Athens area hospital data As of Monday morning, the number of COVID-19 patients in St. Mary's hospitals was in the upper 20s, which is an increase over the last few weeks, according to Montez Carter, CEO of St. Mary's Health Care System. Due to this increase, the Athens hospital has at times had to “go on diversion,” and the hospital went on diversion Monday, according to Carter. This means that at this time, the hospital could not accept any EMS (emergency medical services) patients because its status was "total diversion." Carter reported that due to the severity of symptoms, many patients have required extended hospital stays and as the number of cases in the area rises, the hospital faces a strain on their bed capacity.