Covid-19 cases continue to rise in Imperial County

Health officials are worried with flu season rapidly approaching and COVID-19 cases continuing to rise - Vince Ybarra reports

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KECY, KYMA) - COVID-19 positivity rates are on the rise and health officials are ringing the alarm.

Dr. Stephen Munday said that he is worried with the school year in progress, Imperial Valley will continue to see cases rise in the coming months.

"The cases are definitely going up," said Dr. Munday.

That same sentiment is echoed by El Centro Regional Medical Center CEO, Dr. Adolphe Edward. In the last few weeks, he said that COVID-19 patients went from 0 to 18 as of today.

He continues to urge those who are not vaccinated to get the shot.

"Unfortunately for us, the prediction is that we are going to continue to see an uptick or rise in numbers," said Dr. Edward.

Dr. Edward said that every 1 in 4 patients that test for COVID-19 turns out positive.

“We’re running at least 130 to 150 COVID test a day now so we’re seeing a lot of patients coming in with COVID symptoms,” said Dr. Edward.

He said not everyone is admitted to the hospital. If a person is vaccinated, they can rest at home. Only unvaccinated people are admitted to the hospital for monitoring.

Dr. Edward said the hospital will put up tents to maximize bed capacity next week.