With COVID-19 patients at record levels, AdventHealth urges vaccines: ‘Help us end this pandemic’

As COVID-19 hospitalizations surged beyond any prior peak, Central Florida’s largest health care system said Friday it has moved to further defer or cancel non-emergency procedures, including outpatient surgeries, in an effort to better divert resources and reduce stress on staff.

“We have peaked above any previous wave and it is straining our system, our physicians, and all our clinicians and team members,” said Dr. Neil Finkler, AdventHealth Central Florida Chief Clinical Officer, at a press conference Friday. “We are taking a proactive step to ensure that we adequate space and staff to care for our entire community.”

Finkler said there are currently 1,060 people hospitalized across AdventHealth’s Central Florida hospitals, including Orange, Osceola, Lake, Seminole, Polk, Volusia and Flagler counties, up by more than 200 since Monday, when the hospital system announced its ICU was full.

He said the number of pediatric and pregnant patients has also increased in recent days, with at least four pregnant patients with COVID-19 in the ICU, of the almost a dozen hospitalized. AdventHealth did not give the number of hospitalized children with COVID-19, but Finkler said the number increased earlier this week, but had since dipped.

More than 90% of those hospitalized continue to be unvaccinated, he said, and 99% of those who have recently died of COVID-19 were also unvaccinated.

“None of these patients thought they would get the virus, but the delta variant has proven to be so highly contagious,” Finkler said. “Even the young and the healthy, including pregnant patients, are now starting to fill up our hospitals.”

On Monday, the hospital system shifted to ‘red status,’ which meant it began rescheduling non-urgent medical care to increase the ICU’s capacity. But late Thursday, officials announced it had shifted to its most urgent status, black, deferring all hospital-based outpatient procedures and only performing time-sensitive and urgent procedures at all outpatient surgery sites.

Finkler said the change would not affect diagnostic tests, and said time-sensitive pediatric procedures could be done with approval by the hospital’s chief medical officer.

“We have enough personal protective equipment and supplies, we have sufficient ventilators for now and we are purchasing more just in case, but we can’t simply order more of our most valuable asset, and that’s our people,” said AdventHealth’s Chief Nursing Officer Linnette Johnson. She said the most recent change in status ensures the hospital doesn’t run out of space or clinicians to respond to the community’s need, which they expect will only continue to increase in the coming days.

Both Johnson and Finkler urged people to get vaccinated if they hadn’t already.

“The vaccine is effective in preventing more serious illness,” Finkler said, noting that those who have gotten breakthrough cases have seen milder symptoms that don’t last at long, and rarely require hospitalization. He said of the 6% of hospitalized patients who are vaccinated, most have other comorbidities that put them at higher risk, like cancer or an autoimmune disorder, because their “immune system is not functioning normally.”

Johnson said unvaccinated patients have expressed regret that they had not gotten the shot.

“We see the regret, we see the despair. … At that point it’s too late for them to get a vaccine or wear a mask,” Johnson said. “Please get the vaccine. … Let’s bring this pandemic to an end.”

Finkler said the average age of hospital admittance is now in the 50s and has continued to drop with more younger patients being admitted.

At Orlando Health’s Arnold Parlmer Hospital for Children, Dr. George Ralls said there are currently three COVID-19 pediatric patients, but none are in the ICU.

AdventHealth officials said patients who have questions regarding a scheduled surgery should consult their health care provider for the latest information. Finkler also asked the community to reserve emergency room visits for severe symptoms, like chest pain or difficulty breathing.

Finkler said it’s unclear when this surge in cases will subside, as hospital admissions continue to rise, but he’s hopeful the community spread will soon plateau and begin to recede.

“At the end of the day it’s about getting vaccinations,” Finkler said. “The scientific evidence is overwhelming, these are safe and effective vaccines. … We implore the community, help us. Help us end this pandemic.”

gtoohey@orlandosentinel.com