fbpx

Memorial Healthcare System Officials Sound Alarm on COVID-19 Spike

For critical care expert Dr. Ari Sareli (pictured left) of Memorial Healthcare System, the recent rise in COVID-19 infections causing local hospitals to enact plans to accommodate the growing admission numbers isn’t the biggest disaster of the entire pandemic. The most significant catastrophe for Sareli is that it could’ve been prevented with a proven solution.

“This tragedy that we see is a preventable loss of life,” Sareli says. “And as healthcare workers, the tragedy is that that loss of life could have been prevented with vaccination.”

As healthcare workers, Sareli and his colleagues have witnessed the toll the pandemic has taken on families for over the last year. And while Sareli admits vaccinated residents aren’t completely immune from the effects of the virus, he says the overwhelming majority of people that recently died from COVID could’ve been saved.

“We get to see the suffering, we get to see the broken lives, and we see them dying, in what could have been a preventable tragedy,” he says.

With the Delta variant proving more contagious, according to the CDC, Memorial Healthcare System is admitting more patients now than when there was no way of preventing infection except through masks, social distancing and limiting interactions.

Memorial Healthcare System reported over 420 patients admitted with COVID on Friday with 55 of those patients in intensive care units. To create room for the growing numbers, the hospital has to use its conference space to accommodate patients while also setting up tents outside its Emergency Department.

“There is so much misinformation out there in the community, there are so many people that are not making the right decisions because of the misinformation out there,” he says. “I feel sorry for them, I feel sorry for our society that we don’t just stick to medical information and try and save people’s lives. Because ultimately, that’s what we’re here for. That’s what we want to do. And I think that the situation is so much more tragic now than it was a year ago. Because now we have a way to prevent this.”

Florida reached a record number of positive cases Saturday, more than 20,000 new cases in a single day—far more than the previous high last January when the vaccine wasn’t widely available. Given that nearly half the people in the state have been vaccinated (and many more have achieved immunity after surviving the virus), that’s a frightening indicator of the contagiousness of the delta strain. That’s tantamount to cutting the state’s population in half—and yet the number of cases is still rising.

Along with more infections, Sareli says the average age of patients is younger than it was last year when the pandemic was raging, which was a direct result of refusing the advice of the medical community,

“The vaccinated people tend to be an older population,” Sareli says. “Therefore, what we’re seeing in our healthcare system is a slightly younger population group than that which we have seen previously. And that specifically reflects the amount of people or the proportion of people in the community that are not getting vaccinated.”

You May Also Like

Now Optics Opens New Corporate Headquarters in Delray Beach

The move is expected to bring 45 jobs across seven departments in the Delray Beach area.

Transformative Healthcare Solutions and Florida Mental Health Coalition Host Inaugural “Back2Basics” Festival 

The event will help honor Mental Health Awareness Month in May.

Caron Florida Launches Mental Health Program to Address Mental, Spiritual and Physical Health

The nonprofit organization in behavioral health aims to increase exposure to the issue during Mental Health Awareness Month in May.

United Way of Broward County Partners With Local Nonprofits to Host Annual Behavioral Health Conference

With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, many nonprofit organizations are working to support those living with mental or behavioral health issues. To help reduce the stigma and raise awareness about the support services available to South Florida residents, the United Way of Broward County, in collaboration with the Broward Behavioral Health Coalition and the Florida Department of Children

Other Posts

American Cancer Society to Host Evening of Hope Fundraiser

The nonprofit’s distinguished events portfolio has raised over $6 million in the last six years.

Discover The Palm Beaches Announces 2023 Providencia Award Winners

The awards help honor the local tourism community.

ChildNet Raises Funds to Support Foster Youth and Families During Care for Kids Cocktail Reception

The organization strives to help abused, abandoned, and neglected children.

Stephanie Green Appointed South Florida President of Fifth Third Bank

Fifth Third South Florida has 76 full-service banking centers and over 550 employees.