Wichita COVID hospitalizations creep up, reaching highest point since late September

Local hospital capacity is once again being tested as Sedgwick County data shows more patients battling COVID-19 in Wichita hospitals than at any time in almost three months.

As of Monday, 178 COVID patients were being treated at Wesley and Ascension Via Christi hospitals combined, according to the county’s weekly hospitalization update. Sixty-eight of those patients were in intensive care. That’s an increase from 169 and 59 the week before.

Wesley spokesperson Dave Stewart said 95% of the hospital’s COVID patients are unvaccinated.

Wichita’s virus hospitalization count peaked this fall at 206 patients on Sept. 13 before gradually falling off. Numbers have increased since mid-November. The highest reported hospitalization count of the pandemic was late last year, with 273 on Nov. 30, 2020.

On top of the most recent increase, the annual respiratory virus season is also reaching its peak.

Stewart said the high volume of COVID patients is making it harder to provide care for Wesley’s other patients.

“From a staffing and resources perspective, it’s very difficult to provide care to the community overall when patient level is so high, and a great deal of that is represented by COVID,” he said.

Stewart said delta remains the predominant strain of COVID that’s leading to hospitalization in Wichita. Delta has filled hospitals with younger and sicker patients than previous variants.

But that doesn’t mean it’s the only variant to worry about. On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the new omicron variant accounts for 73% of cases in the U.S.

Last week, the first case of omicron was confirmed in Kansas. As of Monday, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment had identified five cases in Sedgwick County.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the president’s chief medical advisor, has warned that omicron will further strain the nation’s embattled healthcare systems this winter.

“It’s going to take over,” Fauci said on Sunday.

According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s vaccination data, 49% of Sedgwick County residents have received either two shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Stewart said it could be a long winter for local hospitals if more people don’t get inoculated.

“The top message that we’re trying to send out right now is to get people vaccinated,” he said. “It’s going to be critical. It’s the only way we’re going to walk out of this pandemic in the long-term.”

Since the pandemic began, Sedgwick County has seen 75,671 COVID cases and 891 deaths.

This story was originally published December 21, 2021 at 2:58 PM.