After 14 COVID-positive cases, PeaceHealth is temporarily restricting visitors inside the hospital
VANCOUVER – Over the past few days, PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center has identified 10 patients in the hospital that have been confirmed with COVID-19 and have links to the same patient floor. Additionally, four employees have tested positive in relation to this investigation.
Of the 14 total COVID-positive cases, only five individuals are fully vaccinated. The only patients showing symptoms are those that are unvaccinated. Samples from this exposure are being submitted to the Washington Department of Health to test for the Delta variant.
Out of an abundance of caution, PeaceHealth officials are temporarily restricting visitors inside the hospital. Additionally, the identified patient floor has been closed to new admissions. All additional inpatients on the unit were tested or are in the process of being tested.
“I have full confidence in our highly qualified health care professionals to manage through this recent incident. We have been treating COVID-19 patients for more than 16 months and have cared for more than 1,000,” said Lawrence Neville, MD, Chief Medical Officer. “Our Infection Prevention specialists immediately began conducting a thorough review to understand the root causes of this situation, and to ensure further protection for our patients and caregivers.”
PeaceHealth and Clark County Public Health continue to investigate the cases.
Safety remains a top priority for PeaceHealth. This includes ongoing adherence to CDC and state guidelines, employees wearing personal protective equipment and masks, testing all admitted patients, restricting visitors, and caring for COVID-19 patients on dedicated, isolated units.
“While COVID-19 activity has decreased in Clark County in recent weeks, the virus is still circulating and we still have a large portion of our community that is unvaccinated,” said Dr. Alan Melnick, Clark County health officer and Public Health director. “The COVID-19 vaccines are very effective at preventing infection, but they’re not perfect. A small number of people who are fully vaccinated may still get COVID-19, but early evidence shows the vaccines make that illness less severe.”
