SEATTLE (AP) – Authorities in Washington state said Monday that COVID-19 hospital admission rates “looked better” but hospitalizations still remain high.

Cassie Sauer, CEO of the Washington State Hospital Association, told a weekly news briefing that deaths continue to rise – an expected trend that often comes two to four weeks after a wave of hospitalizations. She said about 30 people in the statistic die from the coronavirus every day.

The Seattle Times reports that two weeks ago, according to the most recent and comprehensive COVID-19 data from the state Department of Health, the average hospitalization rate in Washington was around 14.7 admissions for 100,000 people, against 17.7 admissions per 100,000 people at the end of August.

Although hospitalizations are declining, the hospital association also remains concerned about the condition’s lack of monoclonal antibodies – a treatment that has been shown to be very effective in preventing hospitalization in people with mild to moderate COVID-19. if given within seven to 10 days of symptom onset.

Hospitals and other providers ordered treatment directly from the manufacturer, while today the manufacturer allocates allowances to states through the federal government.

Staff shortages, especially among nurses, continue to worry hospital executives, who say workers are still “quite discouraged” despite some optimistic trends in hospitalization.

“They go through all the emotions, all the hard work required to care for COVID patients,” Dr. Radha Agrawal, pulmonologist and intensive care medicine specialist at Overlake Medical Center in Bellevue said Monday. “But at the same time, they’re not seeing the positive (long-term) results they’re hoping for.”

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