‘We’ve done really well’: Weekly Check-in with TTUHSC’s Dr. Michelson

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Every week, ABC-7 anchor Mauricio Casillas will speak to Dr. Edward Michelson. Dr. Michelson is the chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine for Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso.

Here's the Q&A for March 18:

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

Dr. Edward Michelson (Chairman, Dept. of Emergency medicine TTUHSC El Paso): "The past week has gone very well. We're currently seeing still low but stable occupancy of hospitals, right at around 11% of capacity. That number, however, is still not going down. It's hovering around 250 patients. The number in ICU is around 90 - 100 so that's a little concerning that we don't see that number continuing to go down."

Casillas: Can hospitals handle the current number of patients?

Dr. Michelson: "Hospitals have plenty of capacity. But, we would still like to see the number of patients in hospitals with Covid go down."

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

Dr. Michelson: "Even those of us who have been vaccinated, when we're out, we should still really wear our masks from some of the new strains that might be circulating."

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

Dr. Michelson: "I'm very excited about the number of El Pasoans still lining up to receive the Covid vaccine, and the number who are actually getting it. As of this morning, over 186,000 El Pasoans have had at least one dose. Over 100,000 have had both doses or are fully vaccinated."

Casillas: What is your prediction for next week?

Dr. Michelson: "I'm a little concerned about what next week is going to bring because of the recent rise in the number of people testing positive. This may be the result of changes in restrictions that happened a week ago. Now is about the right time to start seeing the increase if it's going to happen."

Casillas: What is giving you hope at this time?

Dr. Michelson: "The desire and the acceptance of the vaccine. I really hope that our community continues to embrace vaccinations and that more and more of us get vaccinated."

Casillas: What is your message to the Borderland?

Dr. Michelson: "Enjoy the upcoming holidays. Many of our kids are off for spring break. Let's also be careful. This is not a time to get in large groups without masks. This is not a time to let our guard down. We've done really well. We don't want to lose ground."