to mid-July, COVID-19 hospitalizations at Mary Washington, Stafford Hospital and Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center ranged from the teens to high 20s, according to the local health district. Then, on Monday, July 18, the health district reported 30 patients and on Friday, 32 people hospitalized.

Cases and hospitalizations have been climbing across the area, state and nation in wake of BA.5, an omicron subvariant thats highly transmissible, even among those whove had past immunity due to vaccines or previous infections.

A stuffy nose and sore throat seem to be the predominant symptoms of the variant, Rivenbark said.

Mandell maintains that the unvaccinated still face higher risks from this variant, and that being vaccinatedand boostedremains a persons best defense against a serious case of COVID.

However, only half of local residents who have been fully vaccinated have had a booster shot, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

In the Rappahannock Area Health District, which includes Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford, 217,405 people have been fully vaccinated. Thats 60% of the population, ages 5 and older.

Only 30% of the same age group has had a booster shot or additional dose, according to state data.

Other factors beyond a highly contagious subvariant may be causing cases, and hospitalizations, to rise again, said Dr. Ekta Gupta, who works with infectious diseases at Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center. She believes its because people are not wearing masks as oftenif at alland because theyve resumed travel and other activities.

There seems to be an attitude of we will always have to live with COVID so lets get back to the way we used to conduct business or live our lives, Gupta said. We also have less travel restrictions, less mask mandates and we are not keeping up with vaccine recommendations.

The doctor believes advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has proven to help us get to this point, and I hope there is more progress to come.

However, other recommendations have changed in Virginia recently, just weeks before students are expected to head back to school. Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced on July 14 that those exposed to someone with COVID-19 at child care, schools or camp settings no longer have to undergo mandatory quarantine.

He said the pandemic is disrupting workplaces and family life when entire child care facilities, camps and classrooms shutter in response to as few as two cases. Youngkin said he opted for the optional quarantine after exposure as the severity of the disease decreases.

Health district representatives will meet with school officials this week to discuss the new quarantine guidance and offer any clarification they can, Chamberlin said.

It is important to note that isolation guidance for those infected with COVID has not changed, she said. The best recommendation for all of us to follow is that if were sick, we need to stay home.

She also said testing continues to be an important tool.

As of Friday, the positivity rate, which measures the rate of positive tests among all those taken, was 26%. However, that doesnt includes at-home tests, and some health officials estimate the number of casesand there were 892 new ones in the RAHD last weekactually may be six to 10 times higher than whats being reported.

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area COVID-19 hospitalizations on the rise again - Fredericksburg.com