Is Chico is Spiking with COVIDS?

by Jack

Some might argue that a sudden spike in COVIDs is a sign that the virus is approaching herd immunity, but whatever it is the statistics are climbing for real and they are in Chico.

To date we have 465 total cases in Butte County and this is up by 45 new cases in the past 24 hours.  At least 3 of these new cases involve healthcare workers that were caring for COVID’s patients in Chico rehab hospitals.  That can’t be a good sign!

Allegedly, staffing has become a problem for the hospitals, due in part to nurses out sick with the virus and some nurses/healthcare workers quitting their job rather than expose their families to the risk posed by COVIDs.

As a result of the above, you can imagine that the staff at rehab hospitals is being stretched very thin.  Again, allegedly, this has resulted in the unsafe practice of cycling healthcare workers from the isolation ward to the general population side or vice versa, to fill the needed shifts.  In addition to this alleged practice, I’m told protective clothing and face shields are being used by more than one healthcare worker for the purposes of entering quarantine rooms.   The reason given…they don’t have enough protective suits.  So they are told to make do.

The risk of contamination at the rehab hospitals is therefore likely much higher than at regular hospitals that are properly equipped.  To make matters worse, the patient census at the rehab hospitals shows a majority of patients are high risk seniors.

UPDATE:  16 new COVID’s cases were just admitted to one of the rehab hospitals in Chico and this to me reflects a serious spike in the rate of infection.  This spike could become much worse if proper quarantine methods are not employed at the rehab hospitals.

Disclaimer:  I am not a healthcare provider and the information I have been given has not been verified by other sources.  If you are concerned about a loved one at a local rehab facility, you should due your own due diligence.  Ask questions and don’t assume everything is fine just because these are professional healthcare facilities.