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“We are really struggling right now; we have a record-high number of patients in the hospital,” Shelley Ebenal, FHP CEO and quality medical director, said.
Overall, 18% of all Interior hospital patients are Covid patients, compared to 5% statewide, according to the state Covid-19 Hospital Data Dashboard. Out of 56 beds available in the Interior, 51 are occupied. Out of 13 ICU beds available, eight are filled.
Creighton said after the vaccine rollout, the demographic of the patients changed. Before, people who were older or Native would come to the hospital with Covid. With seniors being the most immunized age group in Alaska and the Native population leading state vaccination efforts, current Covid patients generally belong to a different group.
“These are young people,” Creighton said. “These are middle aged white guys — sorry to say that — but it really is the demographics of people who haven't gotten around to get vaccinated or don't really feel that they need vaccination...
When the hospital received older patients, they were showing appreciation to hospital staff, which changed with the shift in demographics, Ebenal said.
“These are generalizations,” she noted, “but some of these folks are anti-vaxxers, anti-maskers and they don’t believe that they have Covid or that they are sick because of it, and our staff is getting some very angry folks.”
Overall, 18% of all Interior hospital patients are Covid patients, compared to 5% statewide, according to the state Covid-19 Hospital Data Dashboard. Out of 56 beds available in the Interior, 51 are occupied. Out of 13 ICU beds available, eight are filled.
Creighton said after the vaccine rollout, the demographic of the patients changed. Before, people who were older or Native would come to the hospital with Covid. With seniors being the most immunized age group in Alaska and the Native population leading state vaccination efforts, current Covid patients generally belong to a different group.
“These are young people,” Creighton said. “These are middle aged white guys — sorry to say that — but it really is the demographics of people who haven't gotten around to get vaccinated or don't really feel that they need vaccination...
When the hospital received older patients, they were showing appreciation to hospital staff, which changed with the shift in demographics, Ebenal said.
“These are generalizations,” she noted, “but some of these folks are anti-vaxxers, anti-maskers and they don’t believe that they have Covid or that they are sick because of it, and our staff is getting some very angry folks.”