Yuma Regional Medical Center reports second day of no COVID-19 hospital admissions

News 11’s Adonis Albright speaks with the YRMC Chief Nursing Officer about whether this trend means things are going in the right direction

YUMA, Arizona (KYMA, KECY) – On Wednesday, the Yuma Regional Medical Center (YRMC) did not report any new hospital admissions of COVID-19 patients. It’s a far cry from that same time last year when the hospital admitted nearly 100 patients with the coronavirus. But with Memorial Day weekend in the rearview mirror now, YRMC says it will be monitoring the situation very closely for the next few days.

“We’re optimistic cautious and hope we don’t see any spike in 7-10 days,” said Deb Aders, chief nursing officer at YRMC.

Although Yuma Regional is seeing fewer COVID-19 hospital admissions, let alone a lower total number of reported cases across the country, that doesn’t mean no coronavirus-positive patients are walking through the hospital’s doors. Aders says the hospital is still seeing some patients diagnosed with the coronavirus but not being admitted because of their symptoms.

Yuma County is approaching herd immunity when it comes to vaccinations. By Wednesday, around 44% of the population had received the vaccine. According to Aders, the threshold for herd immunity is around 50 to 90%. Despite the good news, it doesn’t necessarily mean the virus will go away anytime soon.

“I really think you have to deal with COVID like the flu like we dealt with H1N1, it will always be there,” Aders said.

At the same time last year, YRMC saw a massive surge in COVID-19 hospital admissions from about 30 patients to more than 80 after Memorial Day weekend. A month later, in July, that number rose to nearly 180 hospital admissions. The hospital is optimistic that there won’t be similar numbers this time around. However, according to the YRMC, there are plenty of PSA and COVID-19 protocols in place to prepare for anything that could come through their doors in the coming days.

YRMC encourages the public to get their COVID-19 vaccination if they haven’t already. With the government-sponsored POD site at the Yuma Civic Center closing its doors later this month, it’s a better time than anyone to get vaccinated. The last day for your first photo is this Saturday, June 5th. To register for an appointment, click here.

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