In the Hospital:
51 – patients currently hospitalized at EAMC with aconfirmedCOVID-19 diagnosis.
37 – patients previously hospitalized with COVID-19 who have beendischarged.
21 – patients currently hospitalized withsuspectedCOVID-19.
18 – patients currently hospitalized who werepreviously suspectedof COVID-19, but havesince received a negative test result.
EAMC COVID-19 Testing Statistics:
2191 – # of COVID-19 tests submitted by EAMC
1697 – # of COVID-19 tests that were NEGATIVE
140 – # of COVID-19 tests that are pending results
16.3% – percentage of EAMC test kits that have tested positive
Confirmed COVID-19 cases by county in EAMC immediate service area as of 3:30 p.m. today:
Lee County – 209
Chambers County – 168
Tallapoosa County – 53
Randolph County – 22
Russell County – 20
Clay County – 11
Macon County – 9
Bullock County – 4
COVID-19 Prediction Model
EAMC’s Chief of Staff Michael Roberts, M.D. used the Penn Medicine CHIME tool last week to look at where East Alabama Medical Center—and its collective communities—stand regarding COVID-19 and social distancing. We shared the resulting data with the public last week to illustrate the critical need for social distancing. Dr. Roberts continues to use this tool each week to see where we stand as a community and the role of social distancing in the length of the virus. Read more at the link below and see the latest model, which we will continue to provide each week:https://bit.ly/2VkFRHv.
Frontline Features Series Continues
Continuing our Frontline Features series, this week we spoke with Lea Howell, RN, a clinical educator at EAMC who has been working at the HealthPlus COVID-19 drive-thru testing site. Her story is available here:https://bit.ly/2Xq9sSF, and is the third of an ongoing series to share first-hand experiences of our EAMC heroes.
Social Distancing during Easter Weekend
Thank you to everyone in the community who has followed EAMC’s social distancing guidelines and the statewide stay-at-home order. While we still have a long road ahead of us, we are slowing starting to see the results of residents making the commitment to shelter in place at home. With Easter weekend starting today, it is critically important that residents continue to shelter at home and not physically attend church or family gatherings. Easter is a sacred time for faith and family for many, however, this year we all must find creative ways to worship and celebrate with family virtually.
To stop the spread of the virus and save lives, remember that if you do not live with members of your family, you should not physically be with them, even on Easter. Instead, residents are asked to shelter in place at home. That means staying at home with immediate family members only (that you normally live with) and not leaving your home except for essential activities such as food, medical care, or work. If you have to leave your home, you should maintain a 6-foot distance from other people, wash your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds each time, and frequently disinfect high-touch surfaces. We also encourage residents to wear a mask at the store or anywhere they will be in close proximity to someone not in their household.
#EAMCstrong Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxDSznR77Og&t=14s
This video was produced by Copperwing Design in Montgomery using footage previously recorded at EAMC. We released it today.
Nutrition and Food Services Makes Easter Treats for Patients and Staff(
Nutrition and Food Services (NFS) dyed Easter eggs and made cookie bags for the patients who will be in the hospital and staff who will be working on Easter Sunday. Thank you to NFS for this very fun and thoughtful gesture - we appreciate everything you do for our patients and staff!
528-SICK Hotline
Our 334-528-SICK screening hotline is open 24 hours a day, but we only schedule testing between 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. Specimen collection will continue daily at HealthPlus and at EAMC-Lanier, but is based on available supplies. As a reminder, appointments can only be made through the 334-528-SICK hotline. For more information about when to seek screening, visit eamc.org/coronavirus.
Q&A with Michael Roberts, M.D. about
COVID-19 Prediction Model for EAMC (April 9, 2020)
About Michael Roberts, M.D.
Michael Roberts, M.D., is a hospitalist at EAMC and is the hospital’s current Chief of Staff. Using Penn Medicine’s COVID-19 Hospital Impact Model for Epidemics (CHIME) tool, Dr. Roberts is tracking COVID-19 to see how social distancing plays a role in the length of the virus in in our hospital and community. This model is being updated each week.
How did EAMC come up with these numbers?
Using the Penn Medicine COVID-19 Hospital Impact Model for Epidemics (CHIME) tool, we input our current assumption data (population, date of first COVID patient hospitalized at EAMC, current number of COVID patients and a couple of other required data). The tool then provides the results for when it predicts a hospital and its community will peak for COVID-19 hospitalizations and then begin to see those numbers decline.
How long should it take after we peak until we are able to return to normal activities?
That’s a very difficult question to answer. Just because we reach peak activity does not mean we are out of the woods. There will still be many sick patients in the hospital who will take time to recover. There is risk of a second wave of infections when people return to their usual patterns of movement and interaction. The timing of lifting a “stay at home” order, and the process by which that is done, is a decision that will require coordination between healthcare and civic leaders.
Why does it show April 9, 2020 as the peak date for 100% social distancing?
Because it assumes you have been—and will continue—with 100% social distancing. If that were the case, the current date (as this is being written) would be considered as the peak date of disease activity. This would be the worst it will be and it would be a downward trend until the virus reaches more manageable levels in the community.
Last week, the peak date for 75% social distancing was listed as June 15, 2020. How did it change to April 10 in one week?
As time passes, we are able to input more of our actual local data, rather than using default assumptions in calculations. This makes our predictions more accurate. Additionally, as we move further from the date of our first documented cases in the community, we can see the effects of social distancing measures that have already been in place. In the end, however, these are predictions and are not set in stone. The dates will change week-to-week based on our local activity and updates to the prediction tool. The predictions should become more accurate over time.
The peak date for 100% social distancing and 75% social distancing are just one day apart. Why?
100% means no contact outside your home. That is very difficult to accomplish. If we truly achieved 100% social distancing then, based on the timing of the arrival of COVID-19 in our community, we may have already reached our peak. At 75% social distancing, we could be very close to our peak. Maybe not April 10, but perhaps pretty close.
Why are 50% social distancing, as well as 25% and 0%, considered unsustainable?
EAMC has 314 acute care beds, and some of them are specifically for childbirth services and psychiatry. At 50% social distancing, we would have 577 patients. That number alone is proof that we would not be able to care for that many people at once. Even with 290 patients in the ICU and 268 of them on life support, our community could not handle this volume because we simply don’t have the critical care beds, the critical care staff or the number of ventilators needed to care for that many patients.
Are the efforts in our community making a difference?
In one word, yes. HOWEVER, it is not time to take our foot off the gas pedal as it’s very possible to have a second wave of cases and then have to start the whole process over again. We greatly appreciate our community for taking this public health issue seriously. We would also like to thank our area leaders and first responders who have helped encourage citizens to stay at home and not gather.