LOUISVILLE, Ky. — COVID-19 case trends follow a pattern, according to experts. First come positive cases, followed by hospitalizations and deaths. Less than 15% of patients with COVID-19 require hospitalization.
FOCUS is diving into data on hospitalizations related to COVID-19 in Kentucky and Indiana.
Looking at Kentucky’s graph, the blue line shows COVID-19 patients in need of hospital treatment. The patients in need of care in the ICU are marked by the orange line. The gray segment on each line notes the day the mask mandate was put in place.
Following July’s case increases, both lines flow upwards into August. The data labels point to the high points compared to where hospitalization numbers are now.
Hospitalizations are on the down slope and ICU rates seem to have steadied as well.
Looking at Indiana’s graph, the data begins in April. The blue line shows the number of COVID-19 patients under ICU care and the orange line shows those requiring a ventilator. The date of the mask mandate is marked in gray.
Following the lines to the right, both appear to be decreasing. After slight increases in July, current ICU rates are on the way down. The number of patients on ventilators is not quite as steady but still not topping previous highs.
While case count increases in July were followed by increased hospitalizations in July and August, total hospitalization are still well below the healthcare capacity.
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