DOWNER'S GROVE, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- COVID-19 hospitalizations in Illinois have almost doubled since November and suburban hospitals are once again being strained.
Advocate Aurora Health is currently treating more than 540 COVID patients across the state-a number that’s almost tripled over the last several weeks.
“The vast majority of our patients in our hospitals are either unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated,” said Dr. Robert Citronberg, Executive Medical Director of infectious disease and prevention at Advocate Aurora Health.
“It's really disheartening for our staff, for our doctors, for our nurses who have been taking care of patients for so long to know that almost all the admissions and pretty much all of the deaths are preventable.”
As hospital beds are nearing capacity, one of the biggest challenges is staffing.
Some Advocate Aurora Health sites are looking at contingency plans, otherwise known as surge planning, for what to do when the census becomes too much to provide usual services, like elective surgeries.
Dr. Citronberg attributes the rise in cases to the highly contagious Omicron variant- something he said no hospital was able to predict.
“We certainly were aware of the fact that variants could emerge and circulate, but to the degree which this has happened and so quickly, I don't think that really could have been on anybody's radar,” he said.
Based on the most recent data, Citronberg expects the hospital surge is going to get worse before it gets better, predicting hospitalizations will peak in about two weeks.
“If we could get through another couple of weeks, we should start to see a decline in hospital cases, which will be, really, a welcome relief.”
He’s also optimistic about therapeutics currently being tested, including the Pfizer pill to treat COVID-19.
Although he anticipates a slow rollout, Citronberg told WBBM he’s eager for the new drug to get FDA approval.
“The Pfizer pill looks really effective where they're quoting about an 89 percent reduction in hospitalizations and death using that pill,” said Citronberg.
“And if you look at the current burden of disease in our hospitals, anything that we can do to keep people out of the hospital will be beneficial, so we're really excited.”
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