Daily caseload activity continues at a low level for Newman Regional Health nearly two months after the COVID-19 omicron wave spiked across the KVOE listening area.
Hospital CEO Bob Wright says inpatient traffic “has flattened out.”
Wright also says there was a similar trend for testing. The hospital recorded almost 260 tests the week of Jan. 8. That’s down to under 140 as of the end of February. Also, the test positivity rate has come down from 38 percent in late January to 13 percent last week. Equipment use, notably ventilators, was enough of an issue in early January to where Lyon County issued a local emergency declaration so the hospital could get access to a pair of ventilators from the state. Wright says “we haven’t had anybody on vents” recently and the hospital has been using high-flow oxygen, along with CPAP or BiPAP equipment, in place of ventilators the past few weeks.
The hospital ended its weekly COVID-19 Dashboard reports late last month with the lower inpatient numbers.
In separate good news, the hospital is just about ready to launch into its 100th-anniversary celebration this week. Wright will join KVOE’s Newsmaker 3 segment at 8:40 am Monday with more details.
