The Oregon National Guard arrived Friday to provide assistance to Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria and Providence Seaside Hospital, which have seen more coronavirus patients during the surge of the delta variant.

While the number of local virus patients is not as high as other hospitals in Oregon — five at Columbia Memorial, three at Providence Seaside as of Thursday — the increase in virus cases and hospitalizations over the past several weeks has caused stress to the region’s health care network.

In August, Gov. Kate Brown announced the deployment of up to 1,500 National Guard personnel to support health care workers across the state.

Columbia Memorial will place the National Guard in environmental services, the emergency department, security, materials and food services, according to Nancee Long, the hospital’s director of communications.

Some of the National Guard will also be used at Clatsop County’s virus testing site at Camp Rilea, Long said.

At Providence Seaside, areas of support will include access monitoring, temporary screeners, transporters and environmental services.

The arrival of the National Guard at Seaside’s hospital is “just part of the rollout that’s been initiated in phases — support went to the areas most in need first,” said Mike Antrim, a spokesman for Providence Seaside.

The surge of virus cases continues to take a toll on health care workers, said Mary Romanaggi, an emergency department nurse in Seaside.

“As far as the atmosphere at the hospital with all of the caregivers, we are spent,” she said.

People with symptoms of COVID-19 come daily to the emergency department. “Not every patient that we see with COVID symptoms gets admitted, but it is every day, all day, that we care for this population, and yes, most are unvaccinated,” Romanaggi said. “We’re tired and short-staffed. I would welcome the National Guard.”

The Oregon Health Authority reported six new virus cases for the county on Friday and 27 new virus cases on Thursday. Since the pandemic began, the county had recorded 1,913 virus cases and 21 deaths as of Friday.