The recent spike in reported COVID-19 cases in Fairbanks and North Pole has many people looking at reports on the state’s Coronavirus Response dashboard. Some were alarmed that the Intensive Care Unit was reported as being at capacity, with room for no more. But health officials say Fairbanks Memorial Hospital is ready to take in more patients for intensive care for COVID-19 or any disease that requires heart monitoring or a ventilator.
Operations are almost perfectly normal at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, where only two patients are being treated for COVID-19.
In the Intensive Care Unit, which has 13 beds, there are 10 patients and the ICU is considered “full.” Why? Because four patients are on ventilators and require careful monitoring by more staff members, who have been diverted from other duties. The other six are cardiac or other patients who need telemetry care.
For our entire community, we only have 13 beds where you can receive any sort of telemetry care. So, if you need somebody to watch your heart, you need our intensive care unit. We recover patients after Cath Lab Services, after surgery, a heart attack, cardiovascular issues, if they are very sick with pneumonia, any of those items can be admitted into our intensive care unit.
That’s Sarah Martin, Chief Nursing Officer at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. She appreciates how people can jump to conclusions about the hospital’s capacity.
“The way that we utilize ‘divert status’ is also sometimes confusing. To say that we are on divert does not mean that we are not taking any admissions. In fact, if you were to have a car accident, or a heart attack, or a stroke and need ICU admission, we would take care of you. Our divert status means that we’re not moving forward with any elective procedures that we know require intensive care.”
A number of cases are military folks from the various bases; we are also seeing some cases in university students. Younger adults have been driving this epidemic for quite some time.
Martin says the pandemic surge plans the hospital developed months ago are still in place. If there ever were more than 50 COVID-19 patients in Fairbanks Memorial Hospital – remember, now there are two – the overflow would be sent to Carlson Center, which has been in “warm ready” status since April.
Even though the plans are in place, health officials have turned their attention to Fairbanks and North Pole, where we are having a spike.
“Our case numbers now are the highest they have been since the pandemic started. And they continue to rise, so I think that trajectory is frightening. We are at a precipice right now, where we need to be mindful, and do the responsible thing.”
At a town hall meeting Thursday night, Dr. Anne Zink, the state’s Chief Medical Officer, and Dr. Joe McLaughlin, the State Epidemiologist said COVID-19 is being spread by social contacts.
“We have seen an increase in cases in the Fairbanks region, mainly younger people 20s and 30s, we’ve seen a lot of drive in there. I’ve also received many comments today that the ICU capacity is full in the Fairbanks region. They then move their elective procedures, and reschedule those to create some more space.”
“A number of cases are military folks from the various bases, we are also seeing some cases in university students. Younger adults have been driving this epidemic for quite some time.”
McLaughlin says younger adults tend toward milder and sometimes asymptomatic cases, and they spread the disease without knowing they are sick.