Lexington Medical Center reported fewer cases but 1 more death than last week.

The hospital reported 4 deaths and 176 covid cases, down from 192 last week.

161 of them are unvaccinated and 15 vaccinated.

47 covid patients are in intensive care, down from 49. 43 are unvaccinated and 4 were vaccinated.

Dr. Brent Powers, Lexington Medical Center’s chief medical officer, said in just 7 weeks the health system had gone from having 4 covid patients to nearly 200.

“We have hit an all-time high water mark in our 50-year history on ventilators,” he said. “At one point last week, we had close to 70 patients on ventilators. Unfortunately, some of those patients have not survived and our ventilator numbers have come down.”

Hospital officials said covid patients are younger and healthier on average and have more reserve to fight the disease than patients they treated in prior surges.

Many are spending multiple weeks in the hospital before recovering and being discharged or dying.

“What we’re facing is an increasing length of stay because of the younger patient population,” Powers said. “We need more beds to take care of the same number of covid patients.”

“Is this going to be a three-to-four-week thing or is this going to be a three-to-four-month thing?” Powers said. “If it’s three-to-four months, our community is going to suffer in ways that I don’t think it has ever experienced before.”

Powers pleaded for residents to stop relying on social media for their health information and to listen to medical professionals.

“You trust us for your mammograms, you trust us for stress tests, you trust us for your colonoscopies,” Powers said. “Trust us now. Wear your mask, get your shot. Please.”

South Carolina had just over 100 covid patients in hospitals in July.

Now it has more than 2,100, according to the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Friday’s total of 2,138 covid inpatients is the most since late January, and only about 300 off the single-day record of 2,466 Jan. 13.