Hospitalizations from COVID-19 are on the rise in New York State and Oswego as the public prepares for the winter disease season and health professionals consider preventative measures to combat the virus. 

SUNY Oswego administrators are weighing the current and future risks of COVID-19 and will have to make decisions for student health as winter gets closer. Last year, SUNY Oswego sent COVID-19-positive students to the unused residence building, Moreland Hall, for about one week. This policy is not in use currently. However, family nurse practitioner and Director of Health Services at Mary Walker, Angie Brown, says that the reinstatement of that policy remains an option.

 “Would we go back to that? We have the ability if we needed to if there was a huge influx on-campus that might be one of the mitigation strategies,” Brown said.

Students are still asked to report positive COVID-19 tests to the school and isolate in place either in their dorm room or house. Students who test positive can still get meals from dining halls by applying for a sick tray, in which another person brings the COVID-positive student a tray of food from a dining hall. Besides sick tray forms, which are submitted to dining center management, the Mary Walker Health Center offers all services related to COVID-19 on campus. 

The most dominant variant right now is EG.5, followed by HV.1 and FL.1.5.1, which make up an estimated 56% of all COVID-19 cases in the United States, according to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) data. Brown said that these variants are less severe than previous variants, but still pose a risk to a population.

“They do seem to cause less symptoms and more cold-like symptoms, but COVID can still cause severe symptoms. People can still be hospitalized and death can still occur from COVID,” Brown said.

With the hospitalization increase, more and more patients are going through post-COVID rehabilitation processes, and the journey is different depending on the severity of the symptoms, according to Dr. Jeremy Breen, a physical therapist.  

“In most cases it will be appropriate to emphasize deep breathing exercises, generating secretions to promote open airways, and the importance of initiating an early (light) exercise program to recover as quickly as possible. For anyone whose level of function after the case of COVID is much lower than before, outpatient or even home physical therapy and/or occupational therapy should be an early priority,” Dr. Breen said.

Those who come down with a moderate or severe case of COVID-19 right now can expect the major effects to come in the form of overall durability, according to Dr. Breen. 

“The biggest hit to a patient recovering from COVID is general strength and conditioning. Patients who were bedridden with COVID have to fight both physical/muscular deconditioning and loss of respiratory function to get back to a modified version of their previous activity level,” Breen said.

The lowest daily hospitalization point for New York state was 388 total COVID-19 patients on July 12, which increased to 1,445 total COVID patients on October 16. This is a little over 250 patients lower than the peak two weeks prior, as reported in official state data. In Oswego County, the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 per 100,000 people weekly has gone up from 0.9 on the week of July 22 to 9.0 on the week of September 30, according to the CDC.

COVID-19 has increased symptoms of anxiety and depression in young adults, national data shows. Oneida Hall Assistant Housing Director Michael-Daniel Vodzogbe talked about how COVID-19 affects the mental well-being of students and stressed the importance of maintaining mental and emotional strength during this time. 

“Taking time for yourself because physical attributes are not the only thing to a person. Your mental state might be in a dark zone, and that could also influence how open your body is to disease like COVID-19… taking time for yourself to relax and to hang out with people, destress and be positive,” Vodzogbe said.

Oneida Hall, like other residence halls, is taking action to emphasize the emotional and mental fortitude of its residents. Vodzogbe said that Oneida focuses on building a positive community and connecting residents and staff.

“I have an office with a bunch of wellness things that residents are always welcome to attend and come to…We also have an LLC program… where students who have a common interest in their wellness come together, live on the same floor, the first floor, and attend some of the same courses together,” Vodzogbe said.

As winter nears and viral infections increase, SUNY Oswego and its students will have to make personal and professional decisions to ensure their physical and mental well-being.

Photo by: Laura James via: Pexels