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MARYSVILLE, Calif. (KTXL) — The president of Yuba and Sutter counties’ main medical center is pleading with residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Adventist Health and Rideout President Rick Rawson created a video message Wednesday explaining the medical center’s recent surge of COVID-19 patients.

“We remain concerned because we don’t see this letting up,” he said in a video posted by Yuba-Sutter Health Officer Dr. Phuong Luu. “In fact, our numbers have gone up significantly just in the last three days.”

According to state data, Yuba and Sutter counties currently have the second- and third-highest rates of COVID-19 in California. Yuba County reported Tuesday its seven-day case average was at 68.1 per 100,000 people, while Sutter County recorded 61.9 cases per 100,000. That’s well ahead of the state’s seven-day average at 28.2.

Rawson said the Marysville hospital was treating 79 COVID-19 patients as of Wednesday, with 34 patients in the 24-bed intensive care unit. Twenty of those ICU patients are on ventilators.

Tuesday, Rawson said another one of their patients died from complications of COVID-19.

“This didn’t have to be this way, and we see a direct correlation of how the delta variant is moving through the unvaccinated population in Yuba and Sutter counties,” Rawson said.

According to Rawson, over 95% of COVID-19 patients in their ICU are unvaccinated. When they come into the hospital “they realize the serious situation they’re in, want the vaccination, but at that point, it’s too late.”

As of Monday, roughly 33% of Yuba County’s residents were fully vaccinated. Sutter County’s population was roughly 44% fully vaccinated.

With his staff and facilities stretched so thin, Rawson asked the community to work with each other and encourage one another to get vaccinated.

“But I’m asking for your help because we can all make a difference,” he said. “We can make a difference in the health and well-being of our community if we can come together, get past our divisions and realize that vaccination is the best way we can protect our schools, our children, our teachers, our economy, our loved ones and our community.”