NC National Guard members will deploy to help a hospital struggling with COVID-19 Spc. James Alston holds a dosage of COVID-19 vaccine at the Harrison County Health Department in Gulfport, Miss., Jan. 5, 2021. (U.S. National Guard photo by A. Danielle Thomas)
Members of the N.C. National Guard will deploy to a hospital in Burlington to help the staff there get through this winter’s wave of COVID-19 cases.
Twenty-five soldiers and airmen will arrive at Alamance Regional Medical Center on Thursday morning, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services. They are scheduled to remain through March 4.
Since the pandemic began two years ago, guard members have helped distribute food and supplies and run COVID-19 vaccination clinics. But this is the first time they’ve been deployed to work side-by-side with hospital staff, according to DHHS.
Hospitals across North Carolina have been stretched by a surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by the omicron variant of the coronavirus. Not only did record numbers of COVID-19 patients need hospitalization, but many doctors, nurses and other staff members tested positive for the virus and missed work.
At Alamance Regional, guard members will perform several tasks, including checking vital signs, performing COVID-19 tests and EKGs, delivering meals and data entry. Their work will allow doctors and nurses to focus more on hands-on work with patients, according to DHHS.
Cone Health System, the nonprofit parent company for Alamance Regional, requested the assistance through DHHS.
It follows similar pleas for help from county Emergency Medical Services agencies, which have faced similar challenges. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has sent dozens of ambulances and crews to answer EMS calls in several counties across the state, including Wake, Durham and Mecklenburg.
The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in North Carolina peaked in late January at more than 5,200. By Wednesday, that number had declined to 3,812, according to DHHS.
Reported coronavirus cases in the state peaked in January as well.
But the number of people dying of COVID-19 has not declined yet. DHHS reported another 157 deaths on Wednesday, bringing the total to 24,482 since the pandemic began.
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