Parkland Hospital warns staffing, not space, is current COVID-19 challenge
DALLAS - Hospitalizations across North Texas are reaching peak levels as another wave of COVID-19 cases spreads throughout the area.
Collin County hospitalizations are the highest they've been since the start of the pandemic. The concern at Dallas’ Parkland Hospital is staffing, not space.
“It is not an exaggeration to say every single day we see people crying in the breakroom from sheer exhaustion,” said Dr. Joseph Chang, Parkland Chief Medical Officer.
While the general public is feeling COVID-19 fatigue, some healthcare workers are near the breaking point.
In Dallas, hospital ICU occupancy has gone from 56 percent, when the city first started tracking it, to 78 percent on Monday. That’s a slight dip from last Thursday, when it topped 80 percent.
“A word of caution, we cannot stand in front of the wave forever. We feel like we are the proverbial kid with fingers in the holes in the dike trying to prevent the water from coming in, and we are running out of fingers,” Chang said.
Chang says COVID-19 cases at the hospital went from about 70 in mid-October to 140 a couple of weeks later.
The same kinds of spikes in the average number of daily cases is also at an all-time high in other parts of the region.
“This weekend took in 25 more than discharged,” Chang said.
Even so, Chang is not as worried about running out of space or supplies as he is people.
“Having space doesn't help if you don't have people to man it,” Chang said.
One bright spot -- as cases climb, deaths are declining.
“Deaths are not rising as quickly, testament we have learned how to take care of patients better,” Chang said.
While vaccines may be on the horizon, Chang and other medical experts say it will take time before they are accessible to the masses.
“Best prediction is vaccinate 30 million end of year,” he said. “A lot, but compared with entire population of U.S., that is less than 10 percent.”
As for Thanksgiving, Chang warns people to remember 5-10 percent of people are carriers without knowing it.
“Ten to 15 people around a fire in backyard a lot different than 20-30 people around your coffee table in living room,”
Chang recommends families split up to avoid gatherings over 15 people.
“But you get into 20-30, you can guarantee there is someone in that group carrying it around and is going to spread it,” he said.
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