Eisenhower Health CEO warns of concerning increase in coronavirus patients at the hospital
Martin Massiello, Eisenhower Health's president/CEO, an internal note to staff addressing a concerning increase in coronavirus patients at the hospital over the past couple of days.
Massiello says the hospital had been hovering around one to four COVID patients over the past couple of weeks. That has changed dramatically in the last few days. The hospital now has 12 patients, including one in the ICU.
"We expected to see an increase due to the July 4th holiday, but the dramatic increase over a few days is concerning, especially as our positivity rate has been doubling over the last three weeks or so," Massiello wrote.
Massiello noted that out of the 12 patients in the hospital, 11 were not vaccinated and 1 patient was fully vaccinated.
"... which highlights the fact that those folks who are not yet vaccinated are at high risk of getting sick from COVID-19," Massiello added.
Massiello ended his letter noting that the COVID variants circulating in our area appear to be very contagious. He asked employees who have not been vaccinated to make an appointment. He also encouraged staff to wear a mask when out in public areas to prevent becoming a carrier of the virus and spreading it out to others.
The increase in COVID patients at Eisenhower Health reflects a growing trend across Riverside County.
The county reported 12 more COVID hospitalizations over the past 24 hours. This brings the total number of COVID-related hospitalizations up to 91 patients, which is the highest it has been since April 16, 2021.
Hospitalizations in Riverside County have nearly tripled over the past month. On June 14, there were 33 hospitalizations.
The number of patients in the ICU due to COVID has steadily increased over the past three weeks.
Although Massiello mentioned that hospital officials expected an increase due to Fourth of July celebrations, county spokesperson Jose Arballo Jr., noted that the county thinks the increase is from the opening up of the community.
Arballo added that the expected Fourth of July bump will likely be seen closer to the end of the month.
News Channel 3's Madison Weil will speak with Arballo and an Eisenhower Health official to learn more about this increase. Watch News Channel 3 live at 5 & 6 p.m. for an in-depth look at the current situation.
