BRAZOS COUNTY, TX — ”We are quickly running out of room for patients, you know, if we don’t have some kind of change soon,” said Jason McKnight, a Primary Care Physician & Health Population Expert with Texas A&M.
There are currently over 1,000 active cases in the Brazos Valley.
”We have now, the highest level of hospitalizations that we’ve had throughout this pandemic, in Brazos county, and also, as of this morning, our ICU capacity is reaching near max capacity,” McKnight shared.
This overwhelming capacity hinders many patients who may need assistance for other reasons.
”The biggest thing is, even though overwhelming the health care system has implications for COVID, there are also other individuals that are sick, with other things that are not COVID,” McKnight added.
With ICU beds at a max of 96% percent occupancy, and 81% percent of total hospital beds occupied—Dr. McKnight expresses it will only get worse as the effects of holiday gatherings continue to show.
”You know, the problem with the holidays right now, is that we have Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years all very close together, and so right now we're seeing cases just kind of stack on top of each other,” McKnight expressed.
Dr. McKnight urges the community to not only think of yourself, but your neighbors when it comes to gathering for the holidays, because the worst is yet to come—and these implications are showing across the board.
”We’ve been talking for the past year, about those at high risk for COVID-19, but we have to remember we see individuals who aren't at high risk otherwise, requiring hospitalization, and that’s what’s scary and what’s real,” said Dr. Seth Sullivan, the Infectious Disease Physician & Alternate Health Authority of the Brazos County
Health experts recommend celebrating the new year, with those in your household, to help limit the spread.
”Coming out of 2020 and into 2021, it’s just an odd year, and we look at all that’s happened around us, and we know that we’re not done, we know that there is plenty of COVID-19 transmitting in our community,” Dr. Sullivan said.
Experts want to express to the community the importance of remaining patient and how during this difficult time, as the community waits for heard immunity and the availability of more vaccines—the good fight is not over yet.