MCH CEO Russell Tippin is asking Odessans who want a visual of the true toll of COVID in Odessa to simply drive by Medical Center Hospital’s main building and look for the open windows.
The windows are open in COVID patient rooms to allow fresh air in and Tippin said with the largest number of COVID patients in some time at MCH that the number of open windows should give non-believers a good visual.
As of Thursday, there are 89 COVID patients at MCH with 27 on ventilators. Of those 27, Tippin said, only one is vaccinated. Most patients continue to be from Ector County. The age of patients range from 4 weeks to 96.
Of the 89, at least 64 are unvaccinated. “Look up at our main tower and you will be shocked when you see that,” Tippin said of the open windows.
“You will see what is going on all over the world and nation and here,” he said. “We beg you to use common sense and do your homework on the shots…we never said it would stop you from getting COVID but you have a better chance to survive it.”
Dr. Rohith Saravanan, regional chief medical officer at Odessa Regional Medical Center, again urged Odessans to pay attention to the numbers. “We have some tools to control that change and should use every tool,” he said.
He added that next week ORMC will limit visitors again to one per patient per entire visit and likely two per OB/GYN or peds areas. Visitors will be screened and issued a pass.
Elective surgeries will again be mostly cancelled at ORMC. “We don’t want to do this but we are doing this out of desperation to keep up with surge in our community now.”
Saravanan also urged those seeking just a COVID test to find a location other than the ER’s at the hospitals to get those tests. He said urgent cares and primary physicians are good choices if patients just need a test or need non-emergency care.
ORMC CEO Stacey Brown said the hospital had 29 COVID patients as of Thursday afternoon and that eight were in ICU on a ventilator. She said 97 percent of those 29 are unvaccinated and range in age from 21 to 81. She also pointed out that about half were below 40.
MCH Chief Nursing Officer Christin Timmons reported 20 out of work at MCH due to COVID or being exposed. She also said the state sent 11 nurses and 10 respiratory therapists to help staff at MCH.
It was also announced that Medical Center Hospital is partnering with the City of Odessa, Ector County, and the State of Texas through the Texas Division of Emergency Management to provide a Regeneron Infusion Center in Odessa on the MCH campus.
The Infusion Center will be at One Doctors Place, Suite 700 (500 N. Washington) and is scheduled to open at 1 p.m. Friday. Regeneron is two medications – casirivimab and imdevimab – that make up this particular monoclonal antibody therapy.
Monoclonal antibodies are lab-made proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off harmful pathogens, such as viruses. This therapy is for patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are at risk for hospitalization. Not only can it help prevent hospitalization, but it can also ease the symptoms of COVID-19 sooner.
Once open, a provider can make a referral for patients to receive the monoclonal antibody therapy. The provider will need to confirm their patient is a candidate and would benefit from the therapy, then call (432) 640-2022 to make the appointment. There is also an email to send appropriate documentation at [email protected].
The infusion center will be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The therapy is free, and the entire process takes about 90 minutes. Once signed-in, the patient will be taken to their room for the therapy through an IV, which takes about 20-25 minutes. Once complete, the patient will simply wait another 60 minutes to make sure they don’t have any adverse reactions, before being able to leave. It is a one-time infusion the helps boost the patient’s immune system to fight off the virus.
Don’t miss it
The Ector County Health Department has scheduled a COVID-19 Vaccine Shot Clinic for ages 18 and older from 8:30 a.m. to noon Friday at the Southside Senior Center, 900 S. Dixie Blvd. Walk-ins are welcome. For more information, call 337-4531.
