Ready to respond: The mobile triage unit at Union Hospital has been set up in response to the surge of Delta variant cases across the Wabash Valley. It can be seen here on Tuesday outside of the hospital’s emergency room entrance. Staff photo by Joseph C. Garza
Ready to respond: The mobile triage unit at Union Hospital has been set up in response to the surge of Delta variant cases across the Wabash Valley. It can be seen here on Tuesday outside of the hospital’s emergency room entrance. Staff photo by Joseph C. Garza
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Only six of 62 COVID-19 patients in Union Hospital as of Monday morning had received a COVID-19 vaccination, hospital officials reported during a pandemic update amidst a rising number of coronavirus hospitalizations.

On Tuesday, Vigo County added 66 new positive cases for a total of 14,289 coronavirus cases and 272 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Due to the surge of Delta variant cases across the Wabash Valley, Union’s Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Barry Nicoson said the hospital has its mobile triage unit set up outside the hospital’s Emergency Department entrance.

“Out of caution, the incident command team decided to set the tent up,” Nicoson said Monday afternoon. “It’s not being used at this time, and to be honest with you, we hope it doesn’t get used. But the idea was to get it up and get it ready just in case we needed to have it. It can be used for overflow in the [Emergency Department], it can be used for swabbing, testing, those kinds of things, if necessary.”

The tent comes from the Healthcare Coalition for District 7, and is a newer model than the tent previously set up last year when the pandemic spread across Vigo County.

This tent has privacy screens and eight rooms set up for patient care.

“It’s a bit smaller, but it’s great,” Nicoson said.

Getting vaccinated and masking in large crowds is still advised to slow the spread of the virus.

A mobile vaccination clinic is set for Thursday at the West Terre Haute IGA.

The Vigo County Health Department will offer free shots from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and from 4 to 6 p.m.

The single dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine will be available for those age 18 and older with a photo ID.

Both Terre Haute Regional Hospital and Union Hospital have visitor restrictions in place.

For more information about coronavirus, visit https://regionalhospital.com/covid-19/ or to https://www.myunionhealth.org/services/coronavirus/.

Also, the Union Hospital COVID-19 Hotline was re-activated as of Monday. Health experts will be available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at 812-238-4871 to answer COVID-19 related questions or concerns.

The Vigo County Health Department has also released information about quarantine guidelines due to the number of public inquiries.

All positive results are sent to the county and state health departments, and a contact tracer is assigned to each person. Quarantine letters can be provided to close contacts.

County health commissioner Dr. Darren Brucken approved the following guidelines:

• Tested positive (no vaccine): 10-day quarantine from onset of symptoms or test date.

• Test positive (vaccinated): 10-day quarantine from onset of symptoms or test date

• Close Contact: Anyone who was around a COVID 19 positive person closer than 6 feet for 15 minutes or longer.

• Vaccinated close contact (no symptoms): Able to go about life but must wear a mask for 14 days and monitor for symptoms, can test at day 5 after last exposure to positive with a PCR test, if test is negative mask can be removed.

• Vaccinated close contact (with symptoms): Get tested, quarantine for 10 days or can test with PCR on day 5, 6, or 7 from last day of exposure of positive. If PCR test is negative can return to normal duties but must mask for 14 days.

• Unvaccinated close contact (with symptoms): Get tested right away, quarantine for 14 days; if test comes back positive then quarantine for 10 days from symptom onset date. If test is negative continue to quarantine for 14 days.

• Unvaccinated close contact (without symptoms): quarantine for 10 days or get tested on day 5, 6 or 7 after last exposure with positive; with PCR test; if test is negative then get out of quarantine on day 8. If positive then quarantine time is 10 days from the test date.
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