Phoebe ICU Director says COVID 19 numbers moving in a positive trend

ALBANY, Ga. —  As of noon Wednesday, the Phoebe Health System announced that there were fewer patients who had been confirmed COVID-19 cases than those admitted who didn’t have the virus.

Intensive Care Unit Director, Doctor Jyotir Mehta says that a positive trend like this is a relief to the staff.

He says, “The emotional status in the initial phase, we weren’t able to save so many folks because they were so sick. So it has taken some emotional toll on the nurses, because they spent so much time trying to stabilize them and help them.”

Dr Mehta says that he believes the virus is starting to reach its peak in Southwest Georgia.

The hospital has seen more patients come in to test and get treatment sooner rather than later after the first few weeks of the pandemic.

Dr Mehta says this has allowed them to move people out of the ICU as their conditions aren’t reaching critical levels

“in the last week, we’ve been able to extubate 15 patients, and out of 15, we have 10 who we’re able to transfer back to the floor so that’s also creating extra capacity to take care of the sick folks,” says Dr. Mehta.

There is concern though that this peak may only be temporary…

As Dr Mehta says with the state of Georgia beginning to re-open, it could cause a second wave of confirmed cases.

Dr Mehta tells us, “That’s a concern among the physicians and nurses that opening up the state, we might see another spike in the two weeks time after re-opening. And we don’t know how big the spike will be.”

Dr. Meha is still asking that people practice good hygiene and social distancing as Georgia re-opens.