Following the trend across the nation, in Sacramento COVID-19 hospitalizations have dropped to their lowest levels since the early days of the pandemic.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The average number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the past week dropped to 11,860 nationwide. A steep decline from the peak of more than 145,000 in January.
Following the trend across the nation, in Sacramento COVID-19 hospitalizations have dropped to their lowest levels since the early days of the pandemic.
UC Davis Health recently announced that for the first time in two years, they saw zero COVID patients in their ICU for two consecutive days. Following the news, ABC10 also checked in with other hospitals in the Sacramento area to see how they were doing.
“The overall numbers are very good,” said Dr. Parimal Bharucha, Dignity Health, pulmonary critical care physician. “It is a significant improvement compared to a few weeks back when it was crazy high.”
Frontline healthcare workers breathe a sigh of relief as COVID-19 hospital admissions finally plunge to low levels offering nurses, respiratory therapists, doctors, and support staff a much-needed break following two exhausting years.
“Now our ICU is back to how it was two years back — open, airy, full of life, so we are so excited,” said Bharucha.
Bharucha is a pulmonary critical care physician at Dignity Health — primarily working for mercy hospital of Folsom as their ICU director and as chairman for the department of medicine at Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael.
“Mercy Hospital Folsom, we have zero patients for two days for COVID in the ICU and there is one patient in Mercy San Juan Hospital,” said Bharucha.
On Thursday, UC Davis Health announced their ICU was also COVID clear for two days in a row. Chief Nursing and Patient Care Services Officer Toby Marsh released a statement saying in part, “We hope the ICU numbers show a sustained change.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Bharucha remains cautiously optimistic — still encouraging everyone to remain vigilant.
“I think we can see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Bharucha said. “In the same token, I would say don’t let your guards down.”
ABC10 also reached out to Kaiser Permanente and they said COVID cases are declining at their hospitals in Northern California as well.
However, they say the virus has not disappeared in our communities and continue to urge everyone to get their COVID-19 vaccine and booster if they haven’t done so already.
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