SMH concerned virus “ripping” through community

Sheridan County adds another 19 positive cases in the last 24 hours to now 2,765 total cases since the pandemic began.  

According to Sheridan County COVID-19 Public Information Officer Jennifer Graves, the county now has 90 confirmed active cases and 46 probable active cases in the community. 

The virus has claimed the lives of 33 Sheridan County residents and 10 patients are currently hospitalized, that’s three more hospitalizations than yesterday. 

Last week, Sheridan Memorial Hospital leadership shared their concern that with the newest surge in numbers, more patients are requiring hospitalization. 

During a meeting with SMH leadership on Aug. 19, CEO Mike McCafferty said that currently staff and equipment can bear the strain of the surging hospitalisations, but if the trend in cases continues, that will not remain the case. Hospitals all over the region are filling up with COVID-19 patients. Should patients requiring COVID care need to be transferred, the list of locations that will be able to take them is shrinking.  

SMH Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Addlesperger again voiced his concern regarding the speed the virus is being transmitted among the population. Although it is still unknown if the delta variant makes people more sick it has proven to be much more transmissible than the initial virus, causing more people to be hospitalized. 

Although there are recorded breakthrough cases (cases of the delta variant in vaccinated individuals) the vaccine helps to prevent the onset of symptoms, with some breakthrough patients showing no symptoms at all. No vaccinated individuals have required hospitalization. 

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices met on Friday, Aug. 13, to discuss a recommendation on additional doses for the immunocompromised population. On Aug. 16, the CDC announced that the Food and Drug Administration amended the Emergency Use Authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to allow an additional dose to be administered to people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems after an initial two-dose series.

On Aug. 19, Addlesperger recommended Sheridan’s immunocompromised population begin to schedule and receive those third doses as soon as possible. 

More COVID-19 data and information is available at www.sheridancounty.com/covid-19/.