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RANDY PATRICK

Sun Reporter

As cases of COVID-19 have increased rapidly in Clark County and Kentucky in the last several weeks, Clark Regional Medical Center has seen an increase in hospitalizations because of the  virus, as have other hospitals in the region.

According to Matt Smith, chief executive officer of the Winchester hospital, Clark Regional is currently treating fewer than 10 patients who have tested positive for the sometimes deadly virus, which amounts to about 11 percent of the hospital’s inpatients.

“Like our fellow healthcare providers, we continue to be challenged by the concerning trend of COVID-19 in our local community and across the nation,” Smith said in a prepared statement.

He said the hospital is working closely with the Clark County Health Department, the Kentucky Department of Health and our partners in providing care for its patients.

“We continue to closely monitor the prevalence of the virus in our community and build upon our hospital’s emergency operations plan … which maps out — among many things — our escalation plan in the event of a surge of patients. We monitor hospital capacity within every department each day, closely tracking fluctuations in emergency, acute and critical care areas and regularly reporting our capacity in these areas to the state,” Smith said.

In a news release, Jennifer Tyson, a spokesperson for the hospital and its parent company, LifePoint Health, noted that up to 40 percent of those infected show few symptoms or none, so the virus can spread quickly, often among those who don’t even know they have it.

Because of the new virus, combined with the flu and cooler temperatures, the community is facing what could be a particularly challenging winter. The hospital urges people to “be diligent” in efforts to slow the spread of the illness by continuing to wear masks, frequently washing their hands and following social distancing protocols.

“We also want to remind community members to not put off the care they need during the pandemic,” Smith said in his statement. “We have procedures in place to ensure that it is safe to come to our hospital should you or your family need care.”

More information related to testing, visitors and safety procedures is available online at ClarkRegional.org.