‘All the numbers – they’re human beings’: El Paso doctor says health workers struggle amid virus surge
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- El Paso County set a new record for coronavirus hospitalizations Wednesday morning, increasing the workload for hospitals that are already spread thin.
There are 908 hospitalizations and 223 patients in El Paso's ICUs. Dr. Ogechika Alozie, an infectious disease specialist and chief medical officer at Del Sol Medical Center, said the situation is devastating.
"That fatigue, having physicians and nurses literally come up to you crying, because it's tiresome and just painful to watch so much human tragedy and death," he said. "It's really hard to explain unless you've seen it."
Dr. Alozie said unfortunately people who aren't taking the pandemic seriously, are having to learn the hard way.
"How do you actually work the words "El Paso Strong"? Is it just a hashtag, or is it actually something that means something," Dr. Alozie said. "You gotta remember that your circle is interacting with ten other circles. Any interaction you have potentially is a risk."
He pointed out that he believes bars and restaurants are getting the "Boogey Man" treatment. He said it's easy to point fingers at businesses, but ultimately it's people and their decision making that spreads the virus.
Dr. Alozie said there's no way to undo the damage that is already done in El Paso. But, we can act as a community now to prevent more tragedy.
"Whatever we do today, will take at least 4-6 weeks to kick into effect. We're going to be dealing with this health crisis for some time," he said.
