HOUSTON — There’s no doubt the COVID-19 case numbers trending up has given everyone cause for concern. But it’s more cause for concern for hospitals.
What they’re facing are full emergency rooms and fewer beds to treat patients as the Delta variant continues to infect people at an alarming rate.
A memo that went out to Houston Methodist employees this week details the numbers:
- 97 percent of COVID cases in its 8 hospitals from the Delta variant
- 42 percent of hospitalizations between the ages of 25 and 50
- 82 percent of its COVID patients are unvaccinated
While 84 percent of COVID patients are not requiring ICU care right now, previous surges indicate the number of ICU patients will increase.
Houston Methodist’s Dr. Ben Saldaña said getting the vaccine is the simplest way to prevent COVID as much as possible.
“The vaccination prevents severe illness, prevents hospitalization, and again, we want to make sure our hospitals and ERs are open,” Dr. Saldaña said.
According to Houston Methodist, it's managing this load and adding COVID beds every day. The hospital is also rescheduling elective surgeries on a case-by-case basis.