Ballad: Rising COVID-19 death toll very much a concern

“COVID-19 is now one of the leading causes of death in the country just behind heart disease.”

That statement from Ballad Health Chief Operating Officer Eric Deaton is a grim reminder that the COVID-19 pandemic is still very much ongoing locally and nationwide. During the health system’s weekly media briefing, Deaton discussed the nation’s death toll from the virus, which as of Wednesday afternoon, was over 210,000 according to Johns Hopkins University, while locally, over 300 people have died due to COVID-19.

While deaths from the virus have affected majority older populations, Deaton is concerned that as more of the younger population contracts the virus, they could see a rising trend in coronavirus deaths in younger age ranges.

Ballad officials urged people to continue following proper health protocols, especially as COVID related hospitalizations have risen back up to close to triple digits in just the last week.