FILE - This 2020 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows SARS-CoV-2 virus particles which cause COVID-19. The coronavirus mutant that just became dominant in the United States as of May 2022 is a member of the omicron family. But scientists say it spreads faster than its omicron predecessors, is adept at escaping immunity and might possibly cause more serious disease. (Hannah A. Bullock, Azaibi Tamin/CDC via AP, File)

Hannah A. Bullock Azaibi Tamin

Butler County still is at a high COVID-19 community level, as designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a week after receiving the classification.

Butler Health System reported Tuesday that Butler Memorial Hospital had 18 inpatients who tested positive for COVID-19, and three of them were in the intensive care unit.

David Rottinghaus, Butler Health System's chief medical officer and emergency medical physician, said despite the uptick in cases and hospitalizations this past week, patients are generally not experiencing symptoms as extreme as before, thanks to vaccinations and prior infection. Additionally, the infection rate is still lower than it was earlier this year.

“Our experience is about the same, especially regionally, where we are seeing cases rise but we're not seeing that in hospitalizations,” he said. “Generally, with the newer variants, we are seeing generally shorter lengths of stay.”

Rottinghaus also said the testing rate at the system’s clinic has ticked upwards recently, but there are still many positive and negative tests going unaccounted for, as people are using at-home tests, too.

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