Bartholomew County health officials have expressed concern about the spread of COVID-19 in the community as the number of cases and hospitalizations continue to increase.
On Wednesday, there were 14 people hospitalized with the virus at Columbus Regional Hospital, up from four on Aug. 1, the hospital said. This past Saturday and Monday, hospitalizations at CRH had reached 17 — the highest since May 18. All patients hospitalized on Wednesday were adults.
Additionally, 10 CRH employees are currently infected with COVID-19, hospital officials said. A total of 46 CRH employees have tested positive for the virus over the course of the pandemic.
Bartholomew County Health Officer Dr. Brian Niedbalski said “we are seeing more activity of COVID-19 in our county” and is meeting “frequently” with representatives from the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. and hospital system to monitor the spread of COVID-19 in Bartholomew County and surrounding communities.
“BCSC, CRH representatives, and myself continue to monitor the status of COVID-19 in our community,” Niedbalski said. “Cases and hospitalizations continue to rise, so there is cause for concern. These numbers might hopefully improve over the next week. We are meeting frequently to determine the best course of action for schools, as COVID-19 remains a very fluid situation.”
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Republic.
