Cheshire Medical Center has the most COVID inpatients it’s ever had at one time, leading the Keene hospital Tuesday to convert more standard rooms to those capable of providing intensive care.
Three COVID-19 patients were moved that afternoon from the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health affiliate’s main ICU into three of the four rooms converted Tuesday, according to President and CEO Dr. Don Caruso.
This isn’t the first time the hospital has had to make temporary negative pressure rooms to provide a high level of care for COVID-19 patients. The hospital has converted four standard rooms since November; however, more beds were still needed to deal with the current influx.
“This is probably the highest number [of COVID-19 inpatients] … and they are all really sick,” Caruso said.
As of Tuesday morning, Cheshire Medical had 27 COVID-19 inpatients, with nine requiring ventilation, Caruso said. For the past few days, the hospital has hovered around that number. (There are no issues with having enough ventilators or other supplies, spokeswoman Heather Atwell said.)
Those who are unvaccinated continue to make up a majority of the inpatients, with about 67 percent of those in the ICU as of Tuesday not inoculated.
A majority of these cases continue to be the delta variant, according to Dr. Aalok Khole, an infectious disease expert at the hospital.
Breakthrough cases of the viral disease can and do occur in those who are vaccinated. However, those who are inoculated are likely to have a much milder form of COVID-19 than those who aren’t.
Those who are hospitalized and fully vaccinated are often seeking medical attention for a different complication but also test positive for COVID-19, Cheshire Medical officials have said, whereas unvaccinated patients are usually there for complications of the viral disease.
Caruso said with another surge in cases expected following the holidays and the associated traveling and gatherings, the hospital is transferring about 30 nurses who work in outpatient departments to the inpatient setting to prepare.
“There’s no doubt it’s going to get worse, and any surge on top of what we already have is going to be incredibly problematic because our ability to stretch any further is pretty limited at this point,” Caruso said.
The hospital saw a slight decrease in its percent positivity rate — the proportion of COVID-19 tests coming back positive — for the first time in weeks, hospital data show, but the number remains high.
During the week ending Dec. 23, Cheshire Medical reported a rate of 19.7 percent, compared to the prior week when it was 21.1 percent.
Khole said such a small dip doesn’t mean that cases are decreasing.
“In the first few days [of this week], it’s already higher than last week’s … ,” he said. “It’s a blip.”
Cheshire Medical continues to urge people to practice COVID-19 safety measures, such as wearing a mask in public, staying home when sick and washing hands frequently, especially as New Hampshire sees its highest case rates to date.
Those who haven’t done so are also encouraged to get a COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot.
At-home rapid tests can also be a tool for prevention. While they can be hard to find at local pharmacies and stores, New Hampshire residents are eligible for a free test through the state at sayyeshometest.org.
To schedule a COVID-19 vaccine or booster appointment, visit vaccines.nh.gov or call 2-1-1.
These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative.