ICU Nurse: 'A Lot Of These Patients Don't Make It;' Video Looks Inside COVID Ward At Jackson Memorial Hospital
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - CBS4 has obtained new video from inside the COVID ward at Jackson Memorial Hospital where a nurse manager says she is concerned by the recent surge in cases and the Delta Variant.
Alix Zacharski is the nurse manager of the Medical Intensive Care Unit and supervises nurses in the COVID Ward.
She told CBS4 that, "What is unusual is that they are coming back younger and they are unvaccinated and they get sick very rapidly. We know the virus has mutated. When we see them we proceed to give them intervention and do what we can."
She said, "A lot of these patients don't make it. It is very sad and different than the previous experience. A lot of patients are very vulnerable."
She said a 24-year-old patient who was asthmatic and who was also a mother sadly passed away after just 12 days there.
"This is very frustrating and we have not stopped," she said. "Our biggest fear is that there will be a rebound and it will be more serious than the previous one. It is hard. We all want to have time without loved ones. Be cautious. Wash your hands and wear masks."
The Centers for Disease Control says the Delta Variant in Florida comprises 36.1% of all Covid cases.
F.I.U. Infectious Diseases Expert Dr. Aileen Marty told CBS4's Peter D'Oench, "It is far and away the most contagious version we have seen to date of the SARS 2 virus. It takes fewer viral particles to cause disease. People who have it will produce a lot more viruses. Each person who gets the variant is able to infect between 4 and 6 individuals which is a really reproductivity baseline."
The latest developments and the rise in cases may be leading to longer lines at sites including Tropical Park where there was a nearly one-mile line for testing and vaccines at the drive-up site on Thursday morning.
Guillermo Sahagun said, "I am getting my 2nd dose and I want to feel protected. I think there are more cases because we didn't pay attention months ago to what was going on."
His wife Lila Fernandez said, "We need to take care of our kids and our families and get back to normalcy by getting vaccinated."
The Tropical Park site is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p,m. People between 12 and 17 years old will need to be accompanied by parents or legal guardians and have a consent form. To find out more about all of the sites for testing and vaccines, go to our website: CBSMIAMI.com/Coronavirus.
Dr. Marty said the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are the most effective vaccines.
"The Johnson and Johnson single-dose vaccine never provided the same level of efficacy as a 2-shot vaccine," she said. "You get the extra dose and you stimulate extra membrane cells from the first dose to expand and you have new and better fighters."
D'Oench also asked her about people who have been vaccinated twice and have tested positive for the Coronavirus. That was the case with Attorney General Ashley Moody.
Dr. Marty said, "It is a very small percentage of individuals testing positive that way for the virus and a far smaller percentage of people who are sick enough to require hospitalization."
New statistics from the State Dept. Of Health as of last week show that in Miami-Dade 75 percent have been vaccinated. In Broward, the figure is 67 % and in Monroe, the number is 69 percent.
The statistics from last week also show that the positivity rate in Miami-Dade is 7.5 percent and in Broward and Monroe it is 8.1 percent.
On Thursday, the White House COCIS-19 Response team said COVID-19 cases nationwide have tripled in the past 2 weeks. They blame flattening vaccination rates and the Delta Variant.