St. Charles COVID-19 patient count declines to 41 amid canceled elective surgeries

(Update: Tuesday's patient count down from record 49)

'I'm not certain this is the peak,' says Chief Physician Executive Dr. Jeff Absalon

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – St. Charles Health System is calling off more elective surgeries and moving some patients from St. Charles Bend to its other hospitals in the region to deal with a jump in COVID-19 patients, Chief Physician Executive Dr. Jeff Absalon said Monday.

The hospital system as of Monday reported a record 49 COVID-19 patients – a jump of 20 from a week ago – six of whom were in the ICU, four on ventilators. The number declined somewhat, to 41 patients on Tuesday morning, with the same number of patients in the ICU and on ventilators

“It’s certainly putting stress on our health system, as has happened for multiple other health systems across the state and country,” said Dr. Jeff Absalon, chief physician executive at St. Charles, told NewsChannel 21 Monday afternoon.

“Unfortunately, I do think this is predictable,” Absalon added, noting that Central Oregon has seen much higher case counts in the past couple of weeks, and that hospitalizations typically lag by a couple of weeks.

“I’m not certain that this is the peak,” he said, noting that with those who may have contracted COVID-19 over the Thanksgiving period, when some people still traveled or had larger gatherings than recommended, “It’s very possible we will see even bigger numbers in the days and weeks to come.”

“Our capacity is strained right now,” he said. “This morning, our ICU beds in Bend were full, and we were at 85% capacity in the hospital. So we are taking action right now to create more capacity.”

“The main lever we have to pull is to reduce elected or scheduled care, such as surgeries,” Absalon said.

In addition, the doctor said St. Charles has “already started distributing patients in the region, from Bend to other hospitals, when appropriate, to create capacity in Bend,” where all of the region's COVID-19 patients are being placed.

Asked about the age range of the COVID-19 patients St. Charles is seeing, Absalon said they are not all elderly, but from “multiple different decades.”

“We are just rolling into the winter season, the holidays,” he said. “We don’t yet know what the future holds, so we’re preparing, planning and making adjustments for capacity. It is possible with more patients that we’ll have to take more aggressive measures.”

“We look to the public to help us control the spread of this disease,” Absalon said, again urging residents to “wear your mask, keep your physical distancing, stay home when you are ill and wash your hands.”

Abasalon said he understands the rising frustrations, but to be able to get kids back in school and restaurants and businesses returning to normal, “Do your part. The actions work. Wearing a mask works.”

Regarding vaccine shipments, Absalon said the specific information is not locked in yet, including the number of doses Central Oregon will get. He said St. Charles may not receive some of the first round of shipments expected on Dec. 15, but instead a week later.

“Within the next couple days, we will have more clarity,” Absalon said, adding that they are working with the Oregon Health Authority on the prioritization for health care workers.