WE’RE HEARING A LOT ABOUT CASES RISING WHEN IT COMES TO COVID-19 BOTH
NATIONALLY AND HERE IN TOWN ARE
WE SEEING IT IN OUR HOSPITALS.
>> DOCTOR DIEGO MISS ELLIE IS
THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF
RESPIRATORY THERAPY AT
UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL AND
ASSISTANT CLINICAL PROFESSOR
AT UT HEALTH SAN ANTONIO, HE
JOINS US NOW LIVE. DOCTOR YOU
HAVE BEEN ON THE COVID
FOR WAR SINCE REALLY THE
BEGINNING OF THIS PANDEMIC ARE
WE SEEING AN INCREASE IN CASES
IN SAN ANTONIO.
>> YES STEAL FORTUNATELY, WE
ARE SEEING A RISE IN THE NUMBER
OF CASES INCIDENT O’NEILL
AND WE ALSO HAVE SEEN THE
NUMBER OF PATIENTS BEING
HOSPITALIZED
AS WELL. AND UNFORTUNATELY THAT
HAS ALSO LED TO MORE THAN JUST
TO THE ICU SO DEFINITELY THE
NUMBERS ARE HIGHER.
>> IS IT MOSTLY THE DELTA
VARIANT THAT YOU ARE SEEING
AMONG PEOPLE WHO WERE
HOSPITALIZED AT THIS POINT.
IS THAT A GOOD
WE HAVE CERTAINLY TESTED WITH
THE DELTA VARIANT AND
WE HAVE CASES IN SAN ANTONIO,
WE DON’T TEST
EVERYONE INDIVIDUALLY BUT THERE
IS SOME CERTAINLY CASES IN OUR
CITY AND AS YOU KNOW IN EVERY
STATE IN THE
UNITED STATES. BUT DEFINITELY
WE HAVE CASES OF DELTA AND THE
DELTA VARIANT IN THE HOSPITAL
ARE THESE PEOPLE THAT YOU’RE
SEEING MAINLY AND IF THEY ARE.
>> ARE THEY EXPRESSING ANY
REGRETS THAT THEY DIDN’T GET
THE VACCINE.
>> IS THAT’S A THAT’S A TOUGH
QUESTION. YES. AROUND 95% OF
MORE OF THAT THEY STILL WE SEE
INSIDE THE HOSPITAL ARE
UNVACCINATED PATIENTS.
AND YES WHEN WE
DISCUSS THE LITTLE THINGS IN
THEIR CARE WITH THE PATIENTS
THEY DO EXPRESS THAT THEY WISH
THEY WERE VACCINATED OR THEY
WISH THEY HAD YOU KNOW BEEN
VACCINATED PREVIOUSLY
UNFORTUNATELY AS YOU GET TO THE
SEAS, THEIRS. IT’S ALREADY TOO
LATE THERE IN THE HOSPITAL
READY AND SUFFERING FROM THE
DISEASE. WE’VE TALKED ABOUT
THOSE SO-CALLED BREAKTHROUGH
CASES HERE OR ON ON
THE SHOW.
>> PEOPLE BEING INFECTED WITH
COVID AFTER BEING
FULLY VACCINATED CAN YOU TALK
ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE IN HOW THE
ILLNESS IS PRESENTING ITSELF
THAT
THE SYMPTOMS FOR PEOPLE WHO
HAVE BEEN FULLY VACCINATED AND
PEOPLE WHO ARE UNVACCINATED.
>> FOR PATIENTS THAT
HAVE BEEN VACCINATED IN OUR
EXPERIENCE IS THAT THE DISEASE
IS SIGNIFICANTLY IT’S MINOR
MINOR SYMPTOMS AS IT’S LESS
INTENSE FOR THE PATIENTS THAT.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF
THESE PATIENTS DON’T REQUIRE
HOSPITAL ADMISSION OR YOUR
VISIT. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE
PIECES THAT ARE NOT VACCINATED
THE SEAS AS YOU KNOW BECOMES
VERY SEVERE. SO THE VACCINE
DOES NOT ONLY PREVENT THE
DISEASE, BUT IF YOU ACTUALLY
COULD CONTRACT THE DISEASE.
IT’S GOING TO BE LESS SEVERE.
WHAT HAS THIS BEEN LIKE FOR YOU
PERSONALLY.
>> I MEAN WE WE’VE READ SO
MUCH ABOUT HEALTH CARE WORKERS
AND FIRST RESPONDERS AND PEOPLE
WHO ARE ON THE FRONT LINE OF
THIS PANDEMIC.
HOW HARD HAS IT BEEN FOR YOU
AND.
IS IT ALMOST DEJA VU ALL OVER
AGAIN TO QUOTE YOGI BERRA THAT
WE’RE SEEING THESE CASES RISE.
JUST WHEN WE THOUGHT WE MAYBE
WE WERE CLEAR OF THEM.
>> IS AS YOU
KNOW WELL, OUR FIRST CASES MORE
THAN A YEAR IN THE HOSPITAL SO
IT’S BEEN A LONG
NOT ONLY FOR ME, BUT ALSO FOR
THE TEAM AT DIFFERENT HOSPITALS
NURSES
NURSE PRACTITIONERS, EVERYONE
AND THAT OVERSPREAD THE
THERAPIST AND LIPSTICKS BEEN
HARD FOR US. YES,
IT SINCE YOU KNOW A LITTLE BIT
OF PPE IS THE YOU KNOW AS WE
WALK THROUGH THE HALLWAYS AND
WE
SEE AGAIN THE DIFFERENT SIGNS
OF ISOLATION, NO REST FOR
DIFFERENT CAUTIONS. IN OUR
PATIENTS ARE HALLWAYS OR CAN
CONTINUE TO UP YOU KNOW THAT
BECOMING A LITTLE BIT MORE
BUSIER WITH CORONAVIRUS
PATIENTS SO IT’S DEFINITELY A
VISUAL. YOU KNOW
I FEEL ANXIOUS ABOUT
AND GET WORRIED ABOUT NOT ONLY
OUR PATIENTS, BUT OUR
PATIENTS FAMILIES WHO YOU KNOW
ARE MAKE SPOONS AGAIN THE SURGE
OF CASES OF CORONAVIRUS IT’S
IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT
THE VACCINE PREVENTS THE
DISEASE. SO IT’S SOMETHING THAT
WE STILL WENY TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDS THE VACCINATION IS
VERY IMPORTANT FOR THOSE THAT
HAVE NOT BEEN VACCINATED
IT’S IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO GET
THE VACCINE SO THEY CAN BE
PROTECTED. FLU CONTRACTING THE
DISEASE AND IF YOU GET TO THE
SEASON’S GOING TO BE
SIGNIFICANT ME LESS SEVERE.
>> IT CERTAINLY SINCE THAT
BLAST SURGE WE SAW YOU KNOW
RIGHT AFTER THANKSGIVING
VACCINATIONS HAVE BEEN THE
BIGGEST CHANGE MUCH MORE WIDELY
AVAILABLE ANYBODY WHO’S
ELIGIBLE CAN GET ONE AT THIS
POINT. THAT’S A HUGE
DIFFERENCE. BUT FOR YOU
IS THERE IS THERE SOMETHING
THAT HAS CHANGED IN THE
HOSPITAL SETTING WHEN IT COMES
TO HOW YOU’RE TREATING PATIENTS
OR OF THE WAYS THE THERAPIES
THAT THEY’RE GETTING SINCE THE
FALL SURGE.
>> YES, I
OUR TEAMS ARE MORE COMFORTABLE
MANAGING THE PATIENTS WE
YOU KNOW DEVELOPING NEWS IS
THAT HAS HELPED US TO THE
DIFFERENT PROTOCOLS. WE HAVE
THAT FOR MANY PATIENTS THAT
CAN HELP OUR PATIENTS
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY MEDICATIONS
ANTIVIRAL MEDICATIONS IN OTHER
AND YOU KNOW THEY CAN EXPLORE
HELPING THEIR PATIENTS.
NEVERTHELESS WE STILL HAVE A
LOT OF THEM ARE TO LEARN ABOUT
THIS. RELATIVELY NEW DISEASE.
AND UNFORTUNATELY SOMETIMES OUR
BEST EFFORTS ARE
NOT ENOUGH. AND IN SOME YOU
KNOW THAT THIS IS
STILL FATAL. SO WE HAVE DONE A
LOT OF WORK IN WE’VE IMPROVED
OUR CARE FOR
THESE PATIENTS, BUT IT IS STILL
A LOT OF THINGS TO LEARN FROM
IT SO WE KNOW THE WOODS YET
UNFORTUNATELY.
>> WHAT DOES THIS DISEASE DUE
TO THE LONGS I KNOW YOUR
RESPIRATORY ARREST FOR TERRI
THERAPIST I MEAN WHAT DOES
IT DO. 2 YEAR LONG SO WHAT IS
THE DAMAGE THAT YOU’VE SCENE.
>> YES, SO THE VIRUS INFECTION WILL CAUSE SIGNIFICANT INFLAMMATION TO THE
AND SOME THINGS THAT CAN NEED
YOU KNOW THE DAMAGE THAT MAY BE
PERMANENT. IN SOME CASES.
THE THE DAMAGE IS
SO SEVERE. THE PATIENTS MAY NOT
BE ABLE TO BREATHE ON THEIR OWN
SO THEY’RE CONNECTED TO YOU.
THE VENTILATORS AS
YOU KNOW, AND UNFORTUNATELY AT
TIMES EVEN THE VENTILATORS AND
ALL THESE ADVANCED EQUIPMENT IS
NOT ENOUGH TO SUSTAIN LIFE.
THE LOANS ARE JUST VERY DAMAGED
FOR MORE INFORMATION.
ADDITIONALLY THEY ALSO GET
AND THE OTHER INFECTIONS AND
OTHER COMPLICATIONS FROM BEING
IN THE HOSPITAL AND SO
YOU KNOW IT’S A
CASCADE EFFECT. BUT THIS IS
JUST BECOME SICKER AND SICKER
AND FORTUNE OF THE THINGS THEY
CANNOT GET BETTER.
>> AND BEFORE WE WRAP THIS UP
HERE DOCTOR YOU’RE SAYING THAT
MUCH OF THIS IS LARGELY
PREVENTABLE.
>> THAT’S THE BIGGEST THE
BIGGEST MESSAGE FROM FOR THE
COMMUNITIES
OF THIS DISEASE KNOW IS
PREVENTABLE WITH A VACCINE
THAT’S
VERY SUCCESSFUL. AND THAT
SHOULD BE REALLY OUR FOCUS IS
TO TRY TO VACCINATE AS MANY
PEOPLE AS WE CAN TO PREVENT OF
THE SEASON AND PREVENT FURTHER FATALITIES AND COMPLICATIONS FROM
THE INFECTION.
>> DOCTOR DIEGO MISS ELLIE FROM
UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL AND UT
HEALTH SAN ANTONIO. THANK YOU
FOR YOUR TIME AND THANK YOU FOR
YOUR EFFORTS AND WHAT YOU
CONTINUE TO DO TO HELP THESE
PATIENTS THAT HAVE COME DOWN