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'Another reason to get vaccinated' | Task force says more COVID-19 long-haulers coming to hospital for treatment

Each of the three vaccines approved for emergency use has been shown to significantly reduce the likelihood of severe illness due to COVID-19

ST. LOUIS — The number of active COVID-19 cases has remained consistent in St. Louis area hospitals for the last few weeks, but hospital leaders say they are starting to see more people with long-term side effects returning for treatment.

At the weekly press briefing, St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force Incident Commander Dr. Alex Garza said St. Joseph Hospital – Lake St. Louis has more long-haulers than active COVID-19 cases.

"That seems to be even more of the patients that are taking up beds at our hospitals now are people with those long-term problems from COVID, not so much the acute infection anymore," Dr. Garza said. "Another reason to go and get vaccinated."

Each of the three vaccines approved for emergency use has been shown to significantly reduce the likelihood of severe illness due to COVID-19. In the U.S., the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna shots were 95% protective against symptomatic COVID-19. Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose effectiveness against severe COVID-19 was 86%.

Dr. Garza said the number of COVID-19 admissions continues to hover around 40 per day. Dr. Garza has said they consider 40 to be the threshold that the task force considers dangerous, and said that "we really need to see this number come down." 

"The very best way that we can get that number to come down is through continued vaccinations of everybody that's eligible," Dr. Garza said.

The following data are the combined figures from the four major health systems (BJC HealthCare, Mercy, SSM Health, St. Luke’s Hospital) that are part of the task force, for April 28.

  • New hospital admissions (data lagged two days) increased – from 35 yesterday to 41 today
  • The seven-day moving average of hospital admissions (data lagged two days) decreased from 40 yesterday to 39 today.
  • The seven-day moving average of hospitalizations decreased – from 224 yesterday to 222 today.
  • Inpatient confirmed COVID positive hospitalizations decreased – from 229 yesterday to 218 today.
  • Inpatient suspected COVID positive hospitalizations increased – from 34 yesterday to 35 today.
  • The number of confirmed COVID positive patients in the ICUs decreased – from 55 yesterday to 50 today.
  • The number of confirmed COVID positive patients on ventilators decreased – from 34 yesterday to 32 today.
  • The number of COVID deaths decreased – from 3 yesterday to 2 today.
  • The seven-day moving average of COVID deaths remains the same at 3 today.
  • Across the system hospitals, 41 patients have been discharged, bringing the cumulative number of COVID-19 patients discharged to 21,567.
  • On Wednesday, staffed bed hospital capacity is at 85%, an average across our task force hospitals. The ICUs are at 81% of their total staffed bed capacity.

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