PORTLAND, Ore. (KPTV/CNN) – An Oregon hospital system says it has zero COVID-19 patients in critical care at its Portland facility. This marks a major step in the fight against the virus.
It’s a number that’s hard to believe. With zero COVID-19 patients in critical care at Providence Portland for the first time in a year, Nurse Valerie Klacik said this gives staff hope that we will get through this.
“It’s kind of giving us a little boost and just… you know, there’s a little light at the end of the tunnel,” Klacik explained. “It’s been a long road to get here.”
Klacik said, “When we were in November, December things were really heavy. We were kind of headed into that second surge. People were very tired, just kind of physically and mentally worn out.”
A few months ago, Providence said its Portland medical center hit its highest number. There were 94 COVID-19 patients, ten in critical care. Now, its Portland center has only two non-critical COVID-19 patients and Providence said its St. Vincent Medical Center has 12 COVID patients, four of them in critical care.
Klacik said she’s hoping the lower numbers spark a trend in the right direction. “I’m hoping that it means we’re now doing the right thing, that maybe the vaccine benefits are starting to be evident,” she said. “I think knowing that spring is coming, with the vaccine, and our numbers have been on the downtrend, I think we’re pretty hopeful.
Providence said across its eight hospitals in Oregon, to date, it’s cared for more than 2,300 COVID-19 patients.
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