CARROLL, Iowa — In order to prepare for a bigger influx of coronavirus patients, some hospitals in Iowa have expanded their COVID-19 units to ensure they are ready for whatever the fall brings.
That includes the COVID unit at St. Anthony Regional Hospital in Carroll. It serves several communities in the western part of the state, and works as a critical access point for not only coronavirus patients, but other sick individuals.
Dr. Kyle Ulveling works out of St. Anthony. He told Local 5 the latest surge in COVID patients has been unlike any other for the center's staff.
During the November and December 2020 surge, patients presented more severe symptoms slower than they do right now, according to what Ulveling is seeing.
"It's been much less predictable with delta," said Ulveling of the latest coronavirus variant. "Day three of illness, patients might be on ventilators, things like that. So it's been much more challenging. It's almost going back a year a far as we feel a little less routine with this variant compared to a year ago."
Ulveling said not only has the hospital had to treat an uptick of coronavirus patients the past several months, but ordinary injuries and accidents in the summer are filling up beds too.
And the busy spaces in Des Moines are impacting rural communities in Iowa too.
"So when Des Moines is full, when Council Bluffs is full, when Sioux City is full, when Iowa City is full, there's still somebody who has a farm accident in rural eastern Iowa or a heart attack in western Iowa," Ulveling said. "Now, all of a sudden, the nurses, the technicians, the bed in the room are filled with a different type of patient. And now all of those necessary patients are being cared for in settings that are not necessarily used to it."
Ulveling said the best thing Iowans can do right now to help exhausted health care workers is to get vaccinated, stay home if they are sick and take measures to ensure they don't spread viruses.
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