By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Mosaic Life Care reports a sharp increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations.
Mosaic, Tuesday morning, reports 82 coronavirus patients in its St. Joseph hospital and five at Maryville. It reported 74 COVID-19 patients in St. Joseph Monday.
Mosaic Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Davin Turner, says the jump in new cases in Buchanan County and hospitalizations in St. Joseph only emphasize the need to keep up with safety precautions.
“So, the masks, though inconvenient, are an inexpensive way to hopefully protect us, protect our loved ones, and hopefully protect those that we encounter,” Turner tells reporters during a Zoom call. “Yes, the numbers are increasing. We believe the numbers would be higher if we were not wearing masks.”
Turner also advises residents to wash their hands thoroughly and to maintain social distance in an effort to curb COVID-19.
St. Joseph health officials report 66 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday with an additional death.
Officials say a man in his 70’s with underlying health issues died of COVID-19.
Buchanan County reports 4,528 total cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Buchanan County has recorded 53 deaths.
Turner strikes a cautionary tone when discussing upcoming family get-togethers.
“Really, use common sense about getting your family together in this time of giving thanks and of coming together,” Turner says. “But we need to be certainly realistic and cautious about how big those functions are. So, we would just recommend that you use good judgment, talk with your family, put good plans together to keep everyone safe.”