ROCKINGHAM — One regional hospital is “under extreme strain.”
Scotland Health Care System posted an infographic to its Facebook page on Thursday showing that it had no available beds in the intensive care unit.
According to a spokesman, the hospital only has seven ICU beds — but 21 ICU patients. The hospital has had to modify other rooms for ICU use.
Not all of the ICU patients are COVID patients.
The hospital currently has 27 COVID patients, which is the least since Aug. 8. Of the 117 COVID patients admitted this month, 91% have been unvaccinated, the spokesman said.
According to the graphic, 12 of the hospital's 17 ventilators were also in use. Another showed that 29 patients were isolated with COVID.
Also on Thursday, FirstHealth reported that 84 of its 399 patients (22%) were COVID-positive. Of those 16 are vaccinated and 68 are not.
FirstHealth also has 17 COVID patients in ICU (all but one unvaccinated) and all nine patients on ventilators are COVID-positive.
According to an infographic, COVID patients in FirstHealth hospitals are from more than 13 counties in North Carolina and surrounding states.
As of Aug. 25, there were 3,552 people hospitalized across the state with the coronavirus, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. Hospitalizations have more than tripled in the past month.
For two consecutive days, more than 40 new positive COVID test results were reported by the Richmond County Health Department.
On Thursday, the Health Department reported 41 cases — 43 were announced Wednesday, which was the highest one-day total since 44 were reported on Feb. 23.
There have been 710 new cases since July 29. The number of current active cases has not been reported since Aug. 4.
New statewide daily cases hit 8,620 on Thursday — topping 8,000 for the first time in months — nearly doubling the number from two days prior.
Numbers for Friday have not yet been updated as of this writing.
Because of limited supplies of the Pfizer vaccine, which is the only one authorized for kids aged 12-17, the Health Department is limiting it to the younger population and giving the Moderna shot to adults. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is no longer available through the Health Department.
Vaccines are available at the Health Department Monday-Thursday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and Fridays from 8-11 a.m. There is no charge and no appointment necessary.
Updated 11:13 a.m. 8-27-21
