COVID-19 surge continues across region
The number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths continues to rise in Washington County.
Four more COVID-19 deaths were reported by the state Department of Health on Wednesday; to date, 497 people in Washington County have died of COVID-19.
The number of new cases of coronavirus dipped to 77, and there have been an average of 140 new cases a day over the past two weeks.
Hospitalizations continue to increase, with Washington County hospitals’ ICU beds filled or near capacity. According to DOH data, one adult ICU bed was available in the county Tuesday. Of the 88 patients hospitalized for COVID-19, 29 were in ICU, and 20 were on a ventilator, the DOH said.
In Fayette County, a total of 22,327 cases were reported, and the number of COVID deaths rose to a total 518.
As of Tuesday, there were 54 patients hospitalized in Fayette County with COVID-19. Of those, eight were in the ICU. Seven patients were being treated on ventilators. There were no adult ICU beds available.
Greene County has reported a total of 6,182 COVID cases, and 78 people in the county have died from COVID-19.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends people get vaccinated in order to have safer holiday celebrations and minimize the risk of COVID-19.
In public indoor settings, the CDC advises people who are not vaccinated to wear well-fitting masks, and even people who are fully vaccinated should wear a mask in public indoor settings in communities with substantial to high transmission. Currently, Washington, Fayette, and Greene counties all continue to see high community transmission of the disease.
People who are sick or who have symptoms shouldn’t host or attend a gathering.
The CDC also encourages people to consider using a self-test before joining indoor gatherings with others who are not in your household, but currently there is a national shortage of COVID-19 tests.