Mat-Su Regional battles Delta variant surge

WASILLA — Between July 9 and July 12, Mat-Su Regional Medical Center did not have any covid positive patients. Just six weeks later, the MSRMC Intensive Care Unit of 14 beds is full of covid patients as hospital capacity in southcentral Alaska is dwindling in similar fashion to other parts of the the United States. Chair of the COVID-19 taskforce at MSRMC and director of the Emergency Department, Dr. Tom Quimby said that earlier this summer he and a number of his male colleagues had begun to regrow their beards after nearly a year without facial hair to better fit an n95 mask during shifts at the hospital.

“I think a lot of people are having a difficult time wrapping their minds around the fact that the enemy is not the same as it was a year and a half ago,” said Quimby. “The combination of some natural infection and a lot of immunization especially in those high risk groups earlier had gotten us to the place we were, but people just have to understand this is such a different situation. We’re seeing a lot of younger people because they are not vaccinated, we think, and they are a lot sicker and it just is spreading much, much quicker.”

There were 701 newly announced COVID-19 cases among Alaska residents on Thursday and an additional 29 nonresident cases. There are 127 people hospitalized due to covid across Alaska and only 20 ICU beds are available statewide. There have been 427 total deaths due to the coronavirus and 26 people are currently on ventilators. A total of 13.6 percent of people hospitalized in Alaska have covid and in the Mat-Su, the covid positive patients account for 19.3 percent of those hospitalized. Last week, Quimby appeared on an echo zoom for parents of Mat-Su Borough School District parents, urging families to get themselves and their children vaccinated.

“I’m seeing lots of guys in their 30’s through 50’s who statistically are probably less likely, but no one can be sure they’re safe. So that’s the thing I think that people really need to internalize is do this to protect yourself,” said Quimby. “I do think that the messaging about how like if you’re young, you’re fine has really hurt us. I’m not seeing all people that are vaccine resistant or hesitant, I’m just getting a lot of vaccine apathy from younger people.”

The sudden spike in delta variant cases and decreased capacity in hospitals statewide prompted Governor Mike Dunleavy to call a press conference on Thursday to alert Alaskans of the changing situation around the coronavirus pandemic. With only 14 ICU beds, there are 16 hospitalized covid patients in the Mat-Su and nine people are on ventilators. There were 103 new cases of covid among Valley residents announced Thursday and four additional nonresident cases in the Mat-Su. Quimby said that MSRMC has over 30 ventilators available and 33 negative pressure rooms, but is suffering from a shortage of propofol. However, throughout the course of the coronavirus pandemic, none of the 18 Emergency Department doctors have tested positive for covid, quelling initial fears of hospital spread.

“We’re in a better situation now than they are in Anchorage, which could change so I want to send that message that yes, we are much better prepared, we have learned a ton, it’s not March 2020 anymore. We are really in a better position, but it’s really important for people to know and we’re seeing this all across the country, including the Anchorage bowl, that there are limits to capacity,” said Quimby.

While the initial r naught value measuring the amount of spread from person to person was measured at one to two people, the r naught of the delta variant is between five and eight people. Quimby compared the vaccine to use of a parachute when jumping out of a plane, noting that vaccinated people are five times less likely to get symptoms if they do test positive for covid, and 25 times less likely to be hospitalized or die from the virus. Quimby discussed stories from colleagues in the midwest searching for available beds in California for specialized care due to capacity shortages. Quimby said that MSRMC staff have even become fatigued by the resurgence of covid patients.

“The situation has changed. I don’t think people understand that we’re really worried. What this has done with staff is people are stretched, they’re tired, there are mixed emotions, there is sadness, I mean a lot of sadness,” said Quimby. “There’s just frustration that the situation has happened. There’s frustration on the misinformation and I will say that there is a level of mistrust with the medical profession that I’ve never seen or felt before. There’s just a lot of contentious interactions now with patients who think that I have some ulterior motive or think that we are not telling the full truth to patients or we’re withholding treatments that they’re hearing about in the news that aren’t proven and that takes its toll too.”

The Mat-Su has had 781 cases of covid over the last two weeks and the seven day rolling positivity is 12 percent. On Wednesday, 67 new cases were reported in Wasilla and 33 new cases were reported in Palmer. While MSRMC has not had to treat anyone who has ingested ivermectin or other supplemental treatments, Quimby said that rampant misinformation was more dangerous to public health than the increased r naught value of the delta variant.

“Look at parts of the country that are more vaccinated, they are not going through this right now. So we know from the data we have if we can get people to use the tools that we know are effective, that we don’t have to have it this bad,” said Quimby. “It doesn’t have to be crushing the medical system and it doesn’t have to be killing a lot of the people that it is right now.”

Quimby said that prior to appearing on the echo zoom last week where he delivered his emotional six-minute speech to parents, he had reached a breaking point from continually treating critically ill covid patients, some of whom asked for a vaccination after it was too late to be administered.

“When I came home on that day and that had been the fourth or fifth shift in a row that I’d worked and just every shift I’m seeing people that are almost certainly going to die. If they do survive they are going to be really messed up and I just was frustrated, really frustrated, on the verge of an emotional breakdown and just thought hey I’m going to give this one last shot to see if it would change even one person’s mind,” said Quimby.

Quimby’s outcry did help change the minds of over a dozen people who decided to get vaccinated after hearing his plea. The positive news announced by MSRMC Emergency Medicine physician and Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink was the sudden increase in vaccinations this week. Statewide, 54.1 percent of people have been fully vaccinated, but 60.3 percent of Alaskans have had at least one dose. In the Mat-Su, vaccines went up by a smaller margin, where 38.1 percent of residents have been fully vaccinated and 42.9 percent have received one dose. Sutton narrowly trails Willow at 46.2 percent fully vaccinated and 49 percent with a single dose.

Willow leads all Valley communities with 47.2 percent of residents fully vaccinated and 51.5 percent having had at least one dose. The Houston area holds the state’s lowest mark at 4.7 percent who have received one shot and 4.1 percent who have been fully vaccinated. Palmer and Wasilla both saw nearly a five percent increase recently. Palmer has had 39.8 percent of residents fully vaccinated and 44.2 percent have received at least one dose. In Wasilla, 30.9 percent are fully vaccinated and 35.2 percent have had at least one dose.

“There is a lot of reason for hope, and it is totally different knowing we have an effective tool and also right now,” said Quimby. “I would say, seeing the window where we are getting more and more people changing their mind, that’s really inspiring and hopeful too.”