Wellstar hospitals report 602 hospitalized with COVID-19, 146 in ICU, mostly unvaccinated

Wellstar Kennestone Emergency Department interior shot of medical staff workstations and roomsWellstar Kennestone Emergency Department taken before opening (photo courtesy of Wellstar Kennestone)

Wellstar Health System, a recent subject of local news because of their request for a temporary mobile morgue to handled an expected increase in COVID-related deaths, reported that their hospitals have 602 COVID-19 patients, 146 of them in the ICU.

Most of the hospitalized are unvaccinated.

The figures among the overall 602 patients in Wellstar’s hospitals are 547 unvaccinated (91 percent), and 55 (9 percent) vaccinated.

Among the 146 patients in the ICU, there are 136 unvaccinated (93 percent of the total) and 10 vaccinated (7 percent).

In addition there are 91 patients on ventilators: 86 unvaccinated (just under 95 percent of the total), 5 vaccinated (just over 5 percent of the total).

Wellstar Health System posted the following information about safety protocols at their hospitals:

System-wide Safety Precautions

To ensure the health and safety of our patients and team members, we’ve put strict policies in place to prevent the spread of infections:

  • Patients with COVID-19 are separated from the rest of the general patient population.
  • Our updated visitor policy remains in effect, although from time to time changes may be made, so it is recommended that a potential visitor check the website if they are making plans to come to a Wellstar facility.
  • Each person coming into a Wellstar facility will have their temperature checked and will be asked about their potential COVID-19 exposure.
  • Each team member entering a Wellstar facility will have their temperature checked and will be asked about their potential COVID-19 exposure.
  • Every visitor or patient is asked to bring a mask for their protection and to conserve PPE for healthcare team members.
  • All social distancing guidelines are observed.
  • If a person wishing to enter a Wellstar facility has symptoms consistent with respiratory illness, they will be provided a separate location to wait for treatment.