‘I get a lot of hope from the numbers’: 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 Feb. 18:

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

Dr. Edward Michelson (Chairman, Dept. of Emergency medicine TTUHSC El Paso): "I'm encouraged by the numbers that I'm seeing. Patients in hospital are remaining stable. Today we're under 400 patients."

Casillas: Can hospitals handle the current number of patients?

Dr. Michelson: "Yes. Hospitals are fully capable of handling the current number of patients, which really hasn't changed in El Paso for the past five or six weeks."

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

Dr. Michelson: "Although we focus on Covid, we know there's many other diseases, injuries, problems patients have. I remain concerned that patients are staying home too long. They really need to get themselves to the hospital if they have an unexplained pain, an area of redness, warmth, or if they're diabetic and their sugars are not being maintained. Or if they're having mental health issues, worries, increases in anxiety."

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

Dr. Michelson: "One of the most eye-opening things in the last week how much progress we've made on vaccinations. As of this morning, over 110,000 El Pasoans have received at least one dose. Almost 50,000 have had both doses of the vaccine."

Casillas: What is your prediction for next week?

Dr. Michelson: "I'm hoping it will warm up because as you know the snow has delayed shipments of vaccine here in El Paso. We've had to reschedule patients who were due to get a dose of Moderna today and tomorrow due to delays in shipments. I'm really hoping that those shipments arrive and we can get caught up on continuing our vaccination efforts."

Casillas: What is giving you hope at this time?

Dr. Michelson: "I get a lot of hope from the numbers. We've learned this past week that we'll be getting even more vaccine. The suppliers have committed to increasing the number of doses being shipped across the United States. I think we're getting close to Johnson & Johnson's vaccine going through the FDA process and hopefully getting emergency use authorization within the next two weeks."

Casillas: What is your message to the Borderland?

Dr. Michelson: "Wash your hands. Practice social distancing. Let's avoid spreading Covid as we continue to vaccinate our population."