‘Let’s protect ourselves’: Weekly check-in with UMC’s Dr. Jose Burgos

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- In an effort to deliver the most comprehensive coronavirus coverage, ABC-7 has started a weekly feature where we ask Dr. Jose Burgos, the director of internal medicine at University Medical Center, the same seven questions each week to track how the pandemic is changing.

Here's the Q&A for Thursday, May 28:

Mauricio Casillas (KVIA): How has this past week gone for you?

Dr. Jose Burgos (Internal Medicine Director, UMC): "To be honest with you, I was expecting to see more people from Mother's Day. We had a steady volume of admissions. We didn't really see that peak that we were waiting for. Congratulations to the city of El Paso. It seems that like we behaved decently on Mother's Day."

Casillas: Can hospitals handle the current number of patients?

Burgos: "Our Covid units, our Covid-dedicated units still have capacity to handle more patients."

Casillas: What should people at home be doing right now?

Burgos: "Keep the mask on you wash your hands. Keep social distancing. Don't go to over crowded places. Don't expose your parents, your grandparents. Don't expose your kids. Just try to limit exposure."

Casillas: What is the most eye-opening thing you’ve seen this week?

Burgos: "We started using the the new medication Remdesivir. We had good results with it so far. What I've noticed is that the length of stay, which is the duration of the hospitalization, was shorter. People were getting better faster with the medication. Now, it doesn't mean that this is a magic cure."

Casillas: What is your prediction for next week?

Burgos: "That is hard to predict. As the economy opens up again, we are going to be tempted to be doing a lot more social activities. Which is fine, but if you do, remember, just protect yourself and avoid large groups of people."

Casillas: What is giving you hope at this time?

Burgos: "If you look at the number of people who have been infected, the people who are recovering, the number is large. It's a hopeful thing to keep in mind."

Casillas: What is your message to the Borderland?

Burgos: "This is not invented by the media. It's not invented by the physicians. It's not invented by anybody trying to come up with medications to be richer -- and all of those theories that are going around. It's a real condition. You're seeing the numbers. You're seeing the numbers of people in the hospital, people who are dying from this, so let's protect ourselves."

Statistics for May 28:

• 2,569 total cases, 1,032 active cases, 72 deaths in El Paso County

Here's a list of earlier segments:

• April 9 Q&A: (225 cases , 1 death in El Paso County)
• April 16 Q&A: (451 cases, 7 deaths in El Paso County)
• April 23 Q&A: (675 total cases, 543 active cases, 10 deaths)
• April 30 Q&A: (924 total cases, 506 active cases, 21 deaths)
• May 7 Q&A: (1,190 total cases, 541 active cases, 30 deaths)
• May 14 Q&A: (1,607 total cases, 771 active cases, 43 deaths)
• May 21 Q&A: (2,046 total cases, 883 active cases, 57 deaths)