Ballad Health officials continued calling on the community to get vaccinated against COVID-19 on Wednesday, with Chief Operating Officer Eric Deaton saying he believes the region could have 70% of its population at least partially inoculated by July 4 â a nationwide goal set by President Joe Biden earlier this week.
âIâm optimistic and hopeful that we can get to that as well in this region,â Deaton said, noting that medical professionals have to convince people of the urgency to get the vaccine, while encouraging those who are unsure about receiving them to ask questions and âmake an informed decision.â
The hospital systemâs messaging comes during a nationwide slowdown of vaccinations.
Increases in COVID cases, positivity are alarming Southwest Virginia hospital officials roanoke.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from roanoke.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
For the first time in nearly two months, Ballad Health was treating more than 100 people hospitalized with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on Monday, worrying hospital officials and prompting renewed concerns about the impact another increase in hospitalizations will have on healthcare workers whoâve battled the virus for more than a year now.
âItâs really hard on the team,â Balladâs Chief Infection Prevention Officer Jamie Swift said. âTheyâve come through this, they now know what could lie ahead and thatâs really disheartening and thatâs hard for a lot of them.â
Balladâs Chief Operating Officer Eric Deaton said the systemâs in-house modeling shows a potential surge to more than 150-160 hospitalizations if current trends continue.
Itâs been nearly six months since Laila Cowell tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
âMy initial symptoms were not at all alarming, I had lost my taste and smell, I had a fever, aches and pains and generally (was) weak and short of breath,â Cowell said during a press conference Monday morning. âI felt unwell, but not so ill that I needed to seek care in a hospital, and I took care of myself at home and fully expected to return to life as normal within two weeks.
âBy the end of week three, I felt much worse,â Cowell continued. âI had new symptoms including skin and joint pain, muscle pain, (brain) fog, chest pain, blurry vision and excessively high heart rate that showed up any time I did any minimal activity.â
Northeast Tennessee’s seven-day average for new cases dropped to its lowest rate since Dec. 31 on Wednesday, with the region adding fewer than 300 new cases for the third consecutive