There is another warning about the spike in COVID-19 cases in Elkhart County. This time, from Vice President of Medical Affairs at Elkhart General Hospital Dr. Michelle Bache.
She says in the past week alone, the inpatient capacity at Elkhart General has increased nearly 70 percent.
She said what’s different about the patients they’ve admitted is they are in their 20s, 30s an 40s, as opposed to the elderly, like the spikes last year.
Dr. Bache said the quickest way to reverse the trend is to get vaccinated, but Elkhart County’s COVID vaccination rate is lagging the nation by as much as 10 percent.
“We need your help.”
Dr. Michelle Bache, Vice President of Medical Affairs at Elkhart General Hospital, explains how COVID infection rates are climbing rapidly in Elkhart County. Hospitals are nearing capacity. pic.twitter.com/e3tf4vF5bl
— Beacon Health System (@BeaconHealthSys) April 26, 2021
Elkhart County health leaders are concerned that the county’s mask mandate and limitations on event capacities will end if Governor Eric Holcomb signs Senate Bill 5, which would move restriction power from the county health officer to the county board of commissioners.
The Elkhart Truth reports the commissioners informed Health Officer Dr. Bethany Wait that they intend to end the restrictions when that bill is signed, or if a veto is overridden.
