BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A 121% increase in hospitalizations of people with COVID-19 seems alarming, but a local doctor said the situation is not as severe as it seems.
Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that sharp spike in COVID cases in the Lehigh Valley over the past few weeks.
- COVID-19-related hospitalizations are up 121% in Lehigh and Northampton counties, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
- A Lehigh Valley doctor said the numbers seem worse than they are
- The number of hospitalizations at LVHN jumped from one or two to 10 to 12 network-wide
Yes, COVID related hospitalizations are up 121% in Lehigh and Northampton counties, according to the CDC, but Dr. Alex Benjamin, Lehigh Valley Health Network's chief infection control and prevention officer, said the numbers seem worse than they are.
"I think if you look at the CDC page, it says like 120-percent increase," Benjamin said. "But really what that means is we've gone from maybe one or two cases throughout the network that are hospitalized to going to somewhere about 10 to 12 network-wide."
He said those numbers can seem alarming, but across his network there has only been a slight increase in the number of hospitalizations and most cases seem to be very mild.
"We've gone from maybe one or two cases throughout the network that are hospitalized to going to somewhere about 10 to 12 network wide."Alex Benjamin, Chief Infection Control & Prevention Officer, Lehigh Valley Health Network
"What we're hearing is that they're mostly mild; obviously they're not requiring hospitalization," he said.
"People are probably getting Paxlovid from their primary care doctors or they may be because of mild symptoms, you know, not seeking medical care, just sort of blowing it off as a cold."
'Back-to-school' preventive measures
Benjamin said, "We're not seeing any real difference in how COVID is acting in terms of these variants. It still is very contagious and still takes the same amount of time for people to clear the virus from their system.
"So the fact that people are having mostly mild symptoms sort of suggests that there is this immunity factor.”
Benjamin said the increase likely is due to people gathering for summer events, such as Musikfest, and end-of-summer vacations.
He said the increase is expected to continue as schools head back into session, so people should take preventative measures, such as getting a coronavirus vaccine or booster.
“Kids get pencils and backpacks to go back to school. Maybe it's time for adults to go back to their primary care doctors and get vaccines to get ready for the fall."Dr. Alex Benjamin, Lehigh Valley Health Network's chief infection control and prevention officer
LVHN is waiting for the latest COVID vaccine to come out this fall, then will begin administering it.
Benjamin said this is a good time of year for folks in the at-risk and older age groups to take action.
“Kids get pencils and backpacks to go back to school," he said. "Maybe it's time for adults to go back to their primary care doctors and get vaccines to get ready for the fall."
Because of at-home testing, the exact number of COVID cases in any given area is unknown. But many counties, including Lehigh and Northampton, test wastewater to determine the number of cases in any given area.
