FREE ACCESSDr. Gamble issues statement on COVID, Omicron
Greene County General Hospital’s Chief Medical Officer Michael Gamble issued the following statement regarding COVID-19:
“The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has reached Indiana and is evident in a large spike in case numbers.
The average daily cases far exceed any so far in the pandemic. The pandemic is not over, and many more people are sick. This variant is very easily spread- much more than any prior.
Current COVID-19 hospitalizations in Indiana are about to exceed the prior record from winter 2020. These are real people who are sick with COVID-19 and suffering complications such as breathing difficulty and kidney failure.
As more people become ill, more people will have complicated illness, and more people will die.
The people dying are our friends, family and loved ones- not just numbers on a webpage or in a news article.
The best action to take against severe COVID-19 is vaccination. The vaccine is safe and very effective at keeping people out of the intensive care unit and at keeping people from dying.
If you or your loved ones have not been vaccinated, now is the time. Schedule a vaccine at ourshot.in.gov.
Remember, the vast majority of people sick enough to be admitted to hospitals for COVID-19 are unvaccinated. The vaccine really does work and is safe and highly recommended.
Additional protection measures include good masking when indoors and around other people, good hand hygiene with hand washing/sanitization, and staying home when you are sick. Avoiding crowds and staying apart from others with good distancing also helps.
There are some new medications coming which can help decrease the chance of becoming critically ill if you are infected with COVID-19. These need to be taken early after symptoms start and have many potential side effects and drug interactions.
If you are a high-risk patient with chronic illnesses, you should contact your primary care provider if you develop symptoms. These medications are in extremely short supply and will not be the answer to stopping COVID-19.
Our hospital, like most others in the whole country, is facing obstacles with high volumes of patients and trouble with staffing shortages. These shortages are not from employees being fired or quitting because of vaccine.
These shortages are a result of tired and sick healthcare workers who are struggling to continue helping others. The shortage of workers, supplies, medications and blood products will affect everyone’s healthcare in the coming days. Please do your part to avoid COVID-19 and stay safe and healthy.”