Good Samaritan Hospital handles surges of COVID-19 hospitalizations

The early in the early days of the pandemic.... many hospitals locked down their facilities.

This was in order to keep folks safe from a fairly unknown virus.

At 5 o'clock... we told "good samaritian hospital" in vincennes has been doing their best to keep covid-19 patients separate from the other patients.

News 10 bureau chief gary brian tells us how its keeping up with covid-19 hospitalizations.

Gar} "the number of folks hospitalized due to covid-19 has been on the rise in knox county.

This has been putting hospital staff to the test."

Thursday there were 10 people hospitalized with covid-19 at good samaritan hospital.

Early in the pandemic this news would have been cause for alarm.

But these days hospital staff say they are ready.

"we have been able to maintain sufficient supplies to where, again knock on wood a little bit, but we have not had to divert patients to another facilitiy because we didn't have the resources to care for them."

One key resource good samaritan depends on is the doctors and nurses who are treating patients.

Since july fourth the hospital has been seeing surges in hospitalizations.

"our staff have stepped up.

Have answered the call to that.

Truely, you heard it early on about heroes and healthcare.

And we see that everyday and continue to see it."

The attention for those staff members now shifts to handling the virus on the upcoming flu season.

"theres concern on a national level and certainly here on a local level as well as we are coming into that time where there is going to be this convergence of flu season and covid population."

The hospital is encouraging everyone to get the flu vaccine.

Good samaritan is also setting up places where people can get tested for both the flu and covid-19.

All in hopes to keeping people healthy.

Gar} "good samaritan hospital plans on holding flu clinics starting on october 14th.

Working from home in vincennes, gary brian news 10."

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