From Military.com:
“By the
numbers: VA’s coronavirus response one year later”
One year ago
today, Veterans Affairs officials announced their first patient to contract
COVID-19, a Northern California veteran tested positive after being admitted to
the department’s Palo Alto medical center. Since then, the virus has infected
more than 230,000 VA patients and staffers and played a role in the deaths of
more than 10,700 of them. It forced the temporary closure of nearly every
veterans benefits centers and cemeteries across the country, and necessitated
major operations changes at every medical facility. In an interview with
Military Times this week, acting VA Under Secretary for Health Richard Stone
said department officials are encouraged with progress on virus response in
recent weeks. The number of active cases among all VA medical centers as of
Wednesday night was about 5,500, down 74 percent in the last 40 days. Deaths
have slowed considerably in recent weeks, after topping more than 2,400 in
January alone. But Stone also warned that the long-term effects of the pandemic
will be felt “for years,” in department costs, delayed medical care and
emotional trauma.
Here’s a
look at VA’s coronavirus response and the impact of the illness over the last
12 months, by the numbers:
* 230,193: The
total positive coronavirus cases among staff and patients recorded by VA since
March 4, 2020. Of those, about 93 percent have recovered from the illness.
* 10,597: Total
deaths connected to the virus among VA patients. That equates to about 29
deaths a day over the length of the pandemic.
* 131: The
number of VA employees who have died from the virus.
* 2.8 million:
Total of coronavirus tests conducted by VA employees in the last year. That’s
less than half of the 7 million veterans who regularly use VA for medical care.
* 129: The
number of consecutive days (since Oct. 25, 2020) with at least 5,000 active
cases across the country’s VA medical centers.
* 2.6 million:
The number of coronavirus vaccines administered by VA staffers since
mid-December.
* 1,357
percent: VA’s reported increase in telehealth and remote health care
appointments since March 2020.
* 19 million:
The estimated total lost veterans medical appointments — delayed, deferred or
cancelled — in the Veterans Health Administration since the start of the
pandemic.
* $15 billion:
The amount of emergency funds for VA included in the latest coronavirus relief
package under consideration, money that VA says is needed to offset continued
costs of the pandemic.
^ Sometimes it
is easier to understand what happened in a year when you look at the numbers. ^
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.