Southwest IL hospital has highest COVID-related admissions since pandemic began

With COVID-19 cases still high in St. Clair County, officials welcomed Memorial Hospital infectious disease specialist Dr. Omer Badahman to Wednesday’s weekly briefing to discuss the recent surge and other developments.

And the undeniable theme of Badahman’s message: Get vaccinated. He said more than 90% of COVID-related patients admitted to Memorial — whether in the ICU or on the medical floor — are unvaccinated.

“Even when we see patients that are vaccinated or boosted and end up in the hospital, we rarely see death from that,” he said. “And the fact, when you get a booster or you’re recently vaccinated, your antibody levels are extremely high, it still protects you from hospitalization, ending up in the ICU or dying from it. The point is, the vaccine works, even for the omicron strain.”

According to the data the Illinois Department of Public Health reported Wednesday, nearly 54% (140,524) of St. Clair County residents are fully vaccinated and a little more than 60% (157,058) have received at least one dose.

Overall, per data released by the state health department Wednesday, 358,786 Region 4 residents have been fully vaccinated out of the estimated 660,225 who live in the region, or about 54.3%. Along with St. Clair County, Region 4 includes Bond, Clinton, Madison, Monroe, Randolph and Washington counties.

“The most effective treatment to this day, and the most preventative treatment to this day is the vaccine,” Badahman said. “I know it can be confusing sometimes. That’s what I commonly hear in the hospital: ‘My aunt got the vaccine and she got sick.’ And the follow-up question is, ‘Is she in the hospital? No.’ ‘Did she do OK? Yes.’ So, yes, the vaccine does not give you 100% protection but it definitely prevents you from being in the hospital, in the intensive care unit, on a ventilator, or from dying.”

Admission rates at Memorial

Badahman added Memorial Hospital is experiencing its highest COVID-related admission rates since the pandemic began nearly two years ago. Last week alone, he noted the hospital admitted between 103-105 patients due to COVID.

“That’s the highest we’ve ever seen. Definitely, with this new omicron strain, we are seeing a higher infection rate and a higher hospitalization rate,” he said.

Badahman said idea that omicron is less severe than the delta variant, in effect, caused a false sense of security. That, combined with 38% of the country’s population still not fully vaccinated, has helped omicron surge, according to the doctor.

“Unfortunately there is the concept that because this virus is deemed to be slightly milder than the previous variant — the delta variant — somehow most people took comfort in that,” he said. “But, what is happening is this virus is making up for it ... by being much more contagious.

“So the sheer volume that it’s out there infecting and the fact that we only have 62% of the United States population that are eligible for the vaccine are fully vaccinated ... you have 38% of the population that’s not vaccinated being exposed to an extremely, highly contagious virus.

“So the sheer volume of what it’s capturing is finding the weak and the vulnerable part of the unvaccinated population.”

Vaccines for children, how a variant is created

Badahman also encouraged vaccination for children. The doctor noted all his children are vaccinated and one even has received the booster.

“The children between the age 5 and 11, the vaccination rate is dismal,” he said. “I can say that confidently: I have a 5-year-old, I have a 6-year-old, I have a 9-year-old and I have a 13-year-old. All of them are vaccinated. The 13-year-old actually got his booster. It’s very safe. It’s a very effective vaccine. It’s one of the most effective and safe vaccines in my 25-year career.”

During the briefing, Badahman explained how variants are created as well with specific emphasis on unvaccinated individuals.

“The fuel for the variants is the more people who get sick,” he said. “This virus is changing every seven days. So the more people it affects, the more it learns and becomes fit. The variants are because people out there are getting infected and allowing it to breathe. It’s the fuel for the variants — the unvaccinated population that keeps getting infected.”

The future, vaccine skeptics, a familiar parting message

Moving forward, Badahman ultimately expects COVID to become more of a seasonal virus.

“Probably, yes, we may have to live with this for several more years. But I think, from my experience from this virus, as the population is vaccinated or becomes more familiar with the virus, we’re going to see it becoming more of a seasonal virus than a pandemic strain,” he said.

To that end, the doctor expressed confusion over vaccine skepticism.

“I understand ... there is a fear,” he said. “Unfortunately, in my 25-year career, I’ve never seen so much distrust like I have seen now with the coronavirus pandemic. I don’t know why and I can’t explain it. I have faith that we make one of the best medications or vaccines in the world and under the appropriate scrutiny.”

Badahman’s parting message was the same as his initial one: Get vaccinated.

“You have to remember: This is a very novel virus. It’s a moving target. We are adjusting to the changes with the virus. I can still say safely the vaccination is the most effective thing. Those who are not vaccinated should get vaccinated,” he said. “Doing this for two years, I know one thing for sure: That the best and most effective way of protecting yourself is the vaccine, even with this omicron strain.”