‘Covid is killing people right here in Stephenville.’ City’s health authority calls situation dire.
Stephenville’s health authority Dr. Kelly Doggett said the situation at Texas Health Stephenville is going from “bad to worse.”
He told Beneath the Surface News on Tuesday night that the hospital has expanded its ICU department, and that the state has sent in four respiratory techs and 10 nurses to help.
“We currently have 22 patients admitted with COVID-19,” Doggett said. “At any given time, there are four to five on a ventilator, five to seven on BiPap and seven to 10 on high flow oxygen.
“In addition to admitted patients, the Emergency Department is overflowing as well and they are literally treating patients in hallways. I was told today that 10 people have died from Covid in the last two weeks in our hospital.”
Dr. Doggett said a local cardiologist is working full time at the hospital to take care of Covid patients.
“That physician told me they had personally intubated four patients this week,” he said. “We are having immense difficulty finding beds for very sick patients that don’t have Covid.
“Heart attacks, strokes, GI bleeds and so forth because all of our upstream hospitals are full. As of 2 p.m. today (Tuesday) we had 42 new cases.
“We are likely under reporting due to the large amount of home test being performed and not reported to us. Some estimates are that we are missing 20 to 30% of cases.
“I don’t know how many different ways I can say this, but we are in the midst of a public health crisis.
“The situation at the hospital is critical and is likely going to get worse.
“By now everyone knows what to do. It’s not news anymore. At this point I’m begging people to do the right thing.
“Covid is killing people right here in Stephenville. Get vaccinated and wear a mask indoors around others. Please.”
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