CentraCare

The number of COVID-19 positive patients within CentraCare hospitals in Central Minnesota continue to be high. CentraCare Spokesman Dr. George Morris joined me on WJON today.

CentraCare issued a vaccine mandate for employees in August. CentraCare spokesman Dr. George Morris joined me on WJON this week. He said in the past week they started the vaccination process of another 120 employees bringing their total vaccination numbers to just under 80% of their staff vaccinated.

CentraCare spokesman Dr. George Morris says CentraCare and St. Cloud Hospital is "at capacity for all patients". Morris says they have approximately the same amount of COVID-19 patients within CentraCare and at St. Cloud Hospital as they had last week but with all other non COVID-19 care needs they just don't have the beds or enough staff to handle the pressure they are facing due to COVID.

CentraCare and St. Cloud Hospital continue to see a surge of positive COVID-19 patients. CentraCare Spokesman Dr. George Morris joined me on WJON. He says they have 87 positive COVID-19 patients throughout CentraCare with 66 of them at St. Cloud Hospital.

CentraCare continues to break barriers when it comes to technology.

The COVID-19 numbers at St. Cloud Hospital and within CentraCare have increased to the point where they have now surpassed the spring surge numbers. That according to CentraCare Spokesman Dr. George Morris. He says they have 75 positive COVID-19 patients within CentraCare with more than 60 at St. Cloud Hospital.

Last week CentraCare spokesman Dr. George Morris joined me on WJON and said unvaccinated CentraCare employees would not be fired. That is still technically the case. This week when I talked with Dr. Morris he got into more detail as to what the result would be for employees who choose not to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Local health officials are encouraging men to get tested for prostate cancer.

CentraCare is reinstating visitor restrictions due to a rise in COVID-19 cases.

The latest Delta variant driven COVID-19 surge at St. Cloud Hospital continues this week. CentraCare Spokesman Dr. George Morris joined me on WJON this week. He says they have 60 COVID-19 patients within CentraCare with 50 of them at St. Cloud Hospital.

CentraCare enacted a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine in August. Dr. George Morris says "we are not firing anybody". He says they are not using the vaccine mandate as an opportunity to fire anybody for not getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

St. Cloud Hospital COVID-19 numbers aren't better or worse this week compared to last week. CentraCare Spokesman Dr. George Morris joined me on WJON again this week. He says the COVID-19 Delta variant surge continues with numbers hospitalized in the mid 50s with 18 of those in the ICU/Critical Care Unit.