Vernon Jubilee Hospital. (File photo/Vernon Matters)

By Pete McIntyre

32 Covid patients

Doctor warns of capacity concerns at VJH

Sep 13, 2021 | 12:00 PM

Capacity concerns are growing among the medical staff at Vernon Jubilee Hospital (VJH).

A physician, who chose to not give his name, called Vernon Matters to say on Friday night (Sept. 10), the chief of staff said the hospital, which has about 190 beds, had 230 patients, 32 of which were for COVID-19 and another 22 were pending COVID tests.

“Numerous physicians are concerned there is not enough getting out about the current state,” the doctor told Vernon Matters.

The physician said the intensive care unit was full that night and had to be expanded into the surgical unit to keep patients on ventilators alive.

The doctor felt it was important for the public to know what is going on at VJH, hoping it could convince more people to get the vaccine.

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“Just thinking with the local vaccination numbers being so low, it’s time we started getting information out to keep people safe, and maybe get people to be vaccinated.”

The doctor said he didn’t want to give his name as they are not supposed to be talking to the media about the status of the hospital.

The BC Centre for Disease Control says 78 per cent of Vernon residents, which is Vernon, Coldstream and RDNO Areas B and C, 12 and older, have had one dose of a COVID vaccine and 70 per cent have had two doses as of Sept. 7, 2021.

As of Friday, Sept. 10, 2021, 85.5 per cent of eligible people 12 and older in B.C. had received their first dose and 78.0 per cent had had both shots.

Vernon Matters reached out to Interior Health for comment on the case numbers and capacity issues at VJH.

“You can find publicly available data on COVID-19 related hospitalizations and ICU patients on the BCCDC website for the Interior, as well as vaccination numbers by LHA. Unfortunately individual hospitals are not reported, the numbers are constantly fluctuating as the hospital network supports neighbouring sites and communities. Minister Dix is also holding a press conference today at 3 p.m. where he may answer some of these questions,” IH media relations said.