UPDATE: Ballad Health evaluates high spike in COVID cases

Hospitalizations related to COVID-19 in Ballad Health facilities continue to increase.

During Ballad’s weekly media briefing, officials said 94 people were hospitalized, including 22 in intensive care, and 14 on a ventilator. 55 patients are also “under investigation” which means they have symptoms and are awaiting to get their test results back.

In addition to the increased hospitalizations, percentages of positive cases from Ballad COVID-19 tests, are now at almost 11 percent, a sharp uptick from earlier in the year when cases were at less than 1 percent positive.

Chief Infection Prevention Officer Jamie Swift reiterated Ballad’s message to continue taking appropriate precautions like wearing a mask and social distancing and hopes that the enactment of mask mandates across the region help to curb the spread.

(GRAPHIC: Unsplash)