UPMC health officials took part in a press briefing this week to provide an update on COVID-19 and vaccinations. Seated, pictured from left, are Dr. John Williams, Dr. Rachel Sackrowitz and Dr. Derek Angus. Photo by UPMC

The “overwhelming majority” of individuals requiring hospitalization due to the highly contagious COVID-19 Delta variant have one thing in common: They are not vaccinated against the virus, said Dr. Rachel Sackrowitz, chief medical officer of the UPMC ICU service center.

Sackrowitz and other UPMC health officials took part in a briefing this week to provide an update on COVID-19 treatment and vaccinations. She noted the “risk for hospitalization” is 29 times higher for people not vaccinated compared to those who have been vaccinated.

“Delta is spreading amongst people we previously considered less vulnerable,” Sackrowitz said. “We are seeing a truly alarming number of healthy people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s being admitted at UPMC and becoming critically ill needing ICU care. The average age of our hospitalized patient is almost 10 years younger than when we were at the peak of last winter’s pandemic in December of 2020.”

“This is concerning because these are people who have few other health issues and would otherwise be looking forward to many healthy years ahead,” she said.

Sackrowitz described the latest surge in new cases as “particularly heartbreaking” because she believes it was largely preventable. “We have three, highly effective, free, safe and widely available vaccines,” she said. “They dramatically reduce the severity of illness and the number of hospitalizations, ICU admissions and, most importantly, deaths.”

She said breakthrough cases of the virus in those fully vaccinated are rare, and when it does occur, the symptoms are milder. However, it’s individuals not vaccinated who appear to be impacted most by the variant.

“Over the past several weeks we have seen as much as 19 times more unvaccinated patients ages 50 and younger admitted to UPMC hospitals compared to vaccinated patients,” she said.

LOCAL HOSPITALIZATIONS DOUBLE

Individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are currently in the hospital doubled in one day, according to information provided by the Chautauqua County Department of Health on Thursday.

Hospitalizations went from 12, where it has largely stayed since last week, to 24 based on information collected Wednesday. The county has noted that the number doesn’t mean someone is being treated solely for COVID, but rather they have been admitted and have tested positive for the virus.

The county last saw hospitalizations in the mid-20s around February.

Also noted Thursday were 87 new cases of the virus. The most, 33, came from people living in the Jamestown zip code, followed by 10 in Fredonia and seven in Kennedy.

There are currently 345 active cases of COVID in the county, along with 624 people in quarantine and a seven-day positivity rate of 9.1%. To date, there have been 10,477 total cases, 9,966 recoveries and 166 virus-related deaths.

Since Aug. 1, there have been 1,133 cases recorded, with 59% involving people not vaccinated, 18% who were fully vaccinated, 7% partially vaccinated and 16% whose vaccination status was not known.

MASKING IN SCHOOLS

Dr. John Williams, chief of division of pediatric infectious diseases, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, said the organization supports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation of universal masking inside schools. Williams said children under the age of 12, who are not yet eligible to get the vaccine, can get the virus and spread it to others

“An important thing for children is that vaccination also protects those young children who cannot yet get (the) vaccine or people who are vulnerable and immunocompromised who may not fully respond to the vaccine,” he said.

He noted that in states where vaccination rates are low, hospitalizations involving children are four times higher than in states where vaccination rates are higher. In addition, Williams said unvaccinated children between 12 and 17 are hospitalized 10 times more frequently than those who have received a vaccine.

“Most children who are getting sick, and virtually all of the children who are getting hospitalized, are unvaccinated children,” Williams said. “While many have co-morbidities of other underlying medical conditions, many of them are otherwise healthy children. So, I would plead with you as a pediatrician and parent, let’s all do our part to keep our community safe, especially children during the pandemic.”