OLEAN, N.Y. — A Southern Tier hospital is feeling the pinch of a surge in COVID-19 cases, and a staff shortage, in an area where urging anyone who has yet to get a COVID-19 shot to get one without delay.
At Olean General Hospital they've set up a trailer outside to serve as a satellite ER to treat and discharge less critical, non-COVID patients in an effort to unburden the hospital's emergency room.
Rising numbers, increasing concern
"At the present time we have 45 COVID patients in-house, with several of them in our ICU," said Dr. Jill Owens, who serves as the hospital's interim Chief Medical Officer. "We also have some holding and waiting for beds in the institution."
Adding to the problem of increased COVID patients is a problem plaguing other hospitals in this region and beyond: staff shortages.
"We actually have issues with staffing the floors, and that's part of the reason why some patients are holding and waiting for beds," Dr. Owens said.
The hospital is in Cattaraugus County, where the public health director says the situation impacting the area's health care system has gone beyond concerning.
"That's absolutely and understatement," Dr. Kevin D. Watkins said. "We have seen a high surge of COVID positive cases in our community, and so we have a high community transmission rate."
The transmission rate in the county is hovering around three times the statewide average.
"Meanwhile, this community has a vaccination rate of under 50% for the population, and the large number of positive cases are among those who are unvaccinated. I would say that would be a reasonable speculation as to why the transmission rate is high in this particular area."
Doctors say getting the shot would help
Both doctors strongly suggest that vaccine "holdouts" reconsider, especially those who are older or have an underlying condition that might lead to serious complications from COVID-19.
"If you do the research on your own, you'll find that more risk is gained from having COVID than from getting vaccinated, and getting vaccinated protects you from getting hospitalized and lowers your risk of being in the ICU on a ventilator and dying," Dr. Owens said. "So if the community would step up it would take pressure off the system."
Added Dr. Watkins, "We really hope that a number of our residents would consider getting vaccinated. We think that that is going to be the preventative measure to reduce the spread of this particular version of the virus in our community."
Especially when the place where they might go to be treated, is filling up fast.
"What's different this time than what we faced during the last wave is the staffing issue. So unlike before, when we had the capacity to add beds and add services, now we don't have enough staff to do that," Dr. Owens said.
In September, the hospital lost nearly a dozen staff members, who quit their jobs over the state's vaccine mandate for health care workers.
"I know all the hospitals around us are stressed, even the big ones," Dr. Owens said. "But I think that in these rural and small communities where the vaccination rates are low, it unfortunately that adds to the stress that we face."