"It will be in all states very quickly, I think, if it isn't already," Dr. John Bolinger said Wednesday afternoon as he discussed the latest surge in hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in Vigo County.
Further, Bolinger said surging numbers triggered by the new variant and by holiday-season travel and gathering could drive up hospital censuses well into February or March.
By noon Wednesday, the Omicron variant discovered in November had been detected in 19 states, but not yet in Indiana.
Even without known cases of Omicron variant, Indiana hospitals reported about 2,750 COVID-19 patients as of Tuesday. That number has more than doubled in the past four weeks, putting a strain on hospitals across the state.
The COVID-19 hospitalizations are now higher than Indiana's summer surge that peaked in September and is approaching the pandemic peak reached in late 2020. A top Indiana hospital official said this week the current surge might not peak for another month.
The surge has also pushed up Indiana's average of COVID-19 deaths to more than 30 per day after it was below five a day in July.
Without an increase in precautions including vaccinations, Bolinger said he expects the Omicron variant could put people in hospital beds at a rate similar to the increases attributed to the Delta variant.
"This virus spreads more easily than previous variants and definitely more easily than the original SARS virus," Bolinger said of Omicron. "It's unknown at this time if it's more or less severe (in terms of symptoms and illness) than the Delta variant."
The Delta variant, he said, was responsible for a surge that saw 71 people admitted to Union Hospital in October.
From the end of October until Wednesday, the lowest number of hospitalized coronavirus patients had reached 17, the doctor said.
But now, as of by midday Wednesday, Union had about 50 patients with COVID-19.
The current vaccines are thought to protect well against the Omicron variant, Bolinger said.
"What we can tell you about the vaccines is that they work extremely well, he said.
"If you are fully vaccinated and you acquire a COVID infection, you are much less likely to have a severe case. You are much less likely to have to be hospitalized, and much less likely to die if vaccinated. The vaccinations do work."
Recent family gatherings for the Thanksgiving holidays and drop in preventative measures — face mask usage, handwashing and sanitizing — likely contributed to the Delta surge, he said.
Vigo County's positivity rate has also gone up again, according to state health department statistics. About 20 percent of all tests are coming back positive for COVID-19.
"Our hospital has been very full," Bolinger said of recent patient censuses. Further, the age range of patients has dropped about 10 years, from 60 and up to 50 and up.
Surging COVID caseload has "affected our length of stay in the emergency room. People that require admission have had to board in the emergency room 24 hours or longer," Bolinger said.
Each day the hospital has a meeting in the ICU for physicians and from departmental staff (nursing, pharmacy, respiratory and case management) to review every COVID-19 case and how the patient is responding to treatment.
Staffing and bed management have been problems at times, Bolinger said, so the staff have been coming up with "creative ways" to do more home care for patients who can be released with oxygen and home monitoring.
The monoclonal antibody supply has also become scarce, he said. The hospital receives supplies for about 14 infusions per day at this time, but it has capacity to give up to 50 infusions if the supplies are available.
Per the FDA, monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-produced molecules that act as substitute antibodies that can restore, enhance or mimic the immune system's attack on cells. These antibodies for COVID-19 may block the virus that causes COVID-19 from attaching to human cells, making it more difficult for the virus to reproduce and cause harm.
Bolinger warned that the surge could continue through the holiday season as more people travel and gather.
With more exposure and spread of the virus, the coming surge may not subside until February or March, he said.
For those attending holiday gatherings and wanting to lessen chances of COVID-19 infection, Bolinger recommends vaccinations, frequent handwashing, and disinfecting surfaces daily, along with wearing masks.
A request for comment was made to Terre Haute Regional Hospital for perspective on COVID-19.
"We don't have anything specific to add," hospital spokesperson Ann Marie Foote said via email.
Messages requesting comment were left late Wednesday afternoon for Vigo County Health department officials.
The Vigo County School Corp.'s COVID-19 dashboard updated on Wednesday showed 101 active cases and 352 quarantines for students. That represents a one-week increase from 51 active cases and 176 quarantines on Dec. 1.
Lisa Trigg can be reached at 812-231-4254 or at lisa.trigg@tribstar.com. Follow her on Twitter at TribStarLisa.
The Associated Press also contributed to this report.
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