Andy East | The Republic
State health officials reported a record-breaking 170 new coronavirus cases in Bartholomew County on Wednesday — the highest ever in the county — as local health officials warn that the next couple months will likely be “rough.”
It was the second consecutive day that a new record for daily COVID-19 cases was set in the county after 138 cases were reported Tuesday, according to the Indiana Department of Health. Before this week, the record was 126 cases on Dec. 2, 2020.
Bartholomew County also recorded five new COVID-19 deaths this week, raising the total to 206 lives lost over the course of the pandemic.
Bartholomew County Health Officer Dr. Brian Niedbalski said the abrupt increase in cases is likely being driven by the hyper-contagious omicron variant, adding that the road ahead for the next couple months is “probably going to be rough.”
“The significant increase in cases is proving how contagious the omicron variant can be,” Niedbalski said. “…Unfortunately, our health system continues to be overrun with ill patients, including those with COVID. Compounding that problem is the number of sick providers, nurses and ancillary staff who are testing positive.”
“The next month or two are probably going to be rough,” he added. “Influenza cases might pick up, too.”
The steep rise in cases in Bartholomew County came as Indiana set its own all-time record for daily coronavirus cases — 15,264 — and COVID-19 hospitalizations eclipsed 3,300 for the time in 13 months.
State records show that 91.5% of the state’s 2,023 intensive care unit beds were occupied as of Thursday. Hospitals across the state were at their most overwhelmed point of the pandemic as officials struggled to handle a deepening flood of patients amid the worst coronavirus wave so far.
Locally, capacity remained “incredibly tight” earlier this week at Columbus Regional Hospital, with 51 people, including one child, hospitalized with COVID-19 on Monday — just eight fewer than the all-time record 59 set on Dec. 2, 2020.
CRH has set new all-time inpatient census records several times over the past month, reaching 198 on at least two occasions — the most ever in the hospital’s 104-year history.
Hospital officials have warned that the surge of patients has been placing in jeopardy the space and resources needed for patients with unavoidable medical emergencies or accidents.
COVID-19 patients have generally accounted for one-fourth to one-third of CRH’s total hospitalizations as of late, “placing serious strain on vital resources, such as space, equipment and staffing,” hospital officials said.
“The collective strain being placed on the healthcare systems and medical professionals in our area has immediate and distressing implications to medical services and hospital access to all the patients and communities we serve,” the CRH staff said in a statement last week. “At this critical time, every bed counts.”
The latest surge also comes nearly a week after Jackson County reached a grim milestone — 100 COVID-19 deaths. The county’s virus death toll now stands at 101 after recording an additional death on Tuesday.
Nearly 718,000 COVID-19 cases were reported Tuesday nationwide, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Omicron is currently the culprit in more than 90% of U.S. cases, a dizzying rise from less than 10% two weeks ago, The Associated Press reported.
Local officials are urging people to get vaccinated, saying the vaccines are the “best defense” against severe illness. About 80% of coronavirus patients at CRH — 4 out of 5 — are unvaccinated, hospital officials said previously.
“While COVID-19 vaccines and boosters may not completely prevent infections, they remain our best defense against serious disease, hospitalizations and death,” Niedbalski said. “Hopefully, with a combination of natural infection and vaccinated individuals, we will reach a level of herd immunity soon — unless another variant pops up to burst the bubble.”
