As COVID-19 cases continue to climb in Surry County — with even more cases now anticipated this fall and winter — one health official said another growing worry is the supply of personal protective equipment, or PPE, used by healthcare professionals.
Late last week the Associated Press reported several states where COVID-19 cases are spiking are now experiencing PPE shortages. Surry County EMS Director John Shelton said that is a concern locally, though supplies are adequate for now.
“So far we’re still receiving resources from the state emergency management … from its stockpile, and we’ve also found several other vendors, some locally, so we can restock, to get our inventory in place to get ready for fall and winter.”
One challenge, Shelton said, is what he calls the “burn rate” of PPE. The personal protective equipment includes items such as medical-grade face masks, face shields, gloves and gowns.
He explained that when someone with EMS, or in the medical community, uses those items while working with a patient, the equipment must then be destroyed. Only the face shields and goggles can be sanitized and reused.
Ashly Lancaster, director of marketing at Northern Regional Hospital, said the pandemic has changed the burn rate among the hospital’s medical staff.
“Staff who treat patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 must don full PPE before entering the patient’s room and discard upon exit,” she said. “Staff may easily enter a patient room once an hour or more and each time requires new disposable PPE.”
While she agreed with Shelton that items such as face shields or goggles are made for multiple use so long as they are sanitized between each patient, the gloves, masks, gowns, and shoe covers are only one-time use.
He said while the county is not running short on the equipment, its stockpile is rapidly depleting. For instance, Shelton said the county had 51,000 N95 masks stored at one point. That figure, as of Friday, was down to about 5,000. Not only has the burn rate of using PPE put a damper on maintaining a large stockpile, the cost of those materials are skyrocketing.
“In some cases we’re paying $4 for something we were only maybe paying a dollar for before this started,” he said. “The supply that’s available, the material available to make the PPE, has become an issue with all the different vendors.”
One thing he said that has helped is that a number of local businesses have shifted their work to making masks, face guards and other PPE.
“We’re excited and grateful several of our local companies have gotten into PPE as far as face shields and masks, and we’ve got a company that might be getting into the gown production … that has helped in lowering our costs compared to other vendors we’ve had to deal with.”
Shelton said he believes there’s a bit of extra profit-taking in the spike in prices by some companies, but he said the primary problem is vendors who make the goods are having a hard time getting raw material — and having to pay more for it.
Widespread cases
Shelton said the number of cases continues to climb — confirmed cases in Surry County stood at 592 Tuesday — and that has forced medical workers, EMS, police and other workers to be especially vigilant about using PPE when engaged with the public.
“Surry County is having a huge spike now,” Shelton said of the new cases, adding that over the past couple of weeks the county has seen some days with as many as 20-25 new cases. “It seems to be continuing to do that, and most of it is from personal contact.”
“We’re doing everything we can to decrease the burn rate we have in PPE right now, trying to save and preserve, but we’re also making sure our people are protected.”
Despite officials’ best efforts to keep workers safe, Shelton said the virus has begun to infect healthcare and EMS workers in the county.
Lancaster said some at the hospital have tested positive for the virus, though she called the number “extremely low,” and Shelton said some of his workers are now sick, awaiting test results.
Lancaster said at the end of last week 35 COVID-19 patients had been hospitalized there. The hospital has a 10-bed intensive care unit and has had as many as seven COVID-19 patients in that unit at one time, but Lancaster said the hospital is equipped to handle more patients, if needed.
“We have the capacity to convert an additional 12 to ICU beds if the need arises,” she said.
Shelton said state and federal officials are concerned the worst is yet to come.
”They’re telling us we’re looking at another spike in the fall and winter.”
He is encouraging area residents to observe the CDC and local health department guidelines: wearing a mask in public, maintaining proper social distancing, and to wash hands often and thoroughly.
“We do see a lot of the public who are adhering to the mask protocol and the cleaning and sanitation, but we also, on the other hand, have a lot that are not. We are urging — safe distancing is absolutely a must. and wear the mask as much as you can.”
The latest numbers show cases, and deaths, continuing to climb.
As of Tuesday, the latest figures available from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Resources, Surry County has 592 confirmed cases with 3 deaths; Forsyth County had 3,780 with 40 deaths; Yadkin County had 389 cases with 5 deaths; Wilkes County had 632 cases with 7 deaths; and Alleghany County had 43 cases with no deaths.
Statewide, as of Tuesday there have been 89,484 confirmed cases with 1,552 deaths.
Across the border in Virginia, Carroll County had recorded 255 cases with 10 deaths, Galax had 290 confirmed cases with 16 deaths, Grayson County had 93 cases with 4 deaths, and Patrick County had 52 cases with 1 death. Statewide, there have been 69,610 confirmed cases, with 1,870 deaths.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
Be First to Comment