Monday, November 9, 2020

Ascension E.R. seeing rise in people sick with COVID return after being sent home

From The Journal Times.com:

In this April photo, staff at Ascension All Saints Hospital celebrate the discharge of one of its patients who had recovered from COVID-19: Darcell Belcher, 62, of Racine. In recent weeks, the hospital has seen an increase of COVID patients returning with resurging symptoms: people who felt like they were getting better then took a turn for the worse.


RACINE — Of late, many of the patients coming into the emergency room at Ascension All Saints were diagnosed with COVID-19 more than a week ago.

As has been known since the beginning of the pandemic, the worst symptoms caused by the coronavirus have a tendency to flare up twice: when they first arise, and then again around 10 days later.

Dr. Beth Griffin, the emergency medical director at Ascension All Saints Hospital

Griffin

“We’re seeing a lot of patients coming back on Day 10 (after exhibiting symptoms) feeling worse,” Dr. Beth Griffin, the head of All Saints’ emergency department, said. “Seeing more COVID activity (since mid-summer) … that is a change.”

That’s why quarantines are supposed to last past when symptoms go away, since someone can keep spreading the virus even if they don’t feel sick, and then they might get sick again too, placing them back in the hospital. That would mean not only are taking up limited hospital space and resources, but they also might have gotten more people sick too.

“Even if you might start feeling better” after testing positive, “you should be staying at home,” Griffin said. “The quarantines and guidelines are in place for good reason.”

Read more: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/ascension-e-r-seeing-rise-in-people-sick-with-covid-return-after-being-sent-home/article_72ecfe60-7f54-598b-b79d-fc3a23bfd6f8.html


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