Covid-19 Cases Continue To Rise In Our Area. According To Ballad Health Officials, 168 People Are Hospitalized, 25 Patients Are In ICU, Nine Are On Ventilators And 4 Pediatric Inpatients Are At Niswonger Children’s Hospital. Chief Infection Prevention Officer For Ballad, Jamie Swift Said The Rise In Cases Is Driven By The Ba.5 Variant, Which Is Highly Contagious And Infectious.