MOLINE, Ill. — Workers at Genesis Health System have a reason to celebrate. For the first time in 466 days, they have no patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
The health system reported their first COVID-19 hospitalization on March 13, 2020. Since then, there has been at least one patient everyday.
But on the morning of June 22, 2021 every test came back negative. The health system says there could still be a positive test later in the day. For now, they celebrate a milestone.
No COVID-19 patients isn't their only milestone. The health system says their symptomatic seven-day positivity rate has dipped to less than 1%. That means for every 100 patients showing symptoms, less than one is found to actually have the virus.
The health system attributes this good news to the COVID-19 vaccine. In a recent interview with News 8, Genesis Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kurt Andersen said most of the COVID patients they've had in the last few months are people who have not received the vaccine.
"We're talking a magnitude of almost 800, or more than 700 patients, unvaccinated, hospitalized since we started vaccination, and the number of patients who have been vaccinated and hospitalized is a handful," said Andersen. "I mean, we're talking 10 or 12 patients."
Unity Point Health - Trinity has seen a similar trend in declining patients. On Tuesday June 22, they reported just one person hospitalized with COVID-19.
Ashe Simpson, a spokesperson with Unity Point - Trinity said the last time they saw zero COVID-19 positive inpatients was on June 17, 2020.