COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to rise in Cumberland County

Ariana-Jasmine Castrellon, The Fayetteville Observer
·2 min read
Cliff Lovick and his wife, Kay, share a kiss through their masks at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. Kay Lovick spent two weeks in the hospital because of COVID-19.
Cliff Lovick and his wife, Kay, share a kiss through their masks at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. Kay Lovick spent two weeks in the hospital because of COVID-19.

COVID-19 hospitalizations are continuing to rise in Cumberland County, a hospital official said Thursday.

“We continue to have a significant surge of COVID-19 patients,” said Dr. Samuel Fleishman, chief medical officer with Cape Fear Valley Health.

There were about 170 COVID-19 patients at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center on Jan. 20. The number went up to nearly 180 on Thursday.

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All 18 COVID-19 patients in the hospital's intensive care unit are on ventilators, and only two of those patients are vaccinated against COVID-19, Fleishman said.

“We are very limited on our abilities to take transfers at this point,” he said. “It’s a challenge every day.”

The ICU at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center can hold 31 patients.

“We are having significant supply chain issues around testing,” Fleishman said.

COVID-19 testing at Cape Fear Valley Health Pavilion North at 6387 Ramsey St. was closed Monday and will be closed until further notice, he said.

For the past several weeks, an average of 250 people were visiting the COVID-19 testing site at Cape Fear Valley Health Pavilion North, said Vice President of Pharmacy and Cancer Centers Christopher Tart in a statement released by Cape Fear Valley Health on Monday.

“We are experiencing a lack of supply availability,” he said. “We will re-evaluate at the end of this week to determine if we can open up the testing site next week.”

Fleishman said the rise of COVID-19 cases are starting to affect the hospital system's ability to provide optimal care for patients.

“Clearly the safest thing we have to protect people at this point are vaccines,” he said. “It is our best weapon for people to stay alive and well.”

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In addition to Cape Fear Valley Health, the Cumberland County Health Department is also experiencing supply shortages. On Friday morning, the department did not have any at-home rapid COVID-19 test available.

Health and education writer Ariana-Jasmine Castrellon can be reached at acastrellon@gannett.com or 910-486-3561.

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This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to rise in Cumberland County NC