ROANOKE, Va – This week, the United States has broken an all-time record of patients hospitalized for COVID-19. While health systems here in our region have the capacity to treat those patients, an expected increase in cases could change that. Including Centra Lynchburg General Hospital, which had to dedicate another floor for a record number of COVID-19 patients. Despite the rise, health care workers want people to go to the hospital if they are in need of medical attention. And so we needed to get some additional capacity for storage of bodies,” Ballad Health CEO Alan Levine said.

ROANOKE, Va. – Seasonal influenza precautions were in place as of Monday at Sovah Health’s Danville and Martinsville campuses. If you are visiting the campuses, the hospital recommends the following:Please limit the number of visitors to three (3) per patient, unless otherwise specified. Centra Lynchburg General Hospital also announced restrictions on visitation during flu season. Monday afternoon, flu recommendations were being finalized for Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, according to a hospital spokesperson. According to the Virginia Department of Health, as of Dec. 28, the flu was widespread in Virginia.