A hospital administrator in McLean County says higher COVID vaccination rates and more vaccine requirements have helped reduce coronavirus caseloads.
Weekly coronavirus caseloads in McLean County have dropped 30% since mid-September.
“I think it’s a reflection of the increased vaccination rates that we are seeing in the community,” said Jim Nevin, chief medical officer at Carle BroMenn and Carle Eureka hospitals. Nevin indicated hospitalizations are starting to decline, and as a lagging indicator of coronavirus spread, he expects those numbers to continue dropping.
Ninety percent of Bloomington-Normal hospital beds remain full, according to data from the McLean County Health Department (MCHD).
Nevin remains concerned that COVID-19 patients are younger and sicker than they were last year. That's when long-term care facilities saw the biggest outbreaks. “Now probably 40% of our cases and individuals (are) less than 50 years of age. We’ve had some young people that have died that shouldn’t have died,” said Nevin, noting nearly all of Carle's COVID patients are not vaccinated.
McLean County’s rate of fully vaccinated it 54.5%, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), while the state rate is 55.7%
Nevin also cautioned that colder fall weather will force more people inside and that could increase the risk for coronavirus and flu spread. “Social distancing will be a challenge once again, the tiredness of wearing a mask ... is wearing on people and the other bugaboo that’s out there is the flu,” said Nevin, noting flu season was mild last winter largely because of all the COVID precautions many people took last year.
Vaccines
Nevin noted about 85% of Carle BroMenn staff are vaccinated. Carle Health implemented a COVID vaccine requirement shortly before Gov. JB Pritzker issued the statewide requirement for health care workers.
Nevin said he expects a high vaccination rate for 5-to-11-year-olds once the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows them to get the vaccine. “I’ve been pleasantly surprised when I look at the numbers of those individuals from 12 to 17 that are getting vaccinated. It’s heartwarming,” he said.
Nearly 57% of 12-to-17-year-olds in McLean County are vaccinated. Their vaccination rates trail the rates for 18-to-64-year-olds by about 2% and they have not had access to the vaccines as along as adults have.
The FDA could allow COVID vaccines for younger children as early as this month.
Antiviral
Nevin also said a COVID treatment that could be on the horizon could be a “game changer,” adding it could be similar to what Tamiflu did for flu treatment. Merck has developed an antiviral pill that has shown to be effective in treating the most severe cases of COVID-19.
“This medical (known as molnupirvir), which you’ll take two doses a day for five days early on to prevent severe diseases is what’s needed,” Nevin said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is still waiting on clinical data from Merck before giving it an official authorization.
Vaccine skepticism
Nevin said he and his medical staff continue to encounter vaccine hesitancy fueled by misinformation on a regular basis. He recalled one doctor on his staff who indicated 11 of the 21 patients he saw that day were not vaccinated.
“He just pounded his head against the wall, saying ‘You come to me for all your other health information, needs and treatments, but for (COVID), somehow you would rather believe something you read on social media than what I can tell you as a physician and your advocate for health,” Nevin said.
MCHD reported 50 daily coronavirus cases on Thursday and said 301 people are isolating at home. The county’s seven-day positivity rate dropped to 2.3%
