COVID-19 numbers continue to surge in Carroll County, the surrounding region and the state. Chief Medical Officer at St. Anthony Regional Hospital, Dr. Kyle Ulveling, and head of pathology, Dr. Jedd Hagen, provided an update on what these numbers mean. Dr. Ulveling says St. Anthony has been forced to expand their designated infectious disease ward two times in recent weeks.
There is a statewide parallel increase in hospital admissions for COVID-19. Dr. Ulveling says, as of Wednesday, the major care centers in Iowa City, Sioux City, Des Moines and Omaha, Neb. were unable to take patients from regional hospitals; but that is not solely because of the coronavirus.
As we enter the flu season, Ulveling says they are as prepared as they can be to take on the expected COVID-19 wave and an uptick in influenza. However, they are hoping a trend seen in other parts of the world will happen here as well.
Dr. Hagen says there is still testing available within the region through providers and Test Iowa, three days a week at St. Anthony in Carroll and two at their clinic in Denison. Hagen agrees with Dr. Ulveling, who says that even though there has been extensive posting on social media about inaccurate testing, it has happened ZERO times in Carroll. Hagen says they trust the results they are seeing.
Hagen explains test samples are being processed in house and in Des Moines.
Both doctors point to the the standard preventative measures as still the best way for area residents to slow the coronavirus spread and ease pressure on the healthcare system. Ulveling says the widespread practice of wearing masks is nothing new. They were widely used in 1918 during the Spanish Flu pandemic.
The masks, Ulveling adds, are not the end-all, be-all, but rather one measure to be used in conjunction with distancing and hand hygiene. More details from both Dr. Hagen and Dr. Ulveling can be found in the full interview, a link to which is included below.
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Full interview with Dr. Kyle Ulveling and Dr. Jedd Hagen: https://www.1380kcim.com/episode/kcim-interview-dr-kyle-ulveling-and-dr-jedd-hagen/
