Local hospitals, including Suburban Community Hospital in Norristown, are seeing significantly fewer COVID-19 patients to the great relief of doctors and nurses, writes Stacey Burling for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“It’s refreshing,” said Richard Lucas, chair of the Suburban Community Hospital’s department of emergency medicine. “It feels like the first spring day after a long winter.”

Lucas can remember when the hospital was running out of ventilators to cater for all of the patients who were sick with coronavirus.

During its first peak in May 2020, the hospital had more than 50 inpatients with coronavirus. In January, the number was 48, however by last month, the total was down to 12. And for the first eight days of this month, only three cases were recorded.

 Now they are seeing more patients with other respiratory viruses, twisted ankles, and abdominal pain.

 “Life is slowly getting back to normal,” Lucas said. “And who doesn’t like life to be normal?”

However, those patients currently being hospitalized with coronavirus are predominantly unvaccinated, and some doctors are worried about what could happen to others who have not been immunized come fall.

Read more about Suburban Community Hospital in The Philadelphia Inquirer.