Omicron hits Seattle's Harborview Medical Center harder than other surges

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Omicron hits Seattle's Harborview Medical Center harder than other surges

Transcript¹

A Seattle hospital confronts the omicron surge. While COVID-19 patients aren't as sick compared to earlier waves, there is a record number of patients overall, and not enough staff to care for them.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

In Washington state, the governor has called on National Guard to help ease the pandemic's strain on medical workers and ordered hospitals to halt non-urgent procedures. NPR's Will Stone reports from Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

WILL STONE, BYLINE²: The omicron surge hitting Harborview is bigger than any that have come before it - well beyond last winter's peak. And it looks different, too. During earlier surges, the ICUs were the places most overloaded³, often with sick patients on ventilators. There's still some of that, but nurse Isabelle Norville says now most COVID patients are filling up regular acute care units like hers.

ISABELLE NORVILLE: We still have the occasional patient that deteriorates⁴ a little bit with COVID, you know, needing ICU care. But there are certainly far, far more patients on acute care than in the ICU.

STONE: This unit can fit 34 patients, and Norville says about half of them have COVID.

NORVILLE: A lot of them with omicron are able to move about in the room as they please unless they have something else going on. They require oxygen less often.

STONE: That's what doctors are finding at many hospitals in heavily vaccinated⁵ areas like Seattle. Fewer patients are having severe respiratory problems compared to earlier in the pandemic. In fact, Norville says many patients are coming in for some other medical issue altogether. But then, once they're tested...

NORVILLE: Just patients popping up positive all over the hospital. You know, every day we get an email - at least one or two popping up - surprise positives.

STONE: It's estimated about 40% of the COVID patients at Harborview and its other affiliated⁶ hospitals are asymptomatic. And Norville says hearing only this side of it, that people aren't as sick and some don't have any symptoms, can leave people puzzled about why this COVID surge is so bad. Except there's a lot people don't see, like how many nurses are not there because they're quarantining or isolating⁷, and every COVID patient is taxing.

NORVILLE: It's not that we run into the room, finish up a quick work and then jump right back out to go to the next room. You know, having two or three COVID patients is really hard to keep track of.

STONE: And COVID means more duties must be done by nurses.

NORVILLE: The strain of us delivering the trays - because, you know, meal services can't enter the room, so we're left to clean the rooms, deliver the meals.

JOHN LYNCH: The health workforce⁸ is nearing a breaking point in a way that's never happened before.

STONE: That's Dr. John Lynch, who's head of infection control at Harborview.

LYNCH: This is a 413-bed hospital that has over 500 patients. That's a big deal.

STONE: They're converting surgery clinics or even conference spaces to COVID rooms. Patients are waiting longer in the emergency room for a hospital bed. And because Harborview is so short-staffed, health care workers are having to care for more patients all at once. Lynch worries Washington state is getting closer than it has ever been to the most dire⁹ measures, known as crisis standards, when care might even be rationed¹⁰. And yet...

LYNCH: It's very difficult for folks to come to work and to see the challenges we're facing here and then to look across the street or down the block and see packed restaurants with brunches¹¹ and bars packed and unmasked huge gatherings¹².

STONE: Back on the COVID unit, nurse Jason Naki says he's worked through the other surges, and it never gets easier - not just because it's tiring, but now it's demoralizing.

JASON NAKI: What makes me feel good about my job is delivering good care and being compassionate¹³. And sometimes with, like, our staffing ratios and, like, just the sheer numbers that we're dealing¹⁴ with right now, it's very difficult to provide that level of care that I want to.

STONE: Naki says he hopes things will change. But for him, someone committed to nursing, he's not sure how much longer he can sustain this.

Will Stone, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF GUILTY GHOSTS' "THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 overloaded   

a.超载的，超负荷的

参考例句：

• He's overloaded with responsibilities. 他担负的责任过多。
• She has overloaded her schedule with work, study, and family responsibilities. 她的日程表上排满了工作、学习、家务等，使自己负担过重。

4 deteriorates   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• After a few years' planting, the quality of the potato crop deteriorates. 土豆种了几年之后就会退化。
• Virus activity deteriorates in plasma stored at room temperature. 在室温下储藏的血浆中病毒活动逐渐衰退。

5 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

6 affiliated   

adj. 附属的, 有关连的

参考例句：

• The hospital is affiliated with the local university. 这家医院附属于当地大学。
• All affiliated members can vote. 所有隶属成员都有投票权。

7 isolating   

adj.孤立的，绝缘的v.使隔离( isolate的现在分词 )；将…剔出（以便看清和单独处理）；使（某物质、细胞等）分离；使离析

参考例句：

• Colour filters are not very effective in isolating narrow spectral bands. 一些滤色片不能很有效地分离狭窄的光谱带。 来自辞典例句
• This became known as the streak method for isolating bacteria. 这个方法以后就称为分离细菌的划线法。 来自辞典例句

8 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

9 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

10 rationed   

限量供应，配给供应( ration的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• We were rationed to two eggs a day. 每天配给我们两个鸡蛋。
• The army is well rationed. 部队给养良好。

11 brunches   

n.早午餐( brunch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

12 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

13 compassionate   

adj.有同情心的，表示同情的

参考例句：

• She is a compassionate person.她是一个有同情心的人。
• The compassionate judge gave the young offender a light sentence.慈悲的法官从轻判处了那个年轻罪犯。

14 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。