Wednesday Morning Update On COVID-19 In The Region & Worldwide Numbers
With the new numbers coming in across the state from The Indiana Department of Health not much as changed simply looking at the updated map provided. Currently Lake County has 3 confirmed cases out of the 39 statewide. Only 139 patients tested and 2 deaths according to IDOH. Illinois has 161 confirmed cases with 1 death. 22 cases have come up at a Willowbrook Nursing home according to a morning update provided to RNS from NIISSA. In the United States we have 6,510 cases confirmed and 107 deaths according to The NY Times Database.
Global numbers are at 204,264 confirmed cases. 82,452 have recovered and 8,243 deaths. 147 out of 195 countries are currently affected by COVID-19, NIISSA announced.
Concerned people from across the area are simply confused on everything going on and the process of testing and why so much coverage if the numbers aren’t there. We are going to clear some things up and hopefully get some better information to you locally.
First to address misinformation on the three positive tests here locally in Lake County let’s break this down. The first positive patient was brought in to Munster Community over the weekend. The woman we ran a story on yesterday is Pastor Jeff Spencer’s wife of the Hobart Missionary Church. Both Jeff Spencer and his wife also work as a bus driver and bus monitor for the School City of Hammond. Currently Spencer’s wife is in Critical Condition on a ventilator in a medically induced coma. Jeff’s latest update this morning states they are initiating dialysis for the kidney failure and her blood gases are getting lower from the lack of oxygen. Jeff himself has been quarantined at home since the test results came in from his wife for being positive as a precautionary measure. He is showing no symptoms so tests aren’t available to him. Jeff says it’s been difficult sitting here locked in my house knowing my wife is there and I can’t be with her. There is currently no update on any parishioners being affected or student or other drivers at the School City of Hammond. We must emphasize if you have come in contact with them to isolate yourself and watch for symptoms. If any symptoms do arise you are asked to call your physician and go from there. Video Interview with Jeff Spencer linked below Courtesy Of WJOB.
The second positive patient is at Methodist Southlake in Merrillville. The hospital announced they are treating the patient who presented themself at the Emergency Department and was quickly isolated and was in stable condition as of yesterday according to the release.
Wednesday morning the IDOH announced the third positive case in Lake County with little information on specifics on this case. We could speculate and believe that case is involving the shift supervisor at Lear Corporation that broke headlines Tuesday. A group of 100+ employees were called together in a meeting after lunch at Lear in Hammond for an announcement of a positive case among their team. Employees were angered after the announcement that there were no precautionary measures being taken or disinfecting tools made available due to the shortage of supplies management stated in the meeting. They were told to continue working. After news made headlines of this incident Lear Corporation closed the shift down 2 hours later and sent employees home. Lear later announced to employees they would be undergoing a “deep cleaning of the facility.” A new tentative schedule was posted, pictured below. These implications have resulted in The Ford Assembly Plant shutting down the production lines for multiple shifts for what Ford called, “A supplier part shortage.” Rumors among employees at Lear have stated 2-4 others awaiting test results but nothing as of Wednesday morning was confirmed with RNS. We have reached out to Lear Corporation but messages were not answered. Ford was in meetings last night along with other car companies on how to protect employees and possible shift changes to possibly be announced today.
To answer questions of what we know on what appears to be low numbers of positive cases locally is only due to the lack of test kits available and who is being tested. We have learned not everyone is going to get a physicians order to be tested. At this time it’s the most critical patients being tested as well as the most at risk patients. Testing is currently being done at Franciscan Michigan City and Franciscan Crown Point by means of drive up testing. Franciscan Hospitals have told RNS you must have a physicians order to be tested and then call ahead and set up an appointment. You are asked not to walk into the ER or office to prevent any further possible spread. In a correction notice to RNS from Community Healthcare System received today they have advised due to the rapidly changing situation they can not guarantee at this time they will be able to offer outpatient testing next week. RNS continues to stress if you are feeling sick or showing symptoms to remain home and isolated and to call your doctor or the Indiana State hotline if you do not have a doctor. Here is a link to the article to Franciscan testing below.
This morning personal friend of RNS owner Paul Goddard, Jason Persoff, MD, SFHM updated his friends via social media. Persoff is the assistant director of emergency preparedness for the UCHealth System in Colorado posted via social media an update on the situation in this country.
Persoff, normally an optimist individual stated today is an odd switch in his energy level. The crisis of COVID in America has done a switch: it’s much worse than we imagined. Persoff said, “The numbers don’t look too bad, but almost nationwide every lab that is running COVID tests is so overloaded that we don’t have the results back from people sometimes form over a week ago.” “This means that there probably are a ton of people who have been tested who are COVID+ but we don’t know it yet,” Persoff announced on his personal page.
“This has led to two major issues. 1) Our hospitals are filling up with patients in isolation that require high levels of personal protection equipment (PPE) which in many locations has become very scarce (we’re still ok here for now at UCHealth). They are filling our hospital wards and rapidly exhausting all of our negative airflow rooms. Were those tests back faster, we could literally save vital equipment that will prove crucial later in this outbreak. It’s heartbreaking really because we’re seeing consumption of vital resources that could be better used by sparing. 2) The sheer volume of COVID+ patients may shock the system once we get full reporting going. Look for a huge spike of cases over the next week and the numbers will be large,” Persoff states.
I also am trying to move toward acceptance that this is going to last months. I ask you to do the same. The hospital is simultaneously as busy as I’ve seen and yet is almost entirely empty–limited guests, no restaurants or coffee shops, etc. The mood is one of shock and nervousness. It’s contagious (but fortunately no PPE is needed).
Does Persoff have hope currently? “Oh my God yes,” Persoff said. “Seeing everyone try so hard at home, in the community, and here shows me that we are giving each other high elbows (“5s”) in following social distancing in most areas.”
Last bits of advice Persoff added is, please donate blood, we are in desperate need, continue to social distancing to eliminate the spread, and keep supporting local businesses who are hurting in these drastic times.
You are doing a fantastic job of keeping us informed. Thank you for providing this info.